SNOTEL Data & Site Reports
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) installs, operates and maintains an extensive, automated system call SNOTEL (short for Snow Telemetry). SNOTEL provides a reliable, cost effective way to collect snowpack and other meteorological data needed to produce water supply forecasts and support the resource management activities of NRCS and others. The basic SNOTEL station provides snowpack water content data via a pressure-sensing snow pillow. It also collects data on snow depth, allseason precipitation accumulation and air temperature with daily maximums, minimums and averages. Many enhanced stations are also equipped to take soil moisture and temperature measurements at standard depths of 4”, 8” and 20”. The atmosphere and soil moisture/temperature measurements are reported multiple times per day, with some reporting hourly. System performance is usually above 99%.
