Woody Senn., age 11, of West Columbia, S.C., for his question;

How much snow makes an inch of rainfall?

The quality of snow varies. Light, new fallen snow is puffy with air. It contains less moisture than dry, densely packed snow or snow that has become packed from lying on the ground a long time.

A six‑inch depth of moist, fresh fallen snow is equal to about one inch of rainfall. With 30 inches of depth dry, fluffy snow may equal an inch of rainfall. Snow drifts which have packed down all winter may contain one inch of rainfall for every two inches of depth. On an average, it takes about ten inches of snow to equal one inch of rainfall.