About the data
One clear number,
with context.
My Snow Gauge turns detailed weather datasets into an approachable snowfall estimate for a selected U.S. location and time period.
What the number represents
The result is an estimate for the weather-data grid cell nearest the selected coordinates. A grid cell covers an area rather than a single backyard. That distinction matters because a brief thunderstorm can soak one neighborhood while leaving another nearby almost dry.
Recent snowfall
Today, 24-hour, 7-day, and 30-day reports use Open-Meteo’s current weather service. My Snow Gauge retrieves hourly snowfall values, excludes future hours, and adds only the completed hours within the selected period. Hours are grouped using the selected location’s local timezone.
Historical snowfall
Custom-date reports use Open-Meteo’s historical weather service. The site sums daily snowfall estimates between the chosen start and end dates. Historical products combine observations with weather-model analysis to provide consistent coverage.
Why another gauge may disagree
- A physical ruler measures snow at one point and one moment.
- A weather grid represents an area and may smooth localized snow bands.
- Wind, drifting, compaction, melting, terrain, and elevation affect measured depth.
- Weather datasets can be updated after additional observations and quality checks arrive.
Good uses and important limits
The site is useful for curiosity and a quick sense of recent conditions. It is not a replacement for an official station record, winter-weather warning, road report, insurance document, or engineering analysis.
Source documentation
Technical details about variables, update timing, and underlying models are available in the Open-Meteo documentation. Emergency weather information should come from the National Weather Service.