Independence Pass SNOTEL

10,570 ftPitkin County, ColoradoNRCS site 542Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

Last peak8.1″SWE · Mar 18
Depth0″snow-free since May 1
Temp17°17°–43° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hAir temperature17°F now20°40°32°17°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hAir temperature17°F now20°40°32°17°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysAir temperature17°F now20°40°60°32°17°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysAir temperature17°F now20°40°60°32°17°FNow · Fri 4 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

8.1″peak snow water equivalent

Last season peaked at 8.1″ of water, 47% of the median peak.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Colorado

Station details

Elevation
10,570 ft
Location
39.0754°N, 106.6115°W
County
Pitkin County, Colorado
Basin
Roaring Fork · HUC 14010004
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 542
Station ID
542:CO:SNTL · SHEF IDPC2
Reporting since
October 1979
NWS forecast office
Grand Junction (GJT) 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 Pass 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 Pass SNOTEL?

At 10,570 ft in Pitkin County, Colorado (39.0754°N, 106.6115°W), in the Roaring Fork 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.