SOME MEASUREMENTS OF SNOW DENSITY

By R. E. LACY
Bncilding ResearchStation, Garston

T is conventional to assume that 10 to 12 inches of freshly-fallen snow

I produce, when melted, about I inch depth of water-in other words that the
density of new snow is about o * Igm cm-3. In fact this density may vary over a
range of about ten to one, Seligman (1936) noting values of 0.05 to 0.065 for
‘ordinary new snow, immediately after falling in calm air’, to 0.1 to 0 - 2 for
‘damp new snow, immediately after falling‘ and as much as 0.8 for ‘very wet
snow’. It is believed that the highest density recorded in Britain for newly
fallen snow is about 0 - 3 gm cm-3.
In the cold weather of December 1962 to March 1963 a series of measure-
ments of the density of snow lying at Garston, Hertfordshire, was made and,
because such measurements are rather rare in this country, it is thought worth-
while putting them on record.
THE METHOD
The snow samples were taken from a level grassed area, some IOO f t square,
with buildings 8 to 10 ft high along its east and south sides. It was at an
altitude of about 260 ft above sea-level, with generally level country for some
distance around. There seemed to be little drifting of the snow in the lee of
these buildings, and in the area whence the samples were taken, about 50 ft
from the eastern and southern boundaries, the depth was quite uniform.
A circular cutter was made from a tin, about 5 in. in diameter and 12 in.
long, to take the samples, with a lifter made from brass sheet 0.063 in. thick.
The tin was pushed vertically through the snow down to the ground, and the
lifter, which had a short wooden handle, was then used as a shovel to clear
snow away from around the cutter, until it could be slid underneath the cutter.
The lifter was used to carry the cutter with the sample of snow to a z-litre
beaker, into which the snow was allowed to drop. The depth of the undisturbed
snow was measured immediately afterwards.
It was found advisable to put the equipment to be used outside for a few
minutes before using it. If warm apparatus is used, the snow in contact with
it melts and then refreezes as the metal cools and sticks to it, making removal
of the core difficult.
The equivalent depth of water was measured, either by melting the sample
and using a standard raingauge measuring-glass, or, more conveniently, by
weighing the sample. Knowing the depth of the snow, and thus the volume
of the sample, its density could now be calculated. On one occasion, when
there was a well-defined layer of new snow, it was possible to take a separate
sample of this and measure its density. Usually, however, the later falls of
snow were too shallow for reliable measurements of this kind to be made.
It is thought that the calculated snow densities are subject to errors of no
more than f5 per cent, the greatest uncertainty being in the measurement of

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 \T;;y
A I R TEMPERATURES

I . . -m

i.
I I I I
DEW-POINT AT 9 6.M.T.

.I
u)

IL 20
10
l
I

-
I

I.
I

.*
I

.-./... ....
I I

0
DAILY M E A N WIND SPEED
- ,5
-
p 10
f 5 -
0
200
7 150
3. loo
2
5 50
0
50
- 4 6
30
: 20
2 I0
0
0.4
n
.

25
Drcru~rr1962
11 51 DI .I
JANUARY 1963
.I 4 11
FEERUARY 1963
5I 4
Fig. I. Density and water equivalent of the snow lying at Garston, 26 December 1962to
15 February 1963

the depth of the undisturbed snow. Although the tin used as a cutter was thin
and distorted easily, the error caused by it having an elliptical section rather
than a circular one is negligible. Its average diameter was measured and found
to be 4.93 in. The equivalent depth of water obtained by melting snow and
measuring it in a rain-measure was therefore multiplied by I -028 to allow for
this.
Twenty-five samples were taken in the period 27 December 1962 to 15 Feb-
ruary 1963 and the results of the observations are plotted in Fig. I, together with
some details of the weather. The estimates of the snow densityare plotted at the
foot of the figure. Next above this the depth of snow lying at the time of each
observation is plotted (small circles),expressed as the equivalent depth of water,
and the same quantity calculated from the cumulative readings of the standard
raingauge (steppedline).

354
 The weather observations shown are the daily mean air temperature from
og to 09 GMT with the maximum and minimum readings each day, the og GMT
dew-point temperature, the daily mean wind speed at a height of 50 ft, and the
daily total solar radiation on a horizontal surface. They give a guide as to the
likelihood of melting or ablation of the snow, but there is not sufficient informa-
tion for an attempt at computing a detailed heat-balance.

