Chicago Ridge SNOTEL

5,700 ftSanders County, MontanaNRCS site 1312Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

Last peak34.5″SWE · Apr 2
Depth0″snow-free since Jun 2
Temp39°31°–50° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hAir temperature39°F now30°40°50°32°39°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hAir temperature39°F now30°40°50°32°39°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysAir temperature39°F now40°32°39°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysAir temperature39°F now40°32°39°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″0.5″1″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
0″0.5″1″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

34.5″peak snow water equivalent

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Montana

Station details

Elevation
5,700 ft
Location
48.0622°N, 115.6975°W
County
Sanders County, Montana
Basin
Lower Clark Fork · HUC 17010213
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 1312
Station ID
1312:MT:SNTL · SHEF CHIM8
Reporting since
August 2022
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. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10% water; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Chicago Ridge 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 Chicago Ridge SNOTEL?

At 5,700 ft in Sanders County, Montana (48.0622°N, 115.6975°W), in the Lower Clark Fork 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.