Bison Lake SNOTEL

10,950 ftGarfield County, ColoradoNRCS site 345Updated Thu Oct 22, 7:00 PM MDT

SWE1.9″380% of median
Depth4″0″ 48 h
Temp34°32°–44° 48 h
Thu 22Past 48 hSnow water equivalent1.9″ now1.522.51.9″Snow depth4″ now44″Air temperature34°F now30°40°32°34°FNow · Thu 7 PM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent1.9″ now1.522.51.9″Snow depth4″ now44″Air temperature34°F now30°40°32°34°FNow · Thu 7 PM
Sat 17Sun 18Mon 19Tue 20Wed 21Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.9″ now1.522.51.9″Snow depth4″ now54″Air temperature34°F now20°40°32°34°FNow · Thu 7 PM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent1.9″ now1.522.51.9″Snow depth4″ now54″Air temperature34°F now20°40°32°34°FNow · Thu 7 PM
0″10″20″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 26.9″ · Apr 291.9″ today · 380% of median
0″10″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 26.9″ · Apr 291.9″ today · 380% 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

380%of the 1991–2020 median for today

1.9″ of water today against a median of 0.5″, 280% above median. The median peak is 26.9″ around April 29.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Colorado
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Burro MountainCO · 15 mi9,290 ft0.3″300%0″—
Trapper LakeCO · 17 mi9,750 ft0.1″—0″0″
Ripple CreekCO · 24 mi10,340 ft0.1″14%0″0″
Bear RiverCO · 28 mi9,100 ft0.2″—0″0″
CroshoCO · 32 mi8,960 ft0.0″—0″0″
Lynx PassCO · 42 mi8,910 ft0.3″———
McClure PassCO · 44 mi8,760 ft0.2″—0″0″
Mccoy ParkCO · 45 mi9,500 ft0.0″—1″0″

Station details

Elevation
10,950 ft
Location
39.7646°N, 107.3563°W
County
Garfield County, Colorado
Basin
Colorado Headwaters · HUC 14010001
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 345
Station ID
345:CO:SNTL · SHEF BLSC2
Reporting since
September 1985
NWS forecast office
Grand Junction (GJT) discussion

Questions

What is snow water equivalent (SWE)?

SWE is the depth of water you would get by melting the whole snowpack. Bison Lake's 4″ of snow holds 1.9″ of water, so the pack is about 48% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Bison 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 Bison Lake SNOTEL?

At 10,950 ft in Garfield County, Colorado (39.7646°N, 107.3563°W), in the Colorado Headwaters 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.