A sign in Plateau Creek canyon.

Slade Connell, left, and Richard Overholt of the City of Grand Junction take a core sample of the snow pack on Grand Mesa during a monthly survey of the amount and moisture content of the snow. On this sample, the snow was 45 inches deep with a moisture content of 12 inches.

The depth of the snow is measured.

To find the moisture content of a sample, the snow is weighed.

Connell and Overholt travel 45 miles on each monthly survey of the snowpack, sampling in 10 areas.