The state of Ohio has a wide range of snowfall, from the heavy lake-effect snow in the north, through the lighter, more infrequent snows in the central part of the state. In some parts of the state, it snows in November; other parts don't get much until January. While this exercise takes place over the entire "snow season" in your area, it is a great experience in finding out about snow in your area and comparing your answers to others across the state!

Make a snow gauge. You will need a flat bottomed, flat sided container (an empty gallon milk carton will work) and a ruler.

Instructions for the snow gauge:

  • cut off the top and discard that part of the container
  • place it outside in an area that is open and away from trees, awnings or overhangs so that snow can fall freely into the container.
  • put it outside in advance of snowfall, so that the container is cold and collects snow without melting it.



After a snowfall:

  • put a ruler inside the container to measure the snow.
  • mark the date, the number of inches of snow, and the number of centimeters of snow on the form that is provided.
  • bring the container indoors and let the snow melt.
  • using the same ruler, measure the amount of snow water in both inches and centimeters; then transfer that data to the forms in Snowed Under Chart at the bottom of this page.


                    Activity 2 Results

After each snowfall, Ohio students can e-mail Ohio Math Works so we can post your snow information here on the web site!

Class:
Teacher's Name:
School:
Community, city or school district:
Date of snowfall: (mm/dd/yy)
What was the total snowfall for your school?
In inches:
In centimeters:
Date school was closed because of snow: (mm/dd/yy)
Teacher or class e-mail address at the school:
 



Check back to the OMW web site to see how many snow days occurred around the state! Did your school get a lot of snow? Were you off more days than the students on the other side of the state?


                    Activity 3 Results

Keep your snowfall records current throughout the fall, winter and early spring. Here is a form you can download and print and use to record information on snowfalls in your area. Your teacher may want to designate one person from your class to keep the official classroom record of snowfall.

Snowed Under Chart-pdf download (14K)
To download the FREE Acrobat Reader 3.0, click here.

At the end of the snow season, create a summary of snow information.

  1. What is the total average snowfall for your area in inches? In centimeters?
    What is the average snowfall for each month?

  2. Go online or call your local bureau of the National Weather Service or the local television station. Find out what the average snowfall was for each of the last three years. How do your numbers compare with the data provided by the professionals?

  3. Look closely at how much snow water you got for each snowfall you measured. Are there times when it snowed the same number of inches/centimeters, but the snow water level was different? What similarities do you notice about these numbers? Why did this occur?


Record your findings on the e-mail form provided and send them to us. We'll post the answers on the Ohio Math Works web site this spring, so you can compare the snowfall at your school with other schools around the state. You'll also be able to compare your answers with other students' answers.

Class:
Teacher's Name:
School:
Community, city or school district:

What was the total snowfall for your school?

In inches:
In centimeters:
How many school snow days occured:
Teacher or class e-mail address at the school:
 
Write a summary here of the data you recorded, noting the differences in snowfall and snow water. Tell us why you think those differences occurred.