How much would snow help with drought conditions?

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Drought conditions haven't seen much improvement, despite the rain we've seen so far this November. Even with a few more chances on the way over the next week, we need more help. So, one may think that snow is the answer...or at least a snowier winter. Well, not so fast.

Since we're talking about snow, we have to adjust how we look at moisture content in the winter. The rule of thumb is 10 inches of snow, when melted down, equates to an inch of liquid water. Of course, results will vary depending on a lot of other details within each system, but we'll run with this general rule for simplicity.

Here's a look at some average snow totals between November 1st and the end of February.

While these average snow totals look good, we have to remember the ten-to-one rule. That turns into an average of two to three inches of liquid water...again, assuming a baseline ten-to-one ratio. These numbers can go lower with higher ratios.

For season snow totals to be something close to "drought busting", we need to go higher than that. Just look at the 2022-23 winter season for a recent example. With a total of nearly 70 inches of snow for the season in Sioux Falls, that helped put a good dent in what was a severe drought for a good portion of KELOLAND.

Of course, the season is young...and we all heard what Scot had to say. Let's just see how things pan out and hope for the best.