Hemlock Butte SNOTEL

5,800 ftClearwater County, IdahoNRCS site 520Updated Fri Oct 16, 3:00 AM PDT

SWE0.1″no median
Depth1″0″ 48 h
Temp54°36°–56° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.1″ now00.50.1″Snow depth1″ now21″Air temperature54°F now40°32°54°FNow · Fri 3 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.1″ now00.50.1″Snow depth1″ now21″Air temperature54°F now40°32°54°FNow · Fri 3 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature54°F now25°50°32°54°FNow · Fri 3 AM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature54°F now25°50°32°54°FNow · Fri 3 AM
0″20″40″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 48″ · Apr 190.1″ today
0″20″40″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 48″ · Apr 190.1″ 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 Idaho
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Pierce Ranger StationID · 8 mi3,080 ft0.0″—0″0″
Shanghi SummitID · 8 mi4,590 ft0.0″—2″0″
Crater MeadowsID · 17 mi5,960 ft0.0″—0″−1″
Cool CreekID · 25 mi6,320 ft0.0″—0″0″
Elk ButteID · 34 mi5,680 ft0.0″—0″−1″
Lost LakeID · 44 mi6,090 ft0.1″—0″−1″
Hoodoo BasinMT · 44 mi6,060 ft0.0″—0″0″
SherwinID · 47 mi3,190 ft0.0″—0″0″

Station details

Elevation
5,800 ft
Location
46.4811°N, 115.6336°W
County
Clearwater County, Idaho
Basin
Upper North Fork Clearwater · HUC 17060307
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 520
Station ID
520:ID:SNTL · SHEF HEMI1
Reporting since
October 1982
NWS forecast office
Missoula (MSO) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Hemlock Butte's 1″ of snow holds 0.1″ 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 Hemlock Butte 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 Hemlock Butte SNOTEL?

At 5,800 ft in Clearwater County, Idaho (46.4811°N, 115.6336°W), in the Upper North Fork Clearwater 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.