To determine the total inches of snow that will fall over the next 24 hours, you first need to find the rate of snowfall per hour based on the snow that has already fallen.
In the past 4 hours, 7 inches of snow has fallen. So the rate of snowfall per hour is:
\[ \text{Rate} = \frac{\text{Total Snow}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{7 \text{ inches}}{4 \text{ hours}} = 1.75 \text{ inches per hour} \]
Now, to find out how much snow will fall in the next 24 hours, you can multiply the hourly rate by 24:
\[ \text{Total Snow in 24 hours} = \text{Rate} \times 24 = 1.75 \text{ inches/hour} \times 24 \text{ hours} = 42 \text{ inches} \]
Therefore, if the pace continues, a total of 42 inches of snow will fall over the next 24 hours.