Independence Camp SNOTEL

6,970 ftSierra County, CaliforniaNRCS site 539Updated Fri Oct 16, 3:00 AM PDT

Last peak14.7″SWE · Feb 19
Depth0″snow-free since Mar 24
Temp40°28°–60° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hAir temperature40°F now40°60°32°40°FNow · Fri 3 AM
ThuPast 48 hAir temperature40°F now40°60°32°40°FNow · Fri 3 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysAir temperature40°F now25°50°75°32°40°FNow · Fri 3 AM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysAir temperature40°F now25°50°75°32°40°FNow · Fri 3 AM
0″5″10″15″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
0″10″ONDJFMAMJJ
<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

Last season

14.7″peak snow water equivalent

Last season peaked at 14.7″ of water, 84% of the median peak.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All California

Station details

Elevation
6,970 ft
Location
39.4527°N, 120.2937°W
County
Sierra County, California
Basin
Truckee · HUC 16050102
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 539
Station ID
539:CA:SNTL · SHEF ICPC1
Reporting since
October 1978
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 Independence Camp 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 Independence Camp SNOTEL?

At 6,970 ft in Sierra County, California (39.4527°N, 120.2937°W), in the Truckee 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.