What is Snow Water Equivalent?
Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) is a common measurement used by hydrologists and water managers to gage the amount of liquid water contained within the snowpack. In other words, it is the amount of water that will be released from the snowpack when it melts.
Snow Water Equivalent is one of the primary measurements taken at SNOwpack TELemetry (SNOTEL) and snowcourses across the western United States. Most snowpack reports issued by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) use SWE to summarize snowpack conditions for spring and summer water supply forecasting.
Source: NCRS
Select SNOTEL locations on the map to explore SWE data for the Central Wasatch Mountains.
