Forestdale Creek SNOTEL

8,050 ftAlpine County, CaliforniaNRCS site 1049Updated Fri Oct 16, 3:00 AM PDT

SWE0.1″no median
Depth0″— 48 h
Temp39°29°–57° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth-0.500.5Air temperature39°F now40°60°32°39°FNow · Fri 3 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth-0.500.5Air temperature39°F now40°60°32°39°FNow · Fri 3 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth-0.500.5Air temperature39°F now50°32°39°FNow · Fri 3 AM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth-0.500.5Air temperature39°F now50°32°39°FNow · Fri 3 AM
0″10″20″30″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 33.8″ · Apr 50.1″ today
0″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 33.8″ · Apr 50.1″ 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 California
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Carson PassCA · 2 mi8,360 ft0.1″—0″0″
Lost LakesCA · 3 mi8,640 ft0.0″—0″0″
Burnside LakeCA · 4 mi8,180 ft0.1″—1″0″
Blue LakesCA · 6 mi8,060 ft0.0″—0″0″
Spratt CreekCA · 8 mi6,060 ft0.1″—0″0″
Horse MeadowCA · 11 mi8,580 ft0.1″—0″0″
Hagans MeadowCA · 12 mi7,740 ft0.1″—0″0″
Ebbetts PassCA · 12 mi8,660 ft0.1″—0″0″

Station details

Elevation
8,050 ft
Location
38.6825°N, 119.9597°W
County
Alpine County, California
Basin
Upper Carson · HUC 16050201
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 1049
Station ID
1049:CA:SNTL · SHEF FDCC1
Reporting since
October 2003
NWS forecast office
Reno (REV) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10% water; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Forestdale Creek 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 Forestdale Creek SNOTEL?

At 8,050 ft in Alpine County, California (38.6825°N, 119.9597°W), in the Upper Carson 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.