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Our hearts go out to those effected by Hurricane Harvey which has dropped record-breaking rainfall has left the Houston metro area dealing with a 500-year flood. To put that in perspective for people more familar with blizzard conditions than hurricane conditions, News9 Denver wanted to answer a viewer submitted question put this precipitation event terms of snow:

“Let’s say somehow, although extremely unlikely, we got a snow storm with 50 inches of water available in it. In the cold winter months, Denver usually has a snow to water ratio of 15 to 1. That would mean the city would have the opportunity to get 750 inches of snow, or 62 and half feet. Denver’s average snow total for an entire season, is about 56 inches.

Lets say that storm hit the mountains as well. The snow to water ratio can be 30 to 1 there at times, due to the colder, drier air. Harvey would have dumped 1,500 inches of snow, or 125 feet.”The biggest snowstorm to ever hit Colorado, way back in 1913, dumped 86 inches of snow in Georgetown, and 45.7 inches in Denver.Loveland Ski Area gets some of the most snow in the state, and gets an average of 422 inches for the whole season.”

I know its apples to oranges to compare rainfall to snowfall and we nor the people at News9 are trying to make light of a disaster like Hurricane Harvey but hearing it in terms that mountain people like us can better relate to helps us understand the magnitude of what is happening down south.

If you would like to contribute to Hurricane Harvey relief we suggest you do so responsibly by finding a reputable charity that will put your donation to good use. Please read this New York Times article about vetted charities and go from there.

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