South Fork Shields SNOTEL

8,090 ftPark County, MontanaNRCS site 725Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE0.4″67% of median
Depth1″0″ 48 h
Temp41°25°–41° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.4″ now00.510.4″Snow depth1″ now21″Air temperature41°F now40°32°41°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.4″ now00.510.4″Snow depth1″ now21″Air temperature41°F now40°32°41°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.4″ now010.4″Snow depth1″ now051″Air temperature41°F now50°32°41°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.4″ now010.4″Snow depth1″ now051″Air temperature41°F now50°32°41°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″10″20″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 20.2″ · May 30.4″ today · 67% of median
0″10″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 20.2″ · May 30.4″ today · 67% 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

67%of the 1991–2020 median for today

0.4″ of water today against a median of 0.6″, 33% below median. The median peak is 20.2″ around May 3.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Montana
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
PorcupineMT · 2 mi6,480 ft0.5″—4″0″
Brackett CreekMT · 28 mi7,370 ft1.0″250%6″−3″
SacajaweaMT · 28 mi6,610 ft0.6″—2″−3″
Elk Peak AltMT · 30 mi7,820 ft2.3″—12″−3″
Daisy PeakMT · 40 mi7,590 ft1.2″400%9″−1″
East Boulder MineMT · 44 mi6,310 ft0.0″—0″0″
Lick CreekMT · 48 mi6,880 ft0.3″150%0″0″
Spur ParkMT · 49 mi8,080 ft1.8″180%8″−2″

Station details

Elevation
8,090 ft
Location
46.0896°N, 110.4337°W
County
Park County, Montana
Basin
Shields · HUC 10070003
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 725
Station ID
725:MT:SNTL · SHEF SFSM8
Reporting since
October 1978
NRCS name
S Fork Shields
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. South Fork Shields's 1″ of snow holds 0.4″ of water, so the pack is about 40% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does South Fork Shields 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 South Fork Shields SNOTEL?

At 8,090 ft in Park County, Montana (46.0896°N, 110.4337°W), in the Shields 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.