The daily river basin webpages were created as a tool for recreational data users and as a supplement to the information for water users and managers provided monthly in the "Water Supply" section of this website during periods between the monthly updates. NRCS maps and products found below are created using daily data from mountain SNOTEL sites only and do not include data from valley weather stations or snowcourse data. As such, the data found below should only be used as a reasonable approximation of current conditions and not a comprehensive overview of current snowpack conditions and overall basin precipitation. 

For the most comprehensive information, including snowpack conditions, mountain and valley precipitation, reservoir storage, and streamflow forecasts, please visit the Monthly Overview or Monthly River Basin Summaries for your region of interest by using the navigation bar above. 

Daily Interactive Basin and Station Conditions

(Snowpack, Snow Depth and Mountain Precipitation)

The maps below are generated using daily midnight data* from the USDA-NRCS SNOTEL (SNOwpack TELemetry) Network, and contain the same information as the legacy maps of snow water equivalent (SWE) and mountain precipitation. However, the new format allows users to more directly interact with the data used to create the daily snow and water supply products. Users can now zoom in on and click areas of interest to view both basin and station statistics, view plots of multiple parameters, and download data for their personal use. 

A user defined version of the map below can be found here. This map includes additional data points such as monthly reservoir storage, streamflow forecasts, and soil moisture, which can be helpful for future water resource planning.      

*The NRCS products below are updated daily using midnight (daily) SNOTEL data for the "first of day" values. Daily data is quality controlled by NRCS Montana Snow Survey staff daily during the business week. Hourly data, found by navigating to individual sites via the interactive map, is unedited and should be used for guidance purposes only.

(Select a Map Using Dropdown Below)

SNOTEL Daily Plots

The plots below are generated using daily midnight data from the USDA-NRCS SNOTEL (SNOwpack TELemetry) Network* for mountain snowpack (SWE), precipitation and daily average air temperature. Daily plots will update daily before 6am, but may include unedited daily values if used before 9am MDT, or on weekends. 

Additional plots for sub-basin SWE can be found in the tool above by  selecting "Snow Water Equivalent - Sub-Basin" and clicking on the basin of interest. Additional plots for SWE and Precipitation can also be found in the Basin Plots webpage.

*Please note. All plots below only use data from mountain weather stations and do not include air temperature or precipitation data from valley locations.    

Snow vs Flow Plots

(Source: USBR)

These plots compare the daily data at a subset of mountain SNOTEL sites that are used to forecast streamflows to the daily observed flow from a nearby USGS streamgage. These plots have been created so that water users can visualize the relationship between snowpack and the response of regional rivers and streams during spring and summer runoff. Click on the drop down menu to view the Snow to Flow plot for your area of interest.   

Real-Time Streamflows

 (Source: United States Geological Survey)

Click on the link to the right, or the map below, to be re-directed to the USGS WaterWatch webpage with interactive content. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the experimental National Water Dashboard, which includes some excellent new tools from the USGS.