tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168620747792092240.post4168447354296101500..comments2024-03-27T15:09:59.039-06:00Comments on Wasatch Weather Weenies: Altitude and the Timing of SnowmeltJim Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15799757451626876963noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168620747792092240.post-23688310343678517152014-04-17T15:01:04.823-06:002014-04-17T15:01:04.823-06:00Interesting. There are a few possibilities here:
...Interesting. There are a few possibilities here:<br /><br />1. These are two separate measurements. PREC comes from a precipitation gauge that is known to have "undercatch" issues (meaning it doesn't measure all of the precipitation that falls). SWE is measured by a pillow underneath the snowpack. Given that most of the precipitation that falls during this period at this elevation falls as snow, there's the possibility that undercatch is biasing PREC low.<br /><br />2. Snow creep or wind transport could contribute to a high bias in the SWE measurement of snow on the ground.<br /><br />3. For the climate stats, SWE is the median and PREC is the average. Different stats. However, the fact that this years SWE was behind this years PREC until March, and then it overtook it, suggests to me that some aspect of how the two measurements are made is contributing to this odd behavior.<br /><br />JimJim Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15799757451626876963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168620747792092240.post-39960741886959492802014-04-17T14:42:41.903-06:002014-04-17T14:42:41.903-06:00Gotta love snotel.
One oddity I noticed is the Sn...Gotta love snotel.<br /><br />One oddity I noticed is the Snowbird snotel SWE peaks around 42 inches late April, which is more than cumulative precipitation at that time, about 41 inches. Is this possible, or is it measurement error?<br />http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/view?intervalType=+View+Current+&report=WYGRAPH&timeseries=Daily&format=plot&sitenum=766&interval=WATERYEAR<br /><br />Peter Donnernoreply@blogger.com