2004 Dayton snowstorm by the numbers

People still try to dig themselves out on Superior Avenue Friday morning, Dec. 24, 2004, after the record-breaking snow that began Dec. 22. Also see: FRONT PAGES | Storm by the numbers

Credit: Marshall Gorby

Credit: Marshall Gorby

People still try to dig themselves out on Superior Avenue Friday morning, Dec. 24, 2004, after the record-breaking snow that began Dec. 22. Also see: FRONT PAGES | Storm by the numbers

Some numbers to summarize the Christmas snowstorm of 2004:
 
 • -10: Low temperature Christmas morning.
 
 • 0.83 inch: The depth of water you would have if you melted down the snowfall at the Dayton International Airport. This means the snow to water ratio was about 20 to 1, making a light fluffy snow. The colder it is, the higher the snow to water ratio.
 
 • 1: Where this storm ranks in terms of single-storm snowfall in 120 years of record keeping for Dayton.

LOOK BACK: The 2004 snowstorm that buried the Miami Valley


• 5: The estimated weight in pounds that a square foot of this snow weighed. Multiply that by the square footage of the area you cleared to figure out how many pounds of snow you shoveled. If you had more than a foot of snow, then multiply that number by the ratio of your snow depth to 12 inches. For example, 16 inches would yield a ratio of 16 to 12, or 1.33 to 1.

These frost-coverd thistles along Ohio 571 east of Tipp City show off the beauty of winter on Friday, Dec. 24, 2004.

Credit: Staff photo by Bill Reinke

icon to expand image

Credit: Staff photo by Bill Reinke


 • 12.9: Inches of snow that fell in the Blizzard of '78 (the old record storm).
 
 • 16.4: Inches of snow measured at Dayton International Airport. Some other totals: 13 inches in downtown Dayton and Centerville, 20 in Troy, 22 in Trotwood and 24 in Greenville.
 
 • 36: The strongest wind recorded at the airport during the snow.
 
 • 46: Number of hours it took for one traveler to get to Dayton after their original flight was scheduled to land Wednesday night.

PHOTOS: What the Christmas snowstorm of 2004 looked like

 • 276: Number of calories burned by a 150-pound person shoveling snow for one hour.
 
 • 552: Number of calories burned by a 200-pound person shoveling snow for one hour.
 
 • 1,000: About the number of miles to get to a warm destination in Florida — vacation anyone?
 
 • 1978: The year of the worst winter storm most of us remember here in Dayton. Less snow fell, but the blowing and drifting were far worse.
 
Information courtesy Jamie Simpson, chief meteorologist at Channel 7 (WHIO-TV).