
Louisiana, This is the Proper Way to Measure Snowfall
The National Weather Service Forecast Offices around the Gulf South, namely the offices in Houston/Galveston, Texas, Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Baton Rouge/New Orleans, Louisiana have been very busy over the past week preparing us for a weather event that we are not too familiar with. That would be the onset of winter weather, frozen precipitation, and dangerously cold temperatures.
And while a lot of us are familiar with the concept of "cold temperatures" it's very seldom in our part of the world that we get warnings for "extreme" and "dangerous" cold temperatures. I think the cold temperatures will affect more people in Louisiana over the next few days than any accumulation of frozen precipitation will.
Unless frozen precipitation causes problems along the power grid, which is likely to happen, trees could break in areas where they become weighted down with snow and ice accumulations. Often, when these limbs break, they bring down powerlines with them. And with road conditions not the greatest, it might take repair crews an even longer time to reach the problem area and restore service.
But how much snow and ice does it take for service interruptions to occur? The short answer is "not much," especially if the frozen precipitation accumulating is ice in the form of sleet or freezing rain. Those conditions add additional weight to tree limbs and the powerlines themselves.
Meanwhile, as conditions begin to deteriorate and the snow begins to fall across the Gulf South you are going to be treated to a wonderful selection of photographs featuring people's patio furniture. It's the best place to show snow accumulation for most of us but if you were going to measure how much snow fell on your patio furniture, there is a specific way to go about doing that.
If you follow these steps, you can submit your snow report to your nearest National Weather Service Forecast Office.
A Southerner's Guide to Measuring Snowfall
More From 97.3 The Dawg








