Although the National Weather Service has advanced technology when it comes to predicting and reporting weather, the way they monitor snowfall is fairly basic, with a simple board and a ruler.
The meteorologists lay a piece of plywood painted white in the middle of their office's yard in Southridge, and measure the snowfall total at least five times throughout the day, said Jonathan Wolfe, senior meteorologist for NWS in Charleston.
The board is painted white so it doesn't take in heat from the sun - that ensures the snow on the board doesn't melt.
There was controversy over this method in Washington, D.C., after snowfall totals from Reagan National Airport seemed low following this weekend's storm.
Reagan National Airport reported only 17.8 inches while Dulles International and Baltimore-Washington International Airports reported 29.3 and 29.2 inches, respectively. According to the Washington Post, the National Weather Service at Reagan National Airport lost their snow board in the midst of the blizzard, and had to estimate snowfall totals.
Although Reagan National Airport lost their snowboard, it's not as easy for NWS in Charleston to misplace their board.
"Ours is right at the end of our sidewalk. It's pretty hard to lose," Wolfe said.
Wolfe said there are a million different factors that go into how much snowfall each area receives. He said totals can vary from yard to yard and can vary by as much as 6 inches across the area.
"You could go a mile down the street and have a different total," Wolfe said. "Weather is not the same from one place to the other."
NWS in Charleston measured this weekend's storm total at 18.6 inches, the sixth-greatest snowfall on record. This storm produced the second-greatest snowfall in a 24-hour time period, with 16.8 inches in 24 hours, Wolfe said. The March blizzard of 1993 currently holds the record for the most snow in 24 hours.
Wolfe said in the Charleston area, most totals were around 19 inches, with the highest being 19.5 inches recorded in Looneyville. Statewide, the Martinsburg area saw totals between 35 and 40 inches of snow and was the hardest hit by the storm.
Wolfe said the public is free to call in amounts of their total snowfall. He recommended a YouTube video called "How to Measure New Snow Depth," by CoCoRaHS HQ, to learn how to correctly and accurately measure snow.
Reach Laura Haight at laura.haight@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @laurahaight_ on Twitter.