Best Snow Gauge

Last Updated: May 4, 2023 @ 11:11 am.

Finding the Best Snow Gauge: Our Tests & Tips

Let’s talk snow gauges.

When you live in a snowy climate, knowing exactly how much snow has fallen is certainly helpful. That’s because there is a big difference between a 3″ snowfall—and one that is 13″! 

Here at the mothership in Boulder, CO, we know snow. Our city routinely gets 80″ to 100″ of snow per year, so it is the ideal place to test snow gauges.

When we started to research this topic, we realized that snow gauges come in two basic types:

• Metal gauges that have cut-outs indicating the snow depth.

• Solid gauges that note the snow depth against a solid panel made of metal or plastic. These often have a cute design with a snowman or other character—or sometimes they are just plain (like the picture below):

For this article, we tested both types. As you can see from the above picture, the solid gauges have one major problem—snow can pile up against the gauge (due to wind, etc.) and that makes it hard to read the exact snow depth.

Metal gauges with cut-outs avoid this problem, since there is a space for the wind to pass through . . . and less of an area for snow to get caught up against the measurement markings.

That said, we know folks like the both types of snow gauges, so this article will recommend an example of each. 

After testing these gauges with actual snow, here are the best bets:

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!

Best Snow Gauge