Lower Twin SNOTEL

7,920 ftMadison County, MontanaNRCS site 603Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE1.0″167% of median
Depth4″−1″ 48 h
Temp23°20°–37° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent1.0″ now0.511.51.0″Snow depth4″ now44″Air temperature23°F now20°40°32°23°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent1.0″ now0.511.51.0″Snow depth4″ now44″Air temperature23°F now20°40°32°23°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.0″ now011.0″Snow depth4″ now04″Air temperature23°F now50°32°23°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.0″ now011.0″Snow depth4″ now04″Air temperature23°F now50°32°23°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″10″20″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 20.2″ · May 31.0″ today · 167% of median
0″10″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 20.2″ · May 31.0″ today · 167% 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

167%of the 1991–2020 median for today

1.0″ of water today against a median of 0.6″, 67% above median. The median peak is 20.2″ around May 3.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Montana
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Albro LakeMT · 6 mi8,500 ft1.1″92%5″−2″
Lone MountainMT · 29 mi8,820 ft0.5″100%0″−1″
Clover MeadowMT · 34 mi8,770 ft0.5″50%3″−1″
Basin CreekMT · 35 mi7,120 ft0.9″300%6″−1″
Short CreekMT · 37 mi6,990 ft0.1″—0″−2″
Lick CreekMT · 46 mi6,880 ft0.3″150%0″0″
Shower FallsMT · 47 mi8,060 ft0.8″53%4″−1″
Beaver CreekMT · 47 mi7,820 ft0.2″67%1″0″

Station details

Elevation
7,920 ft
Location
45.5087°N, 111.9229°W
County
Madison County, Montana
Basin
Madison · HUC 10020007
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 603
Station ID
603:MT:SNTL · SHEF LWTM8
Reporting since
October 1976
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. Lower Twin's 4″ of snow holds 1.0″ of water, so the pack is about 25% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Lower Twin 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 Lower Twin SNOTEL?

At 7,920 ft in Madison County, Montana (45.5087°N, 111.9229°W), in the Madison 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.