Darkhorse Lake SNOTEL

8,930 ftBeaverhead County, MontanaNRCS site 436Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE0.7″50% of median
Depth3″−1″ 48 h
Temp38°24°–45° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.7″ now0.510.7″Snow depth3″ now243″Air temperature38°F now40°32°38°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.7″ now0.510.7″Snow depth3″ now243″Air temperature38°F now40°32°38°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.7″ now010.7″Snow depth3″ now053″Air temperature38°F now50°32°38°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.7″ now010.7″Snow depth3″ now053″Air temperature38°F now50°32°38°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″10″20″30″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 32.2″ · May 70.7″ today · 50% of median
0″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 32.2″ · May 70.7″ today · 50% 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

50%of the 1991–2020 median for today

0.7″ of water today against a median of 1.4″, 50% below median. The median peak is 32.2″ around May 7.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Montana
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Bloody DickMT · 4 mi7,570 ft0.6″—2″−1″
Lemhi RidgeMT · 14 mi8,080 ft1.2″—5″−2″
Slagamelt LakesMT · 15 mi8,600 ft0.5″—1″−1″
Perreau MeadowsID · 24 mi8,580 ft0.0″—0″0″
Schwartz LakeID · 26 mi8,620 ft0.0″0%0″−2″
Mule CreekMT · 35 mi8,300 ft0.8″200%3″−1″
JL MeadowMT · 36 mi8,750 ft0.9″—5″−1″
Moose CreekID · 39 mi6,170 ft0.4″—1″−3″

Station details

Elevation
8,930 ft
Location
45.1737°N, 113.5846°W
County
Beaverhead County, Montana
Basin
Big Hole · HUC 10020004
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 436
Station ID
436:MT:SNTL · SHEF DHLM8
Reporting since
August 1977
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. Darkhorse Lake's 3″ of snow holds 0.7″ of water, so the pack is about 23% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Darkhorse 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 Darkhorse Lake SNOTEL?

At 8,930 ft in Beaverhead County, Montana (45.1737°N, 113.5846°W), in the Big Hole 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.