Live snow data from the mountains.
Open observations from the SNOTEL network, made easier to explore, query, and use.
- Station
- 312:ID:SNTL
- Elevation
- 7,040 FT
The western snow network
Every SNOTEL station has its own page. Start from the full list, or from where the snowpack stands across the network today.
Browse stations
Find a station by name, station number or state, then read its latest readings with their observation times and flags, and its daily history.
Snowpack now
Where stations gained the most snow water equivalent in the last day, the deepest snowpack, and the snowpack furthest above its own history.
Weather stations that sit in the snow
SNOTEL is a network of automated stations the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service runs in the mountains of the western United States. Each one weighs the snow on a pillow to find how much water it holds, measures how deep it is, and records precipitation and air temperature, then reports the readings on a schedule.
Each station's page lays out what it observed: the latest readings with their elevation and observation time, and the daily history behind them.
Every number says where it came from
- ObservedMeasured at the station
Snow water equivalent from the snow pillow, depth from the depth sensor, precipitation and air temperature, each with the source's units and flags.
- DerivedCalculated from observations
Values we compute, such as the change in depth over 24 hours: today's depth minus yesterday's.
- ForecastModeled future
A look ahead from a model. Not offered yet; when it is, it will be labeled as a forecast.
A change in snow depth is not automatically snowfall.
| Reading | Kind | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Snow water equivalent | Observed | Measured by the station's snow pillow. |
| Snow depth | Observed | Measured by the station's depth sensor. |
| Depth change, 24 hours | Derived | Today's depth minus yesterday's. Not snowfall. |
| Storm outlook | Forecast | Not offered yet. |
Read the data the way you work
Data model
Stations, sensors and observations, with every value keeping its source, units and flags.
HTTP API
A read-only REST API over the western snow network, under /api/v1.
MCP
A remote MCP server, so an agent can read the same mountain data a person does.
Station ID 312:ID:SNTL
curl 'https://opensnotel.com/api/v1/stations/312:ID:SNTL/latest?elements=WTEQ,SNWD&duration=DAILY'Snow surveys, then and now
- A1Mount Rainier in winter
Longmire, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington - A2Storm Lake snow course
Storm Lake snow course, Deer Lodge County, Montana - A3Snow sampling
Near West Yellowstone, Montana - A4Snowshoes to Mount Brown Lookout
Mount Brown Fire Lookout, Glacier National Park, Montana
Public snow data, open to anyone who reads the mountains.
Every reading keeps its source, units and flags, whether you read it here, through the API, or through an agent.
Start with the docsPhotographs
All photographs are public-domain works of the U.S. National Park Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, shown with a print treatment applied in the browser.
- Teton Range in winterGrand Teton National Park, Wyoming · 11 Mar 2025M. Nall, National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park · Public domain (U.S. government work) · File page for Teton Range in winter (opens in a new tab)
- Mount Brown in winterMount Brown, Glacier National Park, Montana · 22 Feb 2020National Park Service, Glacier National Park · Public domain (U.S. government work) · File page for Mount Brown in winter (opens in a new tab)
- SNOTEL site in winter17 Feb 2011USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Montana · Public domain (U.S. government work) · File page for SNOTEL site in winter (opens in a new tab)
- Snow samplingNear West Yellowstone, Montana · 28 Feb 2006USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Montana · Public domain (U.S. government work) · File page for Snow sampling (opens in a new tab)
- Storm Lake snow courseStorm Lake snow course, Deer Lodge County, Montana · 1961USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Montana · Public domain (U.S. government work) · File page for Storm Lake snow course (opens in a new tab)
- Snowshoes to Mount Brown LookoutMount Brown Fire Lookout, Glacier National Park, Montana · 22 Feb 2020National Park Service, Glacier National Park · Public domain (U.S. government work) · File page for Snowshoes to Mount Brown Lookout (opens in a new tab)
- Mount Rainier in winterLongmire, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington · 21 Feb 2019National Park Service, Mount Rainier National Park · Public domain (U.S. government work) · File page for Mount Rainier in winter (opens in a new tab)
- Lone tree and snowy hills in Hayden ValleyHayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming · 13 Jan 2017Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park · Public domain (U.S. government work) · File page for Lone tree and snowy hills in Hayden Valley (opens in a new tab)
