Prairie SNOTEL

4,800 ftElmore County, IdahoNRCS site 704Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

Last peak1.1″SWE · Feb 17
Depth0″snow-free since Feb 27
Temp38°27°–65° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hAir temperature38°F now40°60°32°38°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hAir temperature38°F now40°60°32°38°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysAir temperature38°F now25°50°75°32°38°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysAir temperature38°F now25°50°75°32°38°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″2″4″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
0″2″4″ONDJFMAMJJ
<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

Last season

1.1″peak snow water equivalent

Last season peaked at 1.1″ of water, 19% of the median peak.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Idaho

Station details

Elevation
4,800 ft
Location
43.5051°N, 115.5730°W
County
Elmore County, Idaho
Basin
South Fork Boise · HUC 17050113
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 704
Station ID
704:ID:SNTL · SHEF PRAI1
Reporting since
October 1979
NWS forecast office
Boise (BOI) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10% water; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Prairie 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 Prairie SNOTEL?

At 4,800 ft in Elmore County, Idaho (43.5051°N, 115.5730°W), in the South Fork Boise 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.