South Colony SNOTEL

10,790 ftCuster County, ColoradoNRCS site 773Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE0.8″267% of median
Depth2″+2″ 48 h
Temp21°21°–40° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.8″ now010.8″Snow depth2″ now022″Air temperature21°F now20°40°32°21°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.8″ now010.8″Snow depth2″ now022″Air temperature21°F now20°40°32°21°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.8″ now010.8″Snow depth2″ now022″Air temperature21°F now25°50°32°21°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.8″ now010.8″Snow depth2″ now022″Air temperature21°F now25°50°32°21°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″10″20″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 20.9″ · Apr 230.8″ today · 267% of median
0″10″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 20.9″ · Apr 230.8″ today · 267% 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

267%of the 1991–2020 median for today

0.8″ of water today against a median of 0.3″, 167% above median. The median peak is 20.9″ around April 23.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Colorado
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Medano PassCO · 10 mi9,650 ft0.0″—1″0″
Ute CreekCO · 26 mi10,720 ft0.1″—1″+1″
Hayden PassCO · 28 mi10,700 ft0.2″—1″0″
TrincheraCO · 46 mi10,860 ft0.1″—0″0″
Sargents MesaCO · 50 mi11,490 ft——1″+1″
ApishapaCO · 51 mi10,000 ft0.0″—2″+1″
Culebra #2CO · 56 mi10,560 ft——0″0″
Moon PassCO · 56 mi11,110 ft0.1″—0″−1″

Station details

Elevation
10,790 ft
Location
37.9665°N, 105.5367°W
County
Custer County, Colorado
Basin
Arkansas Headwaters · HUC 11020001
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 773
Station ID
773:CO:SNTL · SHEF SCYC2
Reporting since
October 1990
NWS forecast office
Pueblo (PUB) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. South Colony's 2″ of snow holds 0.8″ of water, so the pack is about 40% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does South Colony 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 South Colony SNOTEL?

At 10,790 ft in Custer County, Colorado (37.9665°N, 105.5367°W), in the Arkansas Headwaters 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.