Winter is here, and that means snow! Just how much snow? Well, back in the day, after a big snowfall, you’d need to whip out the ruler or yardstick and actually trek out into the white winter wonderland. And with a huge winter storm set to blanket much of the South and Northeast this weekend (200 million Americans are expected to see snowfall), this isn’t a rhetorical question.
Nowadays, thankfully, you don’t even have to go outside to see just how long you’ll be digging out your car or shoveling your walkway.
There are a few great online resources that can let you know just how many inches — or dare I say feet — of snow fell anywhere in the country. So, whether you’re checking up on your adult kids, a distant relative, or your own backyard, here’s how to check how many inches of snow have fallen.
NWS Snowmap and NWS Snowfall Analysis
Perhaps the easiest and most straightforward way to find out how much snow fell in your town is directly from the National Weather Service. There’s the National Weather Service’s Snowmap and the National Weather Service’s Snowfall Analysis map. Both maps track how much snow, measured in inches, has fallen and place it on a map of the U.S. in a simple and easy-to-understand way. The Snowmap tracks the snowfall in a specific U.S. city by using circular markers color-coded to match the snowfall amounts, whereas the Snowfall Analysis website maps out the snowfall with a more traditional weather report design. Users can check out how much snow fell in the past hour, the past 24 hours, and the past 72 hours.
It’s important to note that the NWS Snowmap and Snowfall Analysis sites only track how much snow has already fallen — they aren’t forecasting services.
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USA Today Snowfall Accumulation Tracker
If you’re looking for a more modern tracker, then perhaps the USA Today Snowfall Accumulation Tracker is for you.
USA Today has built a sleeker tracker that uses the same trusted data from the National Weather Service. The site maps out the snowfall across the U.S. over the past 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours. It even throws in a “Season” toggle so you can see how much snow has accumulated for the entire winter season so far.
Windy: The Windy map and weather forecast
If you’re a complete weather head, then Windy.com might be the site for you. Windy maps out weather forecasts of all types — temperature, wind gusts, and, yes, snowfall. Unlike the previous options, Windy will also give you future forecasts of snowfall and not just how much snow is already on the ground.
Windy includes a highly interactive map, but there are also premium options that require a paid subscription, so unless you’re a hardcore weather nerd seeking more than just how many inches fell in your hometown, it might just be more straightforward to check out the other platforms.
NCEI’s Daily U.S. Snowfall and Snow Depth report
National Centers for Environmental Information’s Daily U.S. Snowfall and Snow Depth report will provide the most accurate information when it comes to how much snow fell in your location.
However, the snowfall report will usually come a few days after the snow has already fallen. Why? Because the data is pulled from the Global Historical Climatology Network daily (GHCNd) database, which basically records daily climate summaries from land surface stations around the world.
With more than 100,000 stations, this data is as accurate as you’re going to get if you want to know how much snow fell in a specific area.
