Rio Grande snowpack today
Snow water equivalent at the NRCS SNOTEL stations BasinMind follows in the Rio Grande basin (Division 3), against the 1991–2020 median for the date.
Outside the snow season. From July into October Colorado's snowpack has usually melted out: SNOTEL stations read zero or close to it, and the median for the date is too small for a percentage to mean much. That is the season, not a drought signal; snow typically starts to build from late October.
Stations
| SNOTEL station | Elevation (ft) | SWE (in) | % of median | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elwood Pass | 11,680 | 0.2 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Rat Creek | 11,680 | 0.6 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Grayback | 11,620 | 0.0 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Beartown | 11,580 | 0.2 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Sargents Mesa | 11,490 | 0.0 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Middle Creek | 11,260 | 0.1 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Moon Pass | 11,110 | 0.0 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Lily Pond | 11,070 | 0.0 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Trinchera | 10,860 | 0.1 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Ute Creek | 10,720 | 0.0 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Hayden Pass | 10,700 | 0.0 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Culebra #2 | 10,560 | 0.0 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Cochetopa Pass | 10,020 | 0.2 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Medano Pass | 9,650 | 0.0 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Upper Rio Grande | 9,370 | 0.0 | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
What SWE measures
Snow water equivalent (SWE) is the depth of water, in inches, you would have if the snowpack melted in place. At a SNOTEL station a snow pillow weighs the snow above it, and the weight is converted into water. Percent of median compares today's SWE with the station's median for the same date over 1991–2020: 100% is a typical snowpack for the date. More in Snowpack and SWE.
From snow to the Rio Grande basin's rivers
Snow that builds from roughly October through early spring melts from April through June and becomes the spring runoff that fills reservoirs, sets how long rivers stay out of call and determines compact deliveries.
In this basin that runoff reaches reservoirs such as Sanchez Reservoir, Platoro Reservoir, Rio Grande Reservoir and Continental Reservoir, and runs past stream gauges such as Rio Grande near Del Norte.
The SNOTEL stations BasinMind follows here run from Elwood Pass at 11,680 feet down to Upper Rio Grande at 9,370 feet; one station describes one spot on one slope, and the basin figure averages those reporting.
More for this basin
- Rio Grande basin water today
- Active calls in the division
- The division's reservoirs
- Today's digest
- Snowpack and SWE
- Reading the U.S. Drought Monitor
Snowpack in other basins
- South Platte · Division 1
- Arkansas · Division 2
- Gunnison · Division 4
- Colorado River · Division 5
- Yampa-White-Green · Division 6
- San Juan/Dolores · Division 7