Poison Flat SNOTEL

7,730 ftAlpine County, CaliforniaNRCS site 697Updated Fri Oct 16, 3:00 AM PDT

SWE—no median
Depth2″0″ 48 h
Temp31°23°–54° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent-0.500.5Snow depth2″ now02.52″Air temperature31°F now25°50°32°31°FNow · Fri 3 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent-0.500.5Snow depth2″ now02.52″Air temperature31°F now25°50°32°31°FNow · Fri 3 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent-0.500.5Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature31°F now50°32°31°FNow · Fri 3 AM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent-0.500.5Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature31°F now50°32°31°FNow · Fri 3 AM
0″5″10″15″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 18.3″ · Apr 3
0″10″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 18.3″ · Apr 3
<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
Summit MeadowCA · 9 mi9,360 ft0.1″—0″0″
Ebbetts PassCA · 10 mi8,660 ft0.1″—0″0″
Monitor PassCA · 11 mi8,320 ft0.0″—1″—
Sonora PassCA · 14 mi8,770 ft0.1″—0″0″
Leavitt MeadowsCA · 15 mi7,200 ft0.0″———
Lobdell LakeCA · 15 mi9,260 ft0.0″—0″0″
Spratt CreekCA · 15 mi6,060 ft0.1″—0″0″
Leavitt LakeCA · 16 mi9,600 ft0.2″—0″0″

Station details

Elevation
7,730 ft
Location
38.5058°N, 119.6262°W
County
Alpine County, California
Basin
Upper Carson · HUC 16050201
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 697
Station ID
697:CA:SNTL · SHEF XXXC1
Reporting since
October 1980
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 Poison Flat 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 Poison Flat SNOTEL?

At 7,730 ft in Alpine County, California (38.5058°N, 119.6262°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.