Cole Creek SNOTEL

7,910 ftCarbon County, MontanaNRCS site 407Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE0.4″29% of median
Depth1″0″ 48 h
Temp40°27°–41° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.4″ now00.50.4″Snow depth1″ now01″Air temperature40°F now30°40°32°40°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.4″ now00.50.4″Snow depth1″ now01″Air temperature40°F now30°40°32°40°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.4″ now-0.500.50.4″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature40°F now50°32°40°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.4″ now-0.500.50.4″Snow depth1″ now021″Air temperature40°F now50°32°40°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″5″10″15″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 18.2″ · May 40.4″ today · 29% of median
0″10″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 18.2″ · May 40.4″ today · 29% 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

29%of the 1991–2020 median for today

0.4″ of water today against a median of 1.4″, 71% below median. The median peak is 18.2″ around May 4.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Montana
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Burnt MountainMT · 6 mi5,920 ft0.0″—0″0″
Beartooth LakeWY · 20 mi9,360 ft0.1″8%0″0″
White MillMT · 29 mi8,730 ft0.6″55%2″0″
Fisher CreekMT · 31 mi9,110 ft0.8″53%3″0″
WolverineWY · 31 mi7,660 ft0.0″—0″0″
Northeast EntranceMT · 35 mi7,420 ft0.0″—0″0″
Placer BasinMT · 39 mi8,790 ft0.5″45%3″0″
East Boulder MineMT · 42 mi6,310 ft0.0″—0″0″

Station details

Elevation
7,910 ft
Location
45.1940°N, 109.3455°W
County
Carbon County, Montana
Basin
Clarks Fork Yellowstone · HUC 10070006
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 407
Station ID
407:MT:SNTL · SHEF CLCM8
Reporting since
October 1960
NWS forecast office
Billings (BYZ) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Cole Creek's 1″ of snow holds 0.4″ 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 Cole Creek 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 Cole Creek SNOTEL?

At 7,910 ft in Carbon County, Montana (45.1940°N, 109.3455°W), in the Clarks Fork Yellowstone 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.