Monitor Pass SNOTEL

8,320 ftAlpine County, CaliforniaNRCS site 633Updated Thu Oct 22, 6:00 PM PDT

Last peak11.4″SWE · Feb 19
Depth0″snow-free since Mar 30
Temp32°32°–46° 48 h
Wed 21Thu 22Past 48 hAir temperature32°F now30°40°32°32°FNow · Thu 6 PM
WedThuPast 48 hAir temperature32°F now30°40°32°32°FNow · Thu 6 PM
Fri 16Sat 17Sun 18Mon 19Tue 20Wed 21Past 7 daysAir temperature32°F now40°60°32°32°FNow · Thu 6 PM
FriSatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysAir temperature32°F now40°60°32°32°FNow · Thu 6 PM
0″5″10″15″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
0″10″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

11.4″peak snow water equivalent

Last season peaked at 11.4″ of water, 73% of the median peak.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All California

Station details

Elevation
8,320 ft
Location
38.6683°N, 119.6087°W
County
Alpine County, California
Basin
Upper Carson · HUC 16050201
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 633
Station ID
633:CA:SNTL · SHEF MNPC1
Reporting since
October 1990
NWS forecast office
Reno (REV) 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 Monitor Pass 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 Monitor Pass SNOTEL?

At 8,320 ft in Alpine County, California (38.6683°N, 119.6087°W), in the Upper Carson 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.