Red Mountain Pass SNOTEL

11,060 ftSan Juan County, ColoradoNRCS site 713Updated Thu Oct 22, 7:00 PM MDT

SWE2.5″625% of median
Depth5″+3″ 48 h
Temp32°29°–39° 48 h
Thu 22Past 48 hSnow water equivalent2.5″ now1232.5″Snow depth5″ now2.555″Air temperature32°F now30°40°32°32°FNow · Thu 7 PM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent2.5″ now1232.5″Snow depth5″ now2.555″Air temperature32°F now30°40°32°32°FNow · Thu 7 PM
Sat 17Sun 18Mon 19Tue 20Wed 21Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent2.5″ now1232.5″Snow depth5″ now5105″Air temperature32°F now25°50°32°32°FNow · Thu 7 PM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent2.5″ now1232.5″Snow depth5″ now5105″Air temperature32°F now25°50°32°32°FNow · Thu 7 PM
0″10″20″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 25″ · Apr 252.5″ today · 625% of median
0″10″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 25″ · Apr 252.5″ today · 625% 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

625%of the 1991–2020 median for today

2.5″ of water today against a median of 0.4″, 525% above median. The median peak is 25.0″ around April 25.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Colorado
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Mineral CreekCO · 3 mi10,030 ft0.2″100%1″−1″
IdaradoCO · 4 mi9,780 ft0.2″—0″0″
Alta LakesCO · 7 mi11,290 ft1.6″—4″−1″
Molas LakeCO · 10 mi10,610 ft0.2″—0″0″
Lizard Head PassCO · 13 mi10,190 ft0.1″—0″0″
Spud MountainCO · 14 mi10,660 ft0.2″—0″0″
BeartownCO · 17 mi11,580 ft4.3″2150%10″+3″
Cascade #2CO · 17 mi8,990 ft0.3″—0″—

Station details

Elevation
11,060 ft
Location
37.8917°N, 107.7139°W
County
San Juan County, Colorado
Basin
Animas · HUC 14080104
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 713
Station ID
713:CO:SNTL · SHEF RMPC2
Reporting since
October 1979
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. Red Mountain Pass's 5″ of snow holds 2.5″ of water, so the pack is about 50% water. Fresh powder is often 5 to 10%; old spring snow can be 40% or more.

How often does Red Mountain 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 Red Mountain Pass SNOTEL?

At 11,060 ft in San Juan County, Colorado (37.8917°N, 107.7139°W), in the Animas 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.