Willow Creek Pass SNOTEL

9,520 ftGrand County, ColoradoNRCS site 869Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE0.8″no median
Depth1″+1″ 48 h
Temp14°14°–49° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.8″ now0.510.8″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature14°F now25°50°32°14°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.8″ now0.510.8″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature14°F now25°50°32°14°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.8″ now00.510.8″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature14°F now50°32°14°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.8″ now00.510.8″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature14°F now50°32°14°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″5″10″15″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 16.4″ · May 30.8″ today
0″10″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 16.4″ · May 30.8″ 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
Never SummerCO · 8 mi10,300 ft2.5″312%4″+2″
Stillwater CreekCO · 13 mi8,760 ft0.0″—0″−1″
Phantom ValleyCO · 14 mi9,030 ft0.1″—0″—
Arapaho RidgeCO · 15 mi10,960 ft0.5″50%3″+3″
Lake IreneCO · 15 mi10,680 ft0.1″50%0″0″
Joe WrightCO · 17 mi10,140 ft0.4″200%2″+2″
Willow ParkCO · 20 mi10,710 ft0.6″—1″0″
Long Draw ReservoirCO · 21 mi9,980 ft0.0″0%0″0″

Station details

Elevation
9,520 ft
Location
40.3473°N, 106.0952°W
County
Grand County, Colorado
Basin
Colorado Headwaters · HUC 14010001
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 869
Station ID
869:CO:SNTL · SHEF WLLC2
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. Willow Creek Pass's 1″ of snow holds 0.8″ of water, so the pack is about 80% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Willow Creek 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 Willow Creek Pass SNOTEL?

At 9,520 ft in Grand County, Colorado (40.3473°N, 106.0952°W), in the Colorado 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.