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Sasse Ridge and Blewett Pass Snowpack Models
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Last site update: Sunday, November 10, 2024 |
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The .pdf charts linked below are on my MS OneDrive. They show the output of localized snowpack models that generate daily ‘virtual snowpits’. |
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About the model of the Sasse Ridge snowpack: In 2002 I began playing with a simple experimental model that estimates the recent additions to the Sasse Ridge snowpack ascending from the valley floor. The result is displayed as a bar graph. The model and the assumptions on which it is based are discussed here. Since then I’ve added other bits of data to the output; stuff that I find useful.
Data sources: The Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) maintains a large number of excellent telemetry sites in the Cascades, however, there are no NWAC sites close to Sasse Ridge or Blewett Pass (Swauk Pass). Fortunately there are SNOTEL sites near these locations that provides hourly data. Telemetry sites give an idea about conditions at a particular elevation. However, a skier would like to know how the snowpack changes from the parking lot the top of the hill, and that’s what these models try to predict. Note: the localized lapse rate data previously used is no longer available so the lapse rate is fixed at 3 degrees / 1000 ft.
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Current Sasse snowpack charts (currently running at 7am daily)
Current Blewett snowpack charts (currently running at noon daily) |