Wildcat SNOTEL

7,850 ftApache County, ArizonaNRCS site 866Updated Fri Oct 16, 3:00 AM MST

SWE0.3″no median
Depth1″+1″ 48 h
Temp41°30°–61° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.3″ now-0.500.50.3″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature41°F now50°32°41°FNow · Fri 3 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.3″ now-0.500.50.3″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature41°F now50°32°41°FNow · Fri 3 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.3″ now-0.500.50.3″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature41°F now25°50°32°41°FNow · Fri 3 AM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.3″ now-0.500.50.3″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature41°F now25°50°32°41°FNow · Fri 3 AM
0″1″2″3″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 3.5″ · Feb 220.3″ today
0″2″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 3.5″ · Feb 220.3″ today
<50%50–6970–8990–109110–129130–149150%+
0″2″8″16″32″+
0″6″24″48″100″+
Map
Open in the Vertex map

Next 3 days

The forecast for this station is on its way.

16-day outlook, three models

Snowpack vs. median

—%of the 1991–2020 median for today

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Arizona
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Hannagan MeadowsAZ · 12 mi9,030 ft0.0″—0″0″
Maverick ForkAZ · 12 mi9,210 ft0.0″—0″0″
Beaver HeadAZ · 16 mi8,070 ft0.0″—1″+1″
BaldyAZ · 16 mi9,210 ft0.0″—0″0″
Coronado TrailAZ · 19 mi8,400 ft0.2″—0″0″
NutriosoAZ · 22 mi8,550 ft0.3″—0″0″
Hawley LakeAZ · 23 mi8,290 ft0.0″———
Frisco DivideNM · 31 mi8,010 ft0.0″—0″0″

Station details

Elevation
7,850 ft
Location
33.7435°N, 109.4808°W
County
Apache County, Arizona
Basin
Black · HUC 15060101
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 866
Station ID
866:AZ:SNTL · SHEF WCTA3
Reporting since
October 1983
NWS forecast office
Flagstaff (FGZ) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Wildcat's 1″ of snow holds 0.3″ of water, so the pack is about 30% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Wildcat SNOTEL update?

The station reports every hour by radio telemetry to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. This page refreshes each hour. Readings are provisional until NRCS quality control.

What does “% of median” mean?

It compares today’s SWE with the 1991–2020 median for the same calendar day at this station. Above 100% means more water in the snowpack than on a typical year’s same date.

Where is Wildcat SNOTEL?

At 7,850 ft in Apache County, Arizona (33.7435°N, 109.4808°W), in the Black basin.

How is the snow forecast made?

Vertex runs the HRRR, RRFS and GFS weather models at the station’s own elevation and carries the measured snowpack forward hour by hour. Treat it as guidance, and check your avalanche center’s forecast before heading out.