Potato Hill SNOTEL

4,480 ftYakima County, WashingtonNRCS site 702Updated Thu Oct 22, 6:00 PM PDT

SWE0.1″no median
Depth0″0″ 48 h
Temp42°29°–62° 48 h
Wed 21Thu 22Past 48 hSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth0″ now-0.500.50″Air temperature42°F now25°50°32°42°FNow · Thu 6 PM
WedThuPast 48 hSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth0″ now-0.500.50″Air temperature42°F now25°50°32°42°FNow · Thu 6 PM
Fri 16Sat 17Sun 18Mon 19Tue 20Wed 21Past 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth0″ now-0.500.50″Air temperature42°F now25°50°32°42°FNow · Thu 6 PM
FriSatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysSnow water equivalent0.1″ now-0.500.50.1″Snow depth0″ now-0.500.50″Air temperature42°F now25°50°32°42°FNow · Thu 6 PM
0″10″20″30″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulMedian peak 32″ · Apr 30.1″ today
0″20″ONDJFMAMJJMedian peak 32″ · 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 Washington
StationElevationDepth, 7 daysSWE% medianDepth48 h
Pigtail PeakWA · 20 mi5,800 ft0.1″33%4″+1″
Pinto RockWA · 21 mi4,450 ft0.2″—0″0″
Lost HorseWA · 21 mi5,100 ft0.0″—0″0″
White Pass East SideWA · 21 mi4,440 ft0.0″—1″+1″
Surprise LakesWA · 21 mi4,280 ft——1″0″
Green LakeWA · 21 mi5,920 ft0.1″—0″0″
Lone PineWA · 22 mi3,940 ft0.0″—2″0″
Spencer MeadowWA · 23 mi3,400 ft0.0″———

Station details

Elevation
4,480 ft
Location
46.3497°N, 121.5142°W
County
Yakima County, Washington
Basin
Upper Cowlitz · HUC 17080004
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 702
Station ID
702:WA:SNTL · SHEF PTHW1
Reporting since
October 1980
NWS forecast office
Pendleton (PDT) 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 Potato Hill 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 Potato Hill SNOTEL?

At 4,480 ft in Yakima County, Washington (46.3497°N, 121.5142°W), in the Upper Cowlitz 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.