Thunder Basin SNOTEL

4,310 ftSkagit County, WashingtonNRCS site 817Updated Thu Oct 22, 6:00 PM PDT

Last peak25.3″SWE · Mar 15
Depth0″snow-free since May 9
Temp42°32°–60° 48 h
Wed 21Thu 22Past 48 hAir temperature42°F now40°60°32°42°FNow · Thu 6 PM
WedThuPast 48 hAir temperature42°F now40°60°32°42°FNow · Thu 6 PM
Fri 16Sat 17Sun 18Mon 19Tue 20Wed 21Past 7 daysAir temperature42°F now40°60°32°42°FNow · Thu 6 PM
FriSatSunMonTueWedPast 7 daysAir temperature42°F now40°60°32°42°FNow · Thu 6 PM
0″10″20″30″OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
0″20″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

25.3″peak snow water equivalent

Last season peaked at 25.3″ of water, 83% of the median peak.

Nearby SNOTEL stations

All Washington

Station details

Elevation
4,310 ft
Location
48.5275°N, 120.9895°W
County
Skagit County, Washington
Basin
Upper Skagit · HUC 17110005
Network
NRCS SNOTEL · site 817
Station ID
817:WA:SNTL · SHEF THBW1
Reporting since
September 1987
NWS forecast office
Seattle (SEW) 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 Thunder Basin 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 Thunder Basin SNOTEL?

At 4,310 ft in Skagit County, Washington (48.5275°N, 120.9895°W), in the Upper Skagit 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.