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Old 01-25-2009, 04:47 PM
 
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Looking on a weather web site, I see the following:

Denver precipitation - 15"/yr
Denver snowfall - 60"/yr

How is precipitation defined? Does Denver get 15" of rain per year plus 60" of snow or is the 60" of snow included in the 15" precipitation via some conversion factor?
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Old 01-25-2009, 05:58 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
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Precipitation is defined as the amount of water Denver gets. Some is in the form of snow, some is in rain. When it snows, you will sometimes see the amount of water in it, stated on TV.
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Old 01-25-2009, 06:06 PM
 
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The technical term is 'liquid water equivalent' - melt the snow/ice/etc, and measure that. 'Wet' snow is generally around 10" of snow per 1" of water - this is the type of snow that is heavy and occurs when temperatures are not much below freezing. When it is colder, the snow is fluffier (the crystals form differently depending on conditions as they form and fall out of clouds) and the ratio can be 20 or 30" per 1" of water. Then when it is super cold, it tends to be more dense again.

Snow faq from the snow ice data center: Q & A
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Old 01-25-2009, 06:12 PM
 
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Thanks!
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Old 01-25-2009, 06:23 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia View Post
Thanks!
You're welcome. Thank you nelumbo, for your expertise.
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Old 08-27-2009, 01:35 PM
 
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Can someone tell me the usual amount of snow Westminster gets?
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Old 08-27-2009, 01:37 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlprice1 View Post
Can someone tell me the usual amount of snow Westminster gets?
Roughly the same as the rest of metro Denver, 60" per year on average, with wide swings from year to year.

Denver Snowfall Statistics 1882-2009
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Old 08-29-2009, 12:27 AM
 
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Also bear in mind that the total amount of precipitation varies depending on what part of the metro area you are in. The south part of the metro area gets substantially more snow than the north metro mostly due to elevation associated with the Palmer Divide. Overall precipitation is higher on an annual basis in the south as well. The far west and foothills get the most snow and precipitation overall again due to orographic effect.

It is interesting in Highlands Ranch, watching the storms where we have a couple of inches here in the south and just a dusting in the north. This past spring was particularly noticable when there was no snow at all at the airport and we had over 20". This is all due to the elevation change.

You might find these links helpful

This link shows how most winter storms drop much more snow in the south and west metro
NWS Denver-Boulder, CO - Local Climate Page

Precipitation map showing higher precipitation in Douglas, Jefferson, and parts of Arapahoe counties.
BASIN: Colorado Precipitation Map
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