Elk Peak Alt SNOTEL

7,820 ftMeagher County, MontanaNRCS site 1316Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE2.3″no median
Depth12″−3″ 48 h
Temp40°23°–40° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent2.3″ now22.532.3″Snow depth12″ now12.51512″Air temperature40°F now40°32°40°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent2.3″ now22.532.3″Snow depth12″ now12.51512″Air temperature40°F now40°32°40°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent2.3″ now022.3″Snow depth12″ now02012″Air temperature40°F now50°32°40°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent2.3″ now022.3″Snow depth12″ now02012″Air temperature40°F now50°32°40°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″1″2″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul2.3″ today
0″1″2″ONDJFMAMJJ2.3″ today
<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

—%of the 1991–2020 median for today

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Montana
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Spur ParkMT · 22 mi8,080 ft1.8″180%8″−2″
Deadman CreekMT · 22 mi6,440 ft0.6″—2″−3″
Daisy PeakMT · 23 mi7,590 ft1.2″400%9″−1″
Pickfoot CreekMT · 27 mi6,680 ft1.7″—7″−3″
Boulder MountainMT · 28 mi7,890 ft1.4″233%7″−1″
PorcupineMT · 28 mi6,480 ft0.5″—4″0″
South Fork ShieldsMT · 30 mi8,090 ft0.4″67%1″0″
Onion ParkMT · 31 mi7,420 ft0.9″—4″−2″

Station details

Elevation
7,820 ft
Location
46.4762°N, 110.7215°W
County
Meagher County, Montana
Basin
Smith · HUC 10030103
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 1316
Station ID
1316:MT:SNTL
Reporting since
July 2023
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. Elk Peak Alt's 12″ of snow holds 2.3″ of water, so the pack is about 19% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Elk Peak Alt 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 Elk Peak Alt SNOTEL?

At 7,820 ft in Meagher County, Montana (46.4762°N, 110.7215°W), in the Smith 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.