Sand Lake SNOTEL

10,080 ftCarbon County, WyomingNRCS site 731Updated Fri Oct 16, 4:00 AM MDT

SWE1.5″150% of median
Depth5″+4″ 48 h
Temp15°15°–33° 48 h
Thu 15Past 48 hSnow water equivalent1.5″ now121.5″Snow depth5″ now055″Air temperature15°F now20°32°15°FNow · Fri 4 AM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent1.5″ now121.5″Snow depth5″ now055″Air temperature15°F now20°32°15°FNow · Fri 4 AM
Sat 10Sun 11Mon 12Tue 13Wed 14Thu 15Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.5″ now121.5″Snow depth5″ now055″Air temperature15°F now50°32°15°FNow · Fri 4 AM
SatSunMonTueWedThuPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.5″ now121.5″Snow depth5″ now055″Air temperature15°F now50°32°15°FNow · Fri 4 AM
0″10″20″30″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 33.1″ · May 51.5″ today · 150% of median
0″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 33.1″ · May 51.5″ today · 150% 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

150%of the 1991–2020 median for today

1.5″ of water today against a median of 1.0″, 50% above median. The median peak is 33.1″ around May 5.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Wyoming
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Med BowWY · 7 mi10,500 ft0.3″—7″+4″
Brooklyn LakeWY · 8 mi10,250 ft0.5″—4″+3″
North French CreekWY · 10 mi10,150 ft1.6″533%4″+3″
South Brush CreekWY · 15 mi8,480 ft0.0″—2″+2″
Cinnabar ParkWY · 16 mi9,670 ft0.0″—2″+2″
Blackhall MountainWY · 36 mi9,830 ft0.6″75%4″+4″
Webber SpringsWY · 40 mi9,250 ft0.4″—2″+2″
Old BattleWY · 42 mi9,840 ft0.6″86%4″+4″

Station details

Elevation
10,080 ft
Location
41.4625°N, 106.2810°W
County
Carbon County, Wyoming
Basin
Medicine Bow · HUC 10180004
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 731
Station ID
731:WY:SNTL · SHEF SNLW4
Reporting since
October 1979
NWS forecast office
Cheyenne (CYS) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Sand Lake's 5″ of snow holds 1.5″ of water, so the pack is about 30% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Sand Lake 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 Sand Lake SNOTEL?

At 10,080 ft in Carbon County, Wyoming (41.4625°N, 106.2810°W), in the Medicine Bow 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.