Snow Melt

I think we are all ready for spring after a wonderfully, snowy white winter. I am amazed at how quickly the snow is melting around town. It got me wondering about snow melting and what determines how fast or slow the snow will melt and turn to water.

I found this link that gave the explanation below.

https://www.dtn.com/what-factors-determine-how-fast-snow-melts/

While several factors can influence the melting of snow, the primary factors are air temperature and the sun intensity. As temperatures climb above freezing, heat from the sun begins to melt the snow; the more intense the sunlight, the faster it melts. The top layer absorbs the heat, causing the snow crystals to disintegrate. Initially, crystals will bond to individual water droplets. These drops then cause some melting in the upper snow layers. Since snow melts from the top down, this process is repeated as each layer melts away.

When plows clear roads, it is not uncommon to see tall mounds of snow at the ends of a neighborhood or off to the side of the street. While this clears the way for traffic to flow, it also causes the melting to take longer. The reason for this is with more layers stacked on each other; the deeper layers do not receive direct sunlight. Since snow contains many air pockets, melting can be accelerated when rain falls on these piles and gets into those air pockets. This action allows heat to penetrate these piles further, enhancing melting.

I think we are all ready for the snow to melt and, hopefully at just the right pace so that our reservoirs are filled. No doubt the Jordanelle Reservoir will look even more spectacular from Golden Eagle.

-Kristy Schlopy-Harrigan