Crystal Lake SNOTEL

6,130 ftFergus County, MontanaNRCS site 427Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE1.2″400% of median
Depth6″−2″ 48 h
Temp33°23°–38° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent1.2″ now11.51.2″Snow depth6″ now7.56″Air temperature33°F now40°32°33°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent1.2″ now11.51.2″Snow depth6″ now7.56″Air temperature33°F now40°32°33°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.2″ now0121.2″Snow depth6″ now0106″Air temperature33°F now50°32°33°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.2″ now0121.2″Snow depth6″ now0106″Air temperature33°F now50°32°33°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″5″10″15″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 14.7″ · Apr 191.2″ today · 400% of median
0″10″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 14.7″ · Apr 191.2″ today · 400% 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

400%of the 1991–2020 median for today

1.2″ of water today against a median of 0.3″, 300% above median. The median peak is 14.7″ around April 19.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Montana
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Daisy PeakMT · 40 mi7,590 ft1.2″400%9″−1″
Spur ParkMT · 53 mi8,080 ft1.8″180%8″−2″
Deadman CreekMT · 55 mi6,440 ft0.6″—2″−3″
Elk Peak AltMT · 61 mi7,820 ft2.3″—12″−3″
Onion ParkMT · 64 mi7,420 ft0.9″—4″−2″
South Fork ShieldsMT · 65 mi8,090 ft0.4″67%1″0″
PorcupineMT · 65 mi6,480 ft0.5″—4″0″
Stringer CreekMT · 66 mi6,550 ft0.9″—3″−2″

Station details

Elevation
6,130 ft
Location
46.7894°N, 109.5120°W
County
Fergus County, Montana
Basin
Judith · HUC 10040103
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 427
Station ID
427:MT:SNTL · SHEF CRYM8
Reporting since
September 1967
NWS forecast office
Great Falls (TFX) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Crystal Lake's 6″ of snow holds 1.2″ of water, so the pack is about 20% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Crystal Lake 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 Crystal Lake SNOTEL?

At 6,130 ft in Fergus County, Montana (46.7894°N, 109.5120°W), in the Judith 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.