The Effect of Snow Cover on Temperatures

The latest forecast for Bowling Green weather calls for temperatures to drop well below freezing tonight. These temperatures are partly due to a very cold air mass centered over the eastern U.S., but some credit must also be given to the extensive snow cover across Kentucky this week.

Check out all of the snow still on the ground across the state today:

So how this snow cover affect our temperatures. Usually, the Sun’s energy helps to warm the ground and heat is transferred to the air above by conduction. When snow is on the ground, some of the Sun’s energy is reflected off of the snow while some is used to melt the snow. As a result, this causes lower temperatures.

Snow cover can be a headache for forecasters as temperatures can be much more difficult to predict. It will be interesting to see just how far our temperatures tumble tonight. More information on snow pack and temperatures can be found here.