Tomorrow.io provides multiple data layers for tracking snow-related weather, including snowfall rate, accumulation, and snow depth. These layers support operational planning, hazard mitigation, and situational awareness for any industry impacted by winter weather.
🌐 This is a core platform feature available to all Tomorrow.io users.
When to Use Each Snow Data Layer
| Snow Layer | Description | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Snow (Precipitation Type) | Detects when snow is actively falling. | Determine if conditions meet criteria for snow versus rain or mixed precipitation. |
| Snowfall Rate (Precip. Intensity) | Measures how quickly snow is falling, in inches or millimeters per hour. | Use to assess severity and time snowfall for operations and alerts. |
| Snow Accumulation | New snow added during a forecast window, measured as total added in each hour up to the top of the hour. Accumulation assumes a 10:1 snow-to-liquid ratio | Use for hourly or daily snowfall totals in reports, insights, and forecasts. |
| Snow Depth | Reflects total snowpack on the ground, factoring in compaction and melt. New snow estimates will be included in forecast snow depth, but lower resolution could cause some differences from higher-resolution accumulation forecasts. | Use to evaluate surface conditions and plan cleanup, mobility, or safety operations. Use to estimate behavior of snow currently on the ground. |
How Snow Data Appears in the Platform
Viewing Snowfall Rate (Snow Intensity)
- Go to the Trends sub-tab
- Select Precip. Intensity parameter from the map layer list
- Color scale for snow: Light Blue → Purple → Pink for increasing intensity
- Use the timeline slider to view current, past, or forecast snow events
Viewing Snow Accumulation
- Select Snow Accumulation from the map layer options
- Shows total snow forecasted or observed per hour/day
- Based on solid accumulation (not liquid equivalent)
Snow accumulation uses a 10:1 ratio (1 inch liquid = 10 inches snow) and excludes sleet or freezing rain.
Viewing Snow Depth
- Select Snow Depth from the map layer list
- Shows ground-level snowpack based on new snowfall, melt, and compaction
- Available for both current conditions and forecasts
Snow Depth is based on a solid-equivalent model that accounts for snow density. This improves accuracy by representing real-world snow conditions more consistently across all regions.
Handling Mixed Precipitation
- Snow, sleet, and freezing rain are tracked independently.
- Avoid combining these in dashboards, alerts, or display fields unless explicitly required.
- Use separate insights or fields for each type to avoid confusion and preserve accuracy.
Developer Access
Tomorrow.io's API provides access to all snow-related data, including:
-
snow_intensity(in/hr or mm/hr) -
snow_accumulation(solid snow amount) -
snow_depth(on-ground depth)
Refer to Tomorrow.io’s API Documentation for full parameter details and integration instructions.
Need Help?
For support using snow data layers or help with API access, reach out to your Account Team for platform integration guidance or email us at support@tomorrow.io.
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.