New Site Install: Fifteenmile SNOTEL

On September 21, the NRCS Oregon Snow Survey, with assistance from the Mt. Hood National Forest, began installation of the Fifteenmile SNOTEL. This site, originally requested by the Fifteenmile Watershed Council, fills a critical data gap due east of Mt. Hood near the headwaters of Mill Creek, Hood River and Fifteenmile Creek. The data from this site will eventually be used to produce a streamflow forecast point at an existing stream gauge station by Dufur, OR that is maintained by the Oregon Department of Water Resources.  The forecasting data in addition to the hydroclimatic data will assist the pre-dominantly agricultural economy in the area to assess water supplies from mountain snowpack prior to and during the irrigation season. Furthermore, data from the Fifteenmile SNOTEL will be used to improve the accuracy of streamflow forecasts within the Mill Creek and Hood River watersheds. 

How else will the data be used?

Recreation: The site is located near the High Prairie trailhead and Lookout Mountain, areas that are frequented by recreationists both in the summer and winter. Snowpack and precipitation data from SNOTEL sites often assist visitors in properly planning their trips in mountainous regions.

Drought Monitoring: Hydroclimatic data is essential for drought monitoring. This site provides soils data, an important variable used in drought products that provides information about soil moisture and temperature.

Fire Weather Monitoring: Most SNOTEL sites serve an auxiliary role that assist in fire weather monitoring by providing data for ambient air temperature, precipitation and soil moisture. 

Ecosystem Management: Hydroclimatic data can help provide important insight to meteorological and climatic impacts on nearby ecosystems.

These are only a few ways this data will be used and shows the critical role of not only Fifteenmile SNOTEL, but the network as a whole plays in managing our collective resources.