Placer Basin SNOTEL

8,790 ftSweet Grass County, MontanaNRCS site 696Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE0.5″45% of median
Depth3″0″ 48 h
Temp16°14°–46° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.5″ now00.510.5″Snow depth3″ now23″Air temperature16°F now25°50°32°16°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.5″ now00.510.5″Snow depth3″ now23″Air temperature16°F now25°50°32°16°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.5″ now010.5″Snow depth3″ now053″Air temperature16°F now50°32°16°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.5″ now010.5″Snow depth3″ now053″Air temperature16°F now50°32°16°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″10″20″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 20.5″ · May 40.5″ today · 45% of median
0″10″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 20.5″ · May 40.5″ today · 45% 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

45%of the 1991–2020 median for today

0.5″ of water today against a median of 1.1″, 55% below median. The median peak is 20.5″ around May 4.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Montana
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
East Boulder MineMT · 6 mi6,310 ft0.0″—0″0″
Box CanyonMT · 13 mi6,720 ft0.3″—2″−2″
Monument PeakMT · 16 mi8,740 ft1.0″100%4″0″
Mill CreekMT · 19 mi7,420 ft0.2″—0″−1″
Fisher CreekMT · 26 mi9,110 ft0.8″53%3″0″
White MillMT · 27 mi8,730 ft0.6″55%2″0″
Northeast EntranceMT · 29 mi7,420 ft0.0″—0″0″
Burnt MountainMT · 33 mi5,920 ft0.0″—0″0″

Station details

Elevation
8,790 ft
Location
45.4190°N, 110.0884°W
County
Sweet Grass County, Montana
Basin
Upper Yellowstone · HUC 10070002
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 696
Station ID
696:MT:SNTL · SHEF PLCM8
Reporting since
October 1976
NWS forecast office
Billings (BYZ) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Placer Basin'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 Placer Basin 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 Placer Basin SNOTEL?

At 8,790 ft in Sweet Grass County, Montana (45.4190°N, 110.0884°W), in the Upper Yellowstone 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.