Ripple Creek SNOTEL

10,340 ftRio Blanco County, ColoradoNRCS site 717Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE0.2″67% of median
Depth2″— 48 h
Temp20°20°–36° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.2″ now-0.500.50.2″Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature20°F now20°32°20°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.2″ now-0.500.50.2″Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature20°F now20°32°20°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.2″ now-0.500.50.2″Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature20°F now25°50°32°20°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.2″ now-0.500.50.2″Snow depth2″ now02″Air temperature20°F now25°50°32°20°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″10″20″30″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 29.3″ · Apr 250.2″ today · 67% of median
0″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 29.3″ · Apr 250.2″ today · 67% 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

67%of the 1991–2020 median for today

0.2″ of water today against a median of 0.3″, 33% below median. The median peak is 29.3″ around April 25.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Colorado
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Trapper LakeCO · 8 mi9,750 ft0.2″—0″0″
CroshoCO · 13 mi8,960 ft0.0″—0″0″
Bear RiverCO · 15 mi9,100 ft0.3″—0″0″
Burro MountainCO · 23 mi9,290 ft0.7″—1″+1″
Bison LakeCO · 24 mi10,950 ft2.0″1000%8″+2″
Lynx PassCO · 33 mi8,910 ft0.4″—0″—
Rabbit EarsCO · 34 mi9,390 ft0.4″—1″+1″
Buffalo ParkCO · 38 mi9,240 ft0.4″—0″0″

Station details

Elevation
10,340 ft
Location
40.1084°N, 107.2938°W
County
Rio Blanco County, Colorado
Basin
Upper White · HUC 14050005
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 717
Station ID
717:CO:SNTL · SHEF RCPC2
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. Ripple Creek's 2″ of snow holds 0.2″ of water, so the pack is about 10% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Ripple Creek 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 Ripple Creek SNOTEL?

At 10,340 ft in Rio Blanco County, Colorado (40.1084°N, 107.2938°W), in the Upper White 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.