How much snow-melt enters the soil?

Farmers can count on 20 to 50 per cent of the moisture from snow-melt to enter the soil. This variability depends a lot on surface soil moisture conditions. A North Dakota study (Willis and Haas) concluded that 50 per cent of snow-melt moisture runs off or evaporates when surface soils (top 30 to 40 centimetres) are dry and up to 80 per cent runs off when surface soils are wet, according to an article on CanolaWatch.org. | READ MORE