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Hydrologists demonstrate a sample collection at a snow telemetry site in Utah.

Utah Snow Survey Program

Utah’s Snow Survey Program Team works to provide mountain snowpack data and streamflow forecasts from across the state. This information can be a valuable tool for conservation planning, water supply management, flood control, drought and avalanche prediction, climate modeling, and recreation.

Current Data and Conditions

Icon graphic showing mountain and water

 

Snow Survey Data and Tools

SNOTEL Sites
Snow Telemetry instrument shed covered in snow.
The Snow Telemetry Network (SNOTEL)  is composed of over 900 automated data collection sites located in remote, high-elevation mountain watersheds in the western U.S. They are used to monitor snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and other climatic conditions.

Individual Utah SNOTEL Site pages:

Streamflow Forecasts
Waterway cutting through lush green wetlands heads toward a bluff of trees
A streamflow forecast is a prediction of water volume that will flow past a point on a stream during a specified season, typically in the spring and summer. These forecasts help water managers and farmers prepare for the spring runoff. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) issues water supply forecasts for hundreds of points in the western United States near the first of the month between January and June each year and at other times as requested. To learn more about how streamflow forecasts are made and how to interpret them, choose from a general overview or a technical description.

Utah Map

Charts for Utah basins

Interactive Map
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) snow surveyors approach a snowpack telemetry site (SNOTEL) on Mount Hood, OR. SNOTEL sites allow NRCS to predict the amount of spring and summer snowmelt in twelve Western states where 50 to 80 percent of all the water used comes from snowmelt. USDA NRCS snow surveyors check each site at least once a year to perform routine maintenance.
The links provided below have been customized to share frequently requested data. After opening a map, users may filter parameters and bookmark the link to save their settings. Review this interactive map guide for more information.

Current conditions: Basins, Subbasins, Station/basins combined

Snow: Snow water equivalent (percent normal), Snow water equivalent (value), Snow density, Snow depth

Precipitation: Water year to date (percent normal), Water year to date (value)

Soil Moisture: Volumetric water content (value), Volumetric water content (percent normal), Volumetric water content (percent saturation)

Reservoirs: Reservoir storage (value), Reservoir storage (percent normal), Reservoir storage (percent of capacity)

Streams: Streamflow (value), Streamflow (percent normal)

Forecasts: Forecast streamflow volume (KAF), Forecast streamflow volume (percent normal)

Water Supply and Climate Reports
Strip-tilling in a field in Iowa
The most recent monthly reports for Utah. 

Water Supply Outlook Report: Data on streamflow, forecasts, reservoir storage and other hydrologic information.

Climate and Water Report: Snapshot of current and immediate past climatic conditions and other information useful to agricultural and water user interests in Utah.

View archived reports and additional resources. 

Individual Site and Basin Data Graphs
Utah WATER RESOURCES

Explore graphs detailing period of record and projection data for snow water equivalent, precipitation, air temperature, and soil moisture from individual SNOTEL sites and basins in Utah.

Current Water Year Data
Fall Colors on the Allegheny Resevoir on th Bradford Ranger District on the Allegheny National Forest in Pennslyvania. The U.S. Forest Service (FS) has a Forest Service 2012 Fall Colors Website and a toll-free Fall Colors Hotline at 1-800-354-4595 that will help visitors plan their trip to catch the colors at their peaks. USDA photo by J. Knowlton.

Current data for Utah

Western U.S. summary data

Historical snow data

Soil Climate Analysis Network
SCAN Site in farmland of Corozal Puerto Rico
The Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) began as a soil moisture/soil temperature pilot project of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in 1991. The system is designed to provide data to support natural resource assessments and conservation activities. More recently, the Tribal Soil Climate Analysis Network (Tribal SCAN) was developed to support similar activities on Tribal lands across the U.S. The SCAN system focuses on agricultural areas of the U.S. and is composed of over 200 stations. A typical SCAN site monitors soil moisture content at several depths, air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed and direction, liquid precipitation, and barometric pressure. More about SCAN sensors.

Individual SCAN sites in Utah:

Additional Resources
MLRA 143A Landscape

Snow Survey and Water Supply Program: States in the West collect mountain snowpack and precipitation data. Individuals, organizations, and state and federal agencies use the information provided for decisions relating to:

  • agricultural production
  • fish and wildlife management
  • municipal and industrial water supply
  • urban development
  • flood control
  • recreation
  • power generation
  • water quality management

SNOSTAT: A map detailing current instrumentation issues. 

Additional (non-NRCS) resources:

Snow Team Publications:

 

Snow Survey Team

Name Position Phone Number Email
Jordan Clayton
Snow Survey Team Supervisor
385-285-3118
Troy Brosten
Hydrologist
385-285-3114
Dave Eriksson
Hydrologist
385-285-3119
Douglas Neff
Electronics Technician
385-285-3116
Logan Jamison
Hydrologist
385-471-1235