2001-01-06
The ratio is accepted as 10:1 in both FFU and SI. It works out nicer in
SI, as a centimetre of snow is equivalent to a millimetre of rain. Snow
fall is measured in centimetres and rainfall in millimetres. Somehow the
scientist must have thought that 12 was close enough to 10 that to the
average person who couldn't care less, it was close enough. Like hitting
the broad side of the barn.
Glückliches Neues Jahr!
Happy New Year!
John
Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der irrtümlich glaubt
frei zu sein.
There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe they
are free!
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On
Behalf Of Pat Naughtin
Sent: Sunday, 2001-01-07 00:16
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:10313] Rules of Thumb
Dear Han and All,
Some years ago I watched a documentary - from the USA I think - that talked
about snow and how to measure it.
I was struck by the trouble that a scientist had in talking to the
media. It
was clear to me that he had made his observations (for years?) using metric
measures but he was trying to translate these to ifp units for the
television. He was making really heavy weather of it.
A curious feature of his struggle was to equate 1 inch of rain with 1 foot
of snow, when he was talking ifp; and to equate 1 mm of rain with 10 mm of
snow when he was talking in SI.
Does anyone know the ratio between rain and snow? I suppose it varies quite
a bit according to temperature and compression. However, is there a Rule of
Thumb that a rheologist would use to calculate river flows in the following
Spring, for example?
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin CAMS
Geelong, Australia
on 31.12.2000 06.47, Han Maenen at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I saw an item about the expected blizzard in the eastern USA
and a man in
> New York gave a comment. The subtitle translated what he said in
Dutch and
> gave it as 30 cm, before the man had spoken, so I expected him
to say that
> there would be a snowfall of 12 inches.
> However, he said that he expected 30 cm of snow!!! Another drop, in this
> case, another snowflake.
>
> It has been cold here, and we have had about 10 cm of snow.
There were heavy
> snowshowers last night. Ireland, with its warm winter climate
had up to 20
> cm of snow and freezing weather all day yesterday and today.
> However, warm air will reach Ireland tomorrow and Continental Europe next
> year, on 2001 January 1 with temperatures rising to 9 degrees.
It may start
> as snow, even blizzards, then turning to rain. The jet stream is
expected to
> move south again later next week with pressure rising in the
Iceland area,
> and this could mean winter returning next weekend.
>
> Han
>
