Here is information that the National Weather Service would need  when requesting information from Winter Weather Net.

HIGHEST PRIORITY REPORTS:
 
1. Damaging wind gust of 58 MPH or greater.
2. Flooding of streams rivers and urban areas causing damage to be impassable.
3. Also ice jam flooding .
4. Two inches of rain in a 12 hour period.
5. Heavy icing which can cause damage.
6. Snow reports in about two inch intervals especially when the storm passes.

OTHER PRIORITY REPORTS:

1. Any changeover in precipitation type (snow to ice to rain, etc.).
2. Any type of thunderstorm in progress.
3. Rainfall in excess of one inch per hour.
4. First. three inches of snow.
5. Snow fall totals when the storm passes.
6. Rain with frozen precipitation forecast.
7. Stream or roadway flooding.
8. Blowing and drifting snow closing roads.

Tips For Measuring Snowfall During a snowstorm:

 

1. Every 2 inches of new snowfall and if an inch of snow falls in an hour time span.
2. Report any snow / sleet / freezing rain if not in NWS forecast.

The following are a few pointers and hints for accurately measuring snowfall.

First, you will need a measuring device. A simple 12 inch plastic ruler is fine. Hopefully, you will not need to use a yard stick this year! The next step is to find a location in which the snow is least affected by drifting. A good place is the side of the house which is sheltered from the wind. The last step is to simply stick the stick in the ground and take a reading. Please measure the snow to the nearest quarter of an inch.

A couple of other suggestions are to take the average of a couple of readings since snowfall depths can vary greatly. Also, it is best to measure snow on a flat surface such as a patio or a board rather than the grass. The grassy surface can yield inaccurate readings, since it can hinder the snow from actually settling to the ground, especially with large flakes.