Mesa Lakes SNOTEL

10,160 ftMesa County, ColoradoNRCS site 622Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE1.3″no median
Depth6″+4″ 48 h
Temp25°22°–34° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent1.3″ now121.3″Snow depth6″ now56″Air temperature25°F now20°30°32°25°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent1.3″ now121.3″Snow depth6″ now56″Air temperature25°F now20°30°32°25°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.3″ now0121.3″Snow depth6″ now06″Air temperature25°F now25°50°32°25°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.3″ now0121.3″Snow depth6″ now06″Air temperature25°F now25°50°32°25°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″10″20″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 19″ · Apr 151.3″ today
0″10″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 19″ · Apr 151.3″ today
<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 Colorado
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Park ReservoirCO · 10 mi9,990 ft2.1″—8″+6″
Overland ReservoirCO · 23 mi9,890 ft0.4″—1″+1″
McClure PassCO · 42 mi8,760 ft0.2″—0″0″
Columbine PassCO · 48 mi9,160 ft0.9″—0″−1″
North Lost TrailCO · 49 mi9,190 ft0.2″—0″0″
Schofield PassCO · 54 mi10,640 ft0.3″—1″0″
ButteCO · 60 mi10,190 ft0.0″—0″0″
Bison LakeCO · 62 mi10,950 ft2.0″1000%8″+2″

Station details

Elevation
10,160 ft
Location
39.0574°N, 108.0576°W
County
Mesa County, Colorado
Basin
Colorado Headwaters-Plateau · HUC 14010005
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 622
Station ID
622:CO:SNTL · SHEF MESC2
Reporting since
October 1985
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. Mesa Lakes's 6″ of snow holds 1.3″ of water, so the pack is about 22% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Mesa Lakes 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 Mesa Lakes SNOTEL?

At 10,160 ft in Mesa County, Colorado (39.0574°N, 108.0576°W), in the Colorado Headwaters-Plateau 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.