Why recent snowmelt isn’t helping NJ’s drought situation that much

There's been a lot of talk lately about New Jersey's ongoing drought situation. Not just from the experts, but from everyday people simply trying to figure out why.

And it's a legitimate question to ask. How are we dealing with drought conditions after New Jersey just got buried under all that snow? Not just one big snowstorm, but two of them?

The most recent one in particular struck late February and buried almost the entire state with at least one foot of snow. How come that didn't help? Something doesn't seem to add up.

However, there is some logic here as to why our drought situation is still a concern. Here are some reasons why we're still dry despite all that snow we recently had.

The snow ratio

Although not the only factor, it's absolutely one of them. The amount of snow that falls from the sky isn't the same as liquid rain. And that's where the rain to snow ratio comes in.

Snow on the most basic level is frozen precipitation. The closer you are to the freezing point, the denser the snow is going to be. But again, it'll never have the same density as pure liquid rain.

As the temperature gets colder, that snow becomes lighter and fluffier. It's why the big January snowfall we had was so much easier to shovel when compared to the February storm. It was a heck of a lot colder during that January storm, and hence, a much fluffier snow.

The fluff factor

For that February storm, the snow to rain ratio was about 10 to 1. That means for every 10 inches of snow, it equates to about 1 inch of water when melted. And for the January storm, it was closer to 20 to 1.

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That means if we had 30 inches of snow between the two storms (using the 20 and 10 inch measurements as the base), that would only equate to only 2 inches of rain. And thus, one of the big reasons why those two snowstorms didn't help much with our current drought situation.

Other factors

Although the snow ratio is a big part of the equation, it's not the only one. When and how that snow melts is another factor.

According to Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow, "A big part of how we measure 'drought' is in streamflow, soil moisture, reservoir levels, etc." He goes on to mention how "there's still so much water locked up in that snow and ice, especially in North Jersey.  So until it all melts, it doesn't help with the drought situation at all."

Where that melt goes

Even with snow melt underway in the state, it doesn't mean it's all seeping into the ground. Some of that melt will simply evaporate.

Another big thing to keep in mind are those massive snow piles created by the plows. A lot of that snow will end up in our sewer system, and thus won't help with the ongoing drought concerns.

But as Dan alluded to above, we really won't truly see the impact some of the snow has until it fully melts. Yes, it will help, but not as much as a good rain soaking would.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.