Stahl Peak’s snow pillow continues to report that the snowpack is above the long-term average:
The three month outlook (March/April/May) has temperatures leaning below normal and precipitation leaning above. Looking at further predictions, the forecast for the longer term has temperatures above average and precipitation below. In other words, starting out wetter and colder than usual, and being hotter and dryer by the June/July/August forecast.
The long-term average for snow surveys were dated for the first of the month when I started measuring snow 45 years ago. The old guys did it the hard way – up Burma Road early, skis or snowshoes to the Weasel Cabin, build a fire, sample the snow course, then overnight. The next day they would head down the creek, then climb Stahl, build a fire, sample the snow course, then hike out the next morning, sample the course at Grave Creek, hike the rest of the way out and finish the job driving the pickup out. As a modern, I drove a snowmobile and did 3 snow courses in a day. Now I click a link on the home computer, and can look at the whole basin’s information in minutes.
The numbers from March 1 were kind of sacred – there had been enough winter that Jay Penney felt safe projecting the data – enough was in that he would comment that the snowpack was light, normal or heavy.
These are some of the snow courses I measured in those middle days, when we thought a snowmobile was absolutely modern, and were experimenting with measuring snow water at Noisy Basin with a radioactive source and receiver. We were state of the art back then.
Elevation
Water Equivalent
Percent of Average
Banfield Mountain
5600 feet
13.1 inches
88%
Hawkins Lake
6450 feet
18.9 inches
94%
Garver Creek
4250 feet
8.4 inches
101%
Stahl Peak
6030 feet
24.4 inches
86%
Grave Creek
4300 feet
13.1 inches
87%
Poorman Creek
5100 feet
29.4 inches
95%
Bear Mountain
5400 feet
45.6 inches
87%
Hand Creek
5035 feet
9.2 inches
102%
Noisy Basin
6040 feet
31.5 inches
106%
To get to the data – and the map – you just click https://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/snow/ . Making the data so available makes hydrology a science for everyone.