Dependence of snowfall on temperature

Publisher’s version / Version de l'éditeur:

Nature, 177, pp. 1137-1138, 1956

READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS WEBSITE. https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/copyright

Vous avez des questions? Nous pouvons vous aider. Pour communiquer directement avec un auteur, consultez la

première page de la revue dans laquelle son article a été publié afin de trouver ses coordonnées. Si vous n’arrivez pas à les repérer, communiquez avec nous à PublicationsArchive-ArchivesPublications@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

Questions? Contact the NRC Publications Archive team at

PublicationsArchive-ArchivesPublications@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca. If you wish to email the authors directly, please see the first page of the publication for their contact information.

NRC Publications Archive

Archives des publications du CNRC

This publication could be one of several versions: author’s original, accepted manuscript or the publisher’s version. / La version de cette publication peut être l’une des suivantes : la version prépublication de l’auteur, la version acceptée du manuscrit ou la version de l’éditeur.

Access and use of this website and the material on it are subject to the Terms and Conditions set forth at

Dependence of snowfall on temperature

Gold, L. W.; Williams, G. P.

https://publications-cnrc.canada.ca/fra/droits

L’accès à ce site Web et l’utilisation de son contenu sont assujettis aux conditions présentées dans le site LISEZ CES CONDITIONS ATTENTIVEMENT AVANT D’UTILISER CE SITE WEB.

NRC Publications Record / Notice d'Archives des publications de CNRC:

https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=1b8b9611-37e7-481c-b439-c85a9aa58f56

https://publications-cnrc.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=1b8b9611-37e7-481c-b439-c85a9aa58f56

Ser

THl

N21t2

no. \2

e . 2

BLSB

(Reprirttatl Iron Ndurc, Vol. 177, pp. 1137-1138, luttc 16, 1956)

N . R . C .

_{# ? 9 0 .}

_{i . : l . , . t ' i i : . .}

i t i , , : * - ; ; r *

r ' ' : ' J ir"''j

- - ; a t - n : 1 : ' ! ; ' .1 ii :'. ';' ii i'

i

't'a'... :"" i i J'4

$R*ilx

FELfl,

Dependence of Snowfalt on Temperature D'Oosn has roportedr a correlation between amount of snowfall in inches and temperature at ths time of snowfall. His data showed that' maximum depth of snowfall ocourrod at a daily mean tempera. ture of - ll'C. ; Bossolascot corolated frequoney of oceurronco of snowfall with temperaturo and found maximum occurrence at approrimatoly the samo temperoture. Thoso observers assumed that tbe mean daily temperature recorded at the Ievol of obgervation w&s s reasonable estimete of the tem-peraturo at the level of formation of 0he snow. Frorn the daba presented, conclusions wore drawn concern-ing hucleation of snow crystals.

Tho dependenco observed by D'Ooge was ehecked by analysing, on a monthly basis, data collected by the Canadian Meteorological Service at Old Glory -Mountain (elevation 7,700 ft.) over the period lg47-55. The observed doponclenco of inches of snowfall on the meari daily temperature is shown in Fig. l. Assuming that the distributions are due to a real dopendence of the amount. of snowfall on the temporaturo at which tho snow is forrning, I.ig. I indicates that, only during the midwinter montlrs aro

J A N

&

t o r : r32.

\

A I M A F t62:i

/

\

12,

^6.

NOV Frog r A A P R

n

d

i l g ! t o c l MAY 1 3 t . ! '96

\

--30 -20 -ro o lo -3() -?o -to o lo

t E u P € n r r u n E o c 50 25

A N A LYZED

I u z o J B o z

Fig. f. Depen<Ience of montNy snosfall on tempqt4ture..at Old Olory Mountain for period f947-t5 i I

. Total snowfall iD inches,1947-65 T E C H T I C A L P A P E R T I O . ' 2

O F T H E

D I V I S I O N O F S U I L D I i l G R E S E A R C H

T A T I O f l A L R E S E A R C H C O U } T C I L _{P i l c E t o cEf{Ts}

tho tomporatures measnred at the lovel of observation likely to be a reasonable estimate of the temperaturo

at tho level of formation. The distributions for the

re.mg,inpg months aro shifted to higher temperatures, as would be expected when the effect of the annual variation in mean tomperature at the ground is takon into account.

It, wes pointed out to us by mombers of ths Cenadian Meteorologicel Service that these distribu-tions do not necessarily show a, true corrolation of

amount of snowfaU on temperaturo. Other possible

explqnations _{exist ; for example,} tho ohc€rved

distribution may tre a rofloxion of tho frequency

distribution of the temporatures at the fixod levol

of obsorvation. Data wore available from

obsorva-tione taken at Montreal during the winter of l95l-52 3 which gavo the dopth of snowfall and tho temperaturo

of the levol of formation as estimated from the

meteorological rocords. .The distribution obtained

from these data is shown iri tr'ig. 2. The area enclosed in the distribution corresponds to 89 in. of tho wintor total of 124 trc' Assuming that air masses in which

tho snow forms will not produce procipitation until

conditions aro favourable, Fig. 2 should bo a truo corroletion betwoen amount of enowfall and tho tem-porature at the lovel of formation. From this distribu-tion it is se€n that the greatest amount of snow is likoly to como frorn cloud betwoon - l0o C. and - 20o C. One interost,ing feature of the Montreal

observatione was that the majority of snow crystals

woro irregular assomblagos of columns and platesa. The distribution in inchos for the snowfalls observed was: 59.0 in., irrogular crystals (usually associated with frontal storms) ; l5 in., dendritos ; and the

remainder, columns and needles. According to

Naka3"a, irregular a-"somblagos of columns and plates form over the tomporaturo-ranges - 9o C. to - l4o C.

50 o 1 0 u I

3 " o

J i z o i o z t o o l --30 '-to t t u p E n l r u n E o c

Flg. 2. Dopeadence ofsnowfsll on temDeraturo from observationg mado at Montreal

r

J

"L

I

J

1

a,nd - 17"C. to - 20"C.: dendrites form in the temporaturo rongo - 14"C. to - l7oc.

Sinco it is vory difficult to estimato tho tomporature of formation of tho snow, and sinco this tomperature is nob likely to romain constant throughout a snowfall, a,ny conclusions drawn based on details in the obsorvsd distributions must indeed bo speculative.

L. W. Gor,p G. P. Wrr,rreus

Snow and Ice Section, Division of Building Rosearch,

National Research Corrncil, Ottawa, Ontario.

Dec. 20.

! D'Ooge, C, L., Nature,175, 466 (1055).

tBossolasco, M., Cleofidca Pwa e Applicatd, t8, U08 (1054). I Gold, I,. W., and Power, B. A,, J, trIeleor., ,,',, Iio. 1, 35 (1954). 'Nakaya, _{U., "Snow Crystols: Natural and Artificial"} (Ilarvarrl

Univ, Press, 1964).