Joe Wright SNOTEL

10,140 ftLarimer County, ColoradoNRCS site 551Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE0.4″200% of median
Depth2″+2″ 48 h
Temp12°12°–45° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.4″ now00.510.4″Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature12°F now25°32°12°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.4″ now00.510.4″Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature12°F now25°32°12°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.4″ now00.510.4″Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature12°F now50°32°12°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.4″ now00.510.4″Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature12°F now50°32°12°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″10″20″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 24″ · May 50.4″ today · 200% of median
0″10″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 24″ · May 50.4″ today · 200% of median
<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

200%of the 1991–2020 median for today

0.4″ of water today against a median of 0.2″, 100% above median. The median peak is 24.0″ around May 5.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Colorado
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Long Draw ReservoirCO · 7 mi9,980 ft0.0″0%0″0″
Lake IreneCO · 9 mi10,680 ft0.1″50%0″0″
Phantom ValleyCO · 10 mi9,030 ft0.1″—0″—
Never SummerCO · 10 mi10,300 ft2.5″312%4″+2″
Willow ParkCO · 11 mi10,710 ft0.6″—1″0″
RawahCO · 14 mi9,100 ft0.6″—2″+1″
Hourglass LakeCO · 14 mi9,380 ft0.0″—0″0″
Willow Creek PassCO · 17 mi9,520 ft0.8″—1″+1″

Station details

Elevation
10,140 ft
Location
40.5329°N, 105.8875°W
County
Larimer County, Colorado
Basin
Cache La Poudre · HUC 10190007
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 551
Station ID
551:CO:SNTL · SHEF JWRC2
Reporting since
October 1978
NWS forecast office
Denver/Boulder (BOU) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Joe Wright's 2″ of snow holds 0.4″ of water, so the pack is about 20% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Joe Wright 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 Joe Wright SNOTEL?

At 10,140 ft in Larimer County, Colorado (40.5329°N, 105.8875°W), in the Cache La Poudre 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.