NOTES ON THE OBSERVATIONS

The first snow fell on the afternoon of 26 December 1962and by 0945 GMT
on the following morning, when the first sample was taken, the undrifted depth
was 4 inches, and the mean density 0.075 gm cm-3. There was little wind and
the amount collected in the standard raingauge agreed well with the sample
taken with the cutter. The next major fall of snow occurred with a strong
wind and considerable drifting took place. The cumulative depth of precipita-
tion recorded by the raingauge from the morning of 26 December to og GMT on
the 31st was 15-4 mm, but the depth of undrifted snow lying at this time was
equivalent to 26.4 mm of water, so that the raingauge had caught only some
60 per cent of the precipitation. The site of the raingauge, some 200 yards
away from the lawn where the snow samples were taken, was much more
exposed to wind and the snow was largely blown off the lawn around the gauge.
On the morning of 31 December the mean density of the whole 7 - 2 in. of
snow was 0.144 gm cm-3, while that of the top 3.1in. of fresh snow (which fell
0.1 30 December) was 0.154 gm cm-3. Thus the density of this new snow was
twice that of the snow of 26 to 27 December.
Further falls during the next few days included, on 3 January, one of about
4 mm of freezing rain, which produced a glazed crust on all exposed surfaces.
That on the snow was quite spectacular, undisturbed stretches having the
appearance of water under the street-lights, and remaining intact until about
28 January under later snow. On the morning of 4 January, after the freezing
rain, the snow depth was still 7 in., although the water-equivalent was now
42.3 mm, the highest value recorded, and the density had increased to 0.24
gm cm-3.
Between og GMT on 4 January and the morning of the 7th, about 7 mm of
water was lost, presumably by melting from the base of the snow, since the
mean air temperature during this period was close to 0°C and there can have
been little evaporation from the top surface. As far as can be judged there
was little or no further loss before 28 January, and the density averaged about
0.26 gm cm-3 until 20 January, when a a-inch fall of snow which had a density
-
of o 13 gm cm-3 reduced the average density of the snow lying to o '23.
The temperature of the air was below 0°C from the afternoon of 16 January
to the morning of the 25th, at which time the old ice-crust persisted below a
layer of loose crystals, 2 inches thick. At one time this crust had been strong
enough to support the weight of a person. However, after a sharp rise of air
temperature on the ~ 6 t hand ~ a mean of +z°C for about 4 days, this crust
disappeared and the snow depth was reduced to about 3 - 5 in. of uniformly

355
coarse crystals, with a mean density of 0.36 gm cm-3. This probably come-
sponded to what Seligman called ‘dry granular firn snow’, or K w f i s c h a .
There were several other falls of snow in the next 18 days, each giving
from 0 . 5 to I inch of fresh snow. It was noted on 8 February that the snow
was 4 inches deep and entirely composed of large crystals. At 12 G ~ I Ton the
11th there was again a crust formed by freezing rain, covered by about 0.5 h.
of fresh snow.
The last measurements were made on 15 February, when there was about
3 - 5 in. depth of snow, of which about I inch was freshly fallen, very wet snow
(5 - 2 mm of water was collected in the raingauge).
No further measurements were possible after the q t h , but little more
snow fell, and that on the ground slowly thinned; until the final thaw on 3 to
4 March rapidly removed all that remained.
CONCLUSION
The measurements show that after about 10 days the snow density settled
down to a value in the range 0 . 2 5 to 0.30 gm cm-3, exceeding the latter value
only when the daily mean air temperature exceeded 0°C. Seligman gives the
specific gravity of ‘settled snow’ as 0 . 2 to 0 . 3 , so it appears that in lowland
Britain snow behaves in much the same way as it does in Alpine regions, as far
as this stage. It seems unlikely however that it will normally settle still further
to become ‘firn’with a specific gravity of around o -6.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This paper is published by permission of the Director of Building Research.
The work described forms part of the programme of the Buildmg Research
Board.
REFERENCE
SELIGMAN.
G. 1936 Snow structure a n d ski fields. London, Macmillan

READERS’ FORUM
Q. During thundery weather one frequently hears it said in the office, on a bus
or train . . . ‘do you know, that storm went around and came back again! . . .’
Wherever did the idea originate that our storms travel in circles? It never
seems to be considered that two storms occurred.
On the subject of thunderstorms, is there any more likelihood of lightning
striking a building if the television set is switched on? The general impression
seems to be ‘yes, the danger is increased’.
Teddington, G . NICHOLSON
Middlesex
A . It does not make the slightest difference to the chance of a building being struck by
lightning whether the television is switched on or off.
An outside radio or television aerial, particularly if higher than surrounding objects,
will increase the probability of a lightning strike to the building, and if Mr Nicholson has
such a case in mind he should consult the British Standard Code of Practice, c.P.325.101,
‘Protection of structures against lightning’, which gives some useful practical information
on lightning protection.
Director, Dr. J. S. FORREST
Central Electricity Research Laboratory,
Leatherhead. Surrey

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