How much water is in the snow?

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Did you notice today's snowfall was easy to pack into a snowball?  Great for kids to play and make snowmen but hard on everyone's back who shovels it. 

The reason for the wet and heavy snow is a high water content.  When temperatures are between 28 and 32 degrees the snowflakes can be large at times.  When the temperatures are in the teens and lower 20's the snowflakes tend to be smaller and end up being very light and fluffy. 

Storm Team 2 meteorologist Tara Hastings did an experiment this afternoon to find out how much water was in the snow.  She filled a mug of snow, about three and a half inches and set it aside for a few hours.  Once the snow melted the water content of the snow was left behind.  About 0.7 inches of water was left in the mug making this a high water ratio.