Independence Lake SNOTEL

8,340 ftNevada County, CaliforniaNRCS site 541Updated Fri Oct 16, 3:00 AM PDT

Last peak25.6″SWE · Feb 24
Depth0″snow-free since Jun 8
Temp40°35°–55° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hAir temperature40°F now30°40°50°32°40°FNow · Fri 3 AM
ThuPast 48 hAir temperature40°F now30°40°50°32°40°FNow · Fri 3 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysAir temperature40°F now20°40°60°32°40°FNow · Fri 3 AM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysAir temperature40°F now20°40°60°32°40°FNow · Fri 3 AM
0″20″40″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
0″20″40″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

25.6″peak snow water equivalent

Last season peaked at 25.6″ of water, 57% of the median peak.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All California

Station details

Elevation
8,340 ft
Location
39.4275°N, 120.3134°W
County
Nevada County, California
Basin
Truckee · HUC 16050102
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 541
Station ID
541:CA:SNTL · SHEF ILKC1
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 Lake 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 Lake SNOTEL?

At 8,340 ft in Nevada County, California (39.4275°N, 120.3134°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.