Rain to Snow Calculator

Our rain to snow calculator lets you calculate the expected rain to snow ratio based on the temperature outside. You might think, why would I need to know the rain-to snow ratio?

Have you ever looked around and wondered, instead of all this rain, how much snow would have fallen if it was colder?

This tool can also let you know if you should take an umbrella 🌂 or if you need your warm coat in case it snows. How many times have you wondered before leaving home?

This rain to snow calculator will answer all your questions — whether you are researching a school project or just had this random thought on a rainy day about how to convert inches of rain to snow.

The ratio of rain to snow or snow to rain depends on certain factors:

• Temperature;
• Humidity;
• Precipitation;
• Windchill; and
• Atmospheric lift.

Most weather services say that, on average, the amount of snow is 10 times the rainfall volume; that is, 1 inch of rain is equivalent to 10 inches of snowfall.

If the snow is dense and molecules are tightly packed, then the ratio is 1:8. This ratio is not only dependent on temperature but requires a particular amount of windchill as well. If the texture of the snow is more fluffy and powder-like ❄️ then, depending on the temperature, the ratio can be anywhere from 1:20 to 1:50.

Our rain to snow calculator takes the amount of rain in inches as input and calculates the inches of snow you might expect based on that amount of rain. Also, our rain to snow conversion is dependent on temperature, so you should choose the most appropriate range. That is why you might not see our calculator use the 1:8 ratio of rain to snow, as it requires a certain amount of windchill, which is unfortunately not taken into account when performing this rain to snow conversion.
The formula created for the rain to snow conversion is given below:

Snow = Rain × SC

where:

• "SC" — Snow coefficient, a numeric value based on the atmospheric temperature.

All you need to do is know the temperature of your surroundings, find the corresponding snow coefficient, and multiply it by the amount of rain in inches. The result is the amount of snow in inches.

The rain to snow conversion is explained in detail in the next section.

The most important factor that affects the rain to snow conversion is temperature. The amount of snow that one inch of rain will produce at varying temperatures is given in the table below. This will give you a better understanding of how the rain to snow calculator works and how you can convert any number of inches of snow to rain or rain to snow.

We know that the temperature must be at or below freezing point for rain to turn into snow. Using the above table, you can convert rain to snow or snow to rain at your fingertips 🖐️.

If you've come across a situation where you can not use the rain to snow calculator, or you may want to teach someone how it is used and how the calculations are found, you need to follow these instructions:

• Inches of rain to snow

  Now, let's say you need to calculate the amount of snowfall for 4 inches of rain at 3 °F, so you will multiply 4 by 40, which is the snow coefficient for temperatures between 0-9 °F. Your answer is 160 inches.

  So, at 3 °F, 4 inches of rain is equivalent to 160 inches of snow.

• Inches of snow to rain

  If you are like us and you wonder how much water you would be able to get from a bucketful of snow, all you need are some simple calculations in the same manner as we did to calculate inches of rain to snow.

  For instance, for 12 inches of snowfall at a temperature of 16 °F, all you need to do is divide the amount of snow in inches by the snow coefficient, which in this case is 20. The result is 0.6 inches of rain.

  Whether you need to calculate inches of rain to snow or inches of snow to rain, the actual rain to snow ratio remains unchanged. The only thing that changes is you either multiply the rain and snow coefficient or divide them by each other.

Checking the weather report near Christmas 🎄 can be stressful as so many people are anxious about the weather on Christmas Day. Many people are asking: "Mommy, is it going to rain or snow today?", "Are we going to have a white Christmas?" or "Am I gonna be able to make an even bigger snowman than last year?".

Rain to snow conversion is more than just a matter of mere calculations. It also helps in precipitation forecasts.

If the atmospheric temperature is above or expected to be above freezing point, then it will likely rain, but if the temperature is expected to be below the freezing point, then snowfall can be forecast.

Want to get into the chill spirit of winter? Wish to discover some more science?

We've got you covered!

Try the white Christmas calculator or the freezing point depression calculator. 🎄

If you actually think about it, rain doesn't turn to snow. They are both different forms of precipitation that require different circumstances to form and if rain were to freeze, it would become ice and not snow.

When we ask at what temperature rain turns to snow, what we actually mean is how cold does our atmospheric temperature have to be so that the snowflake falling from the sky maintains its form and reaches the ground? Because in certain cases, the atmospheric temperature at the clouds is cold enough to produce snow, but as it moves down towards the ground where the temperature is higher in comparison, it melts and reaches us in the form of rain.

After enjoying a play in the snow, making an adorable snowman ☃️, skiing down a slope, and throwing snowballs at each other, you might look around and wonder, wow, if I collected all this snow and melted it, how much water would that be? To find the amount of water in snow, you need to follow mostly the same process as the rain-to snow conversion. So you can follow the steps explained in the rain to snow conversion section, or if you are in a hurry, use our rain to snow calculator, enter any amount of rain, select the temperature, and you have your answer.

The purpose of calculating the number of inches of snow to rain is also helpful in determining the amount of water that is eventually returned to our natural water reservoirs, like lakes and ponds in the area.

Hungry for knowledge? Take a look at our pond calculator to learn something new!