The science behind the rain to snow ratio

Portions of Mid-Missouri could see the potential of more snowfall this weekend as a wintry mix pushes in with a passing low pressure system Saturday morning. Even though there isn't looking to be much of anything in terms of accumulation, understanding rain to snowfall ratios can help meteorologist and forecasters tune in their forecast.

A blanketing statement many people have heard is that for every 1" of rainfall seen, it would equate to 10" of snowfall in freezing temperatures. This ratio can stand true in some scenarios, but some scenarios call for different ratios to accurately predict overall totals.

As the air temperature cools, the rain to snow ratio typically increases. This means that same amount of moisture could produce increased totals with ratios to the likes of 1:12. Understanding these ratio amounts turns back to what the air temperature is across different heights in the atmosphere.
The main drawback of seeing cooler air temperatures is that typically, there is less likelihood at a certain point to see higher totals. It is hard for the atmosphere to hold onto as much moisture during these cooler temperatures. In order to get higher rain to snowfall ratios and higher overall totals, there are sweet spots with air temperatures and dewpoints.