# Snow Weight - Area

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"weight" =
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KurtHeckman.Snow Weight - Area
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eb8814ce-aaf5-11e3-9cd9-bc764e2038f2

The Weight of Snow calculator computes the approximate weight (mass) of snow on a given area (A) (e.g. roof) based on the depth (d) and type (sT) of snow.

INSTRUCTIONS:  Choose units and enter the following:

 Type of snow or ice (kg/m3) New snow 50-70 Damp new snow 100-200 Settled snow 200-300 Depth hoar 100-300 Wind packed snow 350-400 Firn (granular) 400-830 Very wet 700-800 Glacier ice 830-917
• (A) Area covered by snow
• (d) Depth of the snow
• (sT) Choose the type of snow (See Table)

Weight of Snow (W): The calculator returns the weight of snow in kilograms.  However this can be automatically converted to other weight or mass units (e.g. pounds or tons) via the pull-down menu.

#### The Math / Science

The equation takes in to account the area covered, the depth of the snow, and the type of snow (based on standard snow types).  It computes the volume of snow and then uses the mean density of the specified type of snow to compute the mass.

### The Math

The Weight of Snow for an area is calculated by multiplying the area covered by the snow by the depth of the snow by the snow density (approximated by using the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE)).  The equation uses a median value for the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) based on the type of snow or ice selected.
To compute the Volume of Water in an Area of Snow, CLICK HERE.
To compute the Weight of Snow on a Rectangular Area, CLICK HERE.
To compute the Weight of Snow on a Polygon Shaped Area, CLICK HERE.

### Calculating Area

The area covered by snow may be difficult to estimate.  Here are some simple calculators to help you compute the area.  To compute the size of your snow covered area, you must first identify the shape of the area.  The common choices follow.  Click the name for the pop-up calculator.

• Rectangle - simple four sided area with squared corners.
• Quadrilateral - four straight sides with different angle corners.
• Complete Circles - simple cirlce with a radius
• Ellipse - ellipse, oval shaped or flattened circle.  See diagram.
• If you know the base (b) and height (h) - Right Triangle
• If you know the length of three sides (a, b, c) - General Triangle
• Polygons - Regular polygons have three or more sides where the sides are the same length with the same angles in the corners.

For a more comprehensive set of formulas to compute the area,CLICK HERE.