Medano Pass SNOTEL

9,650 ftSaguache County, ColoradoNRCS site 914Updated Thu Oct 22, 7:00 PM MDT

Last peak3.3″SWE · Feb 23
Depth0″snow-free since Mar 1
Temp44°30°–57° 48 h
Thu 22Past 48 hAir temperature44°F now40°60°32°44°FNow · Thu 7 PM
ThuPast 48 hAir temperature44°F now40°60°32°44°FNow · Thu 7 PM
Sat 17Sun 18Mon 19Tue 20Wed 21Past 7 daysAir temperature44°F now20°40°60°32°44°FNow · Thu 7 PM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysAir temperature44°F now20°40°60°32°44°FNow · Thu 7 PM
0″2″4″6″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
0″2.5″5″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

3.3″peak snow water equivalent

Last season peaked at 3.3″ of water, 45% of the median peak.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Colorado

Station details

Elevation
9,650 ft
Location
37.8519°N, 105.4367°W
County
Saguache County, Colorado
Basin
San Luis · HUC 13010003
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 914
Station ID
914:CO:SNTL · SHEF MDPC2
Reporting since
October 1995
NWS forecast office
Pueblo (PUB) 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 Medano 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 Medano Pass SNOTEL?

At 9,650 ft in Saguache County, Colorado (37.8519°N, 105.4367°W), in the San Luis 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.