Hand Creek SNOTEL

5,030 ftFlathead County, MontanaNRCS site 510Updated Thu Oct 22, 7:00 PM MDT

SWE0.1″no median
Depth0″0″ 48 h
Temp44°29°–63° 48 h
Thu 22Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth0″ now-0.500.50″Air temperature44°F now25°50°32°44°FNow · Thu 7 PM
ThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth0″ now-0.500.50″Air temperature44°F now25°50°32°44°FNow · Thu 7 PM
Sat 17Sun 18Mon 19Tue 20Wed 21Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth0″ now-0.500.50″Air temperature44°F now25°50°32°44°FNow · Thu 7 PM
SatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth0″ now-0.500.50″Air temperature44°F now25°50°32°44°FNow · Thu 7 PM
0″5″10″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 11″ · Apr 30.1″ today
0″5″10″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 11″ · Apr 30.1″ today
<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

—%of the 1991–2020 median for today

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Montana
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Stryker BasinMT · 27 mi6,200 ft1.0″—1″−1″
Bassoo PeakMT · 32 mi5,130 ft0.1″—0″0″
Blacktail MountainMT · 32 mi5,660 ft0.1″—0″0″
Banfield MountainMT · 33 mi5,580 ft0.0″—0″0″
Poorman CreekMT · 38 mi5,050 ft0.2″—0″0″
Stahl PeakMT · 42 mi6,040 ft0.6″43%0″−1″
Grave CreekMT · 42 mi4,350 ft0.0″—0″0″
Emery CreekMT · 42 mi4,340 ft0.1″—0″0″

Station details

Elevation
5,030 ft
Location
48.3075°N, 114.8407°W
County
Flathead County, Montana
Basin
Stillwater · HUC 17010210
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 510
Station ID
510:MT:SNTL · SHEF HANM8
Reporting since
October 1976
NWS forecast office
Missoula (MSO) 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 Hand Creek 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 Hand Creek SNOTEL?

At 5,030 ft in Flathead County, Montana (48.3075°N, 114.8407°W), in the Stillwater 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.