North Fork Elk Creek SNOTEL

6,180 ftPowell County, MontanaNRCS site 657Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE0.5″no median
Depth3″0″ 48 h
Temp33°27°–44° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.5″ now00.510.5″Snow depth3″ now23″Air temperature33°F now40°32°33°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.5″ now00.510.5″Snow depth3″ now23″Air temperature33°F now40°32°33°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.5″ now010.5″Snow depth3″ now053″Air temperature33°F now50°32°33°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.5″ now010.5″Snow depth3″ now053″Air temperature33°F now50°32°33°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″5″10″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 11.8″ · Apr 130.5″ today
0″5″10″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 11.8″ · Apr 130.5″ 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
Lubrecht FlumeMT · 2 mi4,690 ft0.0″—0″0″
CombinationMT · 29 mi5,620 ft0.8″—2″−2″
Copper CampMT · 30 mi6,980 ft0.3″—1″−3″
Stuart MountainMT · 32 mi7,270 ft1.0″200%2″−2″
Black PineMT · 32 mi7,170 ft1.1″—6″−2″
Copper BottomMT · 35 mi5,200 ft0.0″—0″0″
North Fork JockoMT · 36 mi6,110 ft0.3″—1″−1″
Nevada RidgeMT · 36 mi7,030 ft1.1″550%5″−1″

Station details

Elevation
6,180 ft
Location
46.8716°N, 113.2772°W
County
Powell County, Montana
Basin
Blackfoot · HUC 17010203
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 657
Station ID
657:MT:SNTL · SHEF NFEM8
Reporting since
October 1967
NRCS name
N Fk Elk Creek
NWS forecast office
Missoula (MSO) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. North Fork Elk Creek's 3″ of snow holds 0.5″ of water, so the pack is about 17% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does North Fork Elk 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 North Fork Elk Creek SNOTEL?

At 6,180 ft in Powell County, Montana (46.8716°N, 113.2772°W), in the Blackfoot 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.