Brown Top SNOTEL

5,850 ftWhatcom County, WashingtonNRCS site 1080Updated Fri Oct 16, 3:00 AM PDT

Last peak63.9″SWE · Mar 20
Depth0″snow-free since Jun 17
Temp52°41°–59° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hAir temperature52°F now40°60°32°52°FNow · Fri 3 AM
ThuPast 48 hAir temperature52°F now40°60°32°52°FNow · Fri 3 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysAir temperature52°F now40°60°32°52°FNow · Fri 3 AM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysAir temperature52°F now40°60°32°52°FNow · Fri 3 AM
0″25″50″75″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
0″50″ONDJFMAMJJ
<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

Last season

63.9″peak snow water equivalent

Last season peaked at 63.9″ of water, 88% of the median peak.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Washington

Station details

Elevation
5,850 ft
Location
48.9275°N, 121.1972°W
County
Whatcom County, Washington
Basin
Upper Skagit · HUC 17110005
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 1080
Station ID
1080:WA:SNTL · SHEF BRTW1
Reporting since
September 2009
NWS forecast office
Seattle (SEW) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10% water; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Brown Top 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 Brown Top SNOTEL?

At 5,850 ft in Whatcom County, Washington (48.9275°N, 121.1972°W), in the Upper Skagit 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.