SNOW OBSERVATIONS

WEST HENRICO GLEN ALLEN - SNOWFALL FOR 2011-2012 WINTER'S TOTAL     7.4 inches
The Winter of 2011-2012
Click-Snowstorms of This Winter					Click-Snowstorms of Past Winters
Click to see the Snowboard					Click to see how the Visibility is Reduced
Obs. Num.	Time of Observation February 19,   2012	Total Frozen Precip. Inches	Total Melted Precip. Inches	Temp. °F	The snow amount shown on the snowboard will differ from the averaged observed amt. particularly if it is windy ! - - - Remarks for the Time Period
0	1112 hrs.	0.0	Trace	40.1	First precipitation started as a very light snow flurry and then only an occassional flake to 1130. Warm for snow and all the snow is melting as it falls.
1	1200 hrs.	0.0	Trace	39.2	During this hour only occassional flurries occurred.
2	1230 hrs.	Trace	0.01	36.3	From 1210 to 1230 the snow has increased at times to a moderate rate and the temperature has dropped almost 3 °F. The snow is starting to accumulate on colder surfaces.
3	1300 hrs.	0.2	0.04	34.4	Snowfall rate was near moderated during the past 30 minutes but is now very light. The current dew point is now 31.9 °F. The grass is now showing a touch of white but the snow is now melting faster than the current snowfall rate.
4	1400 hrs.	0.2	0.08	33.8	Flakes are large and falling as aggregates of many crystals. The grass has lost some of its touch of white as the snowfall has been melting at about the same rate as the accumulation rate.
5	1500 hrs.	0.5	0.15	33.2	Flakes are large and falling as aggregates of many crystals during the past hour. The grass is now white as the snowfall rate has increased and the temperature has decreased 0.6 °F in the past hour. Snow is still melting as it falls on cement walks and our street.
6	1600 hrs.	0.6	0.18	33.2	Flakes are small and irregular with few aggregates flakes of many crystals during the past hour. Very light snow pellets have been falling during the past 10 minutes. The temperature hasn't changed in the past hour and snow is still melting as it falls on cement walks and our street.
7	1700 hrs.	0.8	0.23	32.9	Some irregular and broken crystals contain mainly ice also some sleet mixed in and bouncing off surfaces. Driveway on north side of house starting to form a thin coat of slush but till melting as it falls on cement walks and our street.
8	1800 hrs.	0.8	0.25	32.9	Mostly sleet and icy particles this past hour caused compaction of the aggregates flakes that fell earlier and still slow melting kept the total the same. Currently we have snow crystals that are broken and irregular and small with a NNE wind of about 10 mph.
9	1900 hrs.	1.1	0.32	32.7	Heavier snowfall rate this past hour.
10	2000 hrs.	3.6	0.45	32.4	Finally some VERY heavy snow, flakes are large and falling as aggregates of many crystals. During this past hour we have had 2.5 inches of snow. More snow in the past hour than in the previous 9 hours !! There is 2.0 inches of snow on the street now. The liquid total is not correct now as the heater in the gauge can't melt the snow as fast as it is falling !!
11	2100 hrs.	4.2	0.69	32.4	This past hour the flakes are much smaller and the snow rate decreased shortly after this past hour started. But the snowfall rate is still moderate snow this past hour with 0.6 inches. The large aggregates or fluffy assemblages of many crystals falling between 7- 8 PM causes more air spaces in the snow and a faster settling rate of the snow during this past hour. The liquid total is still not correct as the heater in the gauge still hasn't melted quite all the snow that fell between 7 and 8 PM but will be correct by the next hour.
12	2200 hrs.	4.5	0.74	32.5	The camera box was raised this past hour to obtain a better viewing angle. The precipitation gauge has melted all of the back log of snow and is correct again. But when the snow is over I will check the 8 inch standing gauge. The flakes this past hour are fine irregular and broken. The wind is about est. to be 10 to 15 mph but the anemometer is snow covered and not operating.
13	2300 hrs.	4.9	0.81	32.5	During this hour I took a core sample with a 4 inch gauge and found the value to be 0.80 inches of liquid the tripping bucket gauge was reading 0.78 inches at this time. There could easily be 0.02 inches of evaporation from the 12 inch tripping bucket gauge so I added the 0.02 inches into the total this hour. Flakes are now medium size aggregates made of many broken crystals.
14	2400 hrs.	5.1	0.84	32.7	Snowfall is now light. The 8 inch core sample agreed within 0.02 inches of the tripping bucket so the 0.84 inches looks good.
	Feb 20th
15	0100 hrs.	0.1	0.01	32.7	Cleared the snow board for a new day and had barely 0.1 inches of new snow. The snow rate has decreased to flurries now. Interesting note the other snow board that wasn't cleared that had 5.1 inches now has 5.0 inches. Thus it has lost 0.2 inches in an hour from settling and melting. I am stopping the night observations but will leave the light on the camera board which will show the loss of snow from settling and melting.
16	0700 hrs.	0.1	0.01	30.9	All measurable snow had ended by 1:30 AM but the last flurries ended around 03:00 AM. The total snow amount was 5.2 inches and water content was 0.85 inches. A max. temperature of 70 °F is in the forecast for the 23rd.