SNOWPACK PREDICTION CONTEST: PCOE 2016-17
Can your classroom accurately predict the amount of snow that we will have in the Mt Shasta area this year? How about the snow/water equivalent? Send SnowSchool your prediction and you could win a prize for your entire classroom! The closest class wins the prize!! Winners will be announced in the spring.
Send your snow depth and snow/water equivalent prediction to:
kmcclay@winterwildlands.org; jdnorman@fs.fed.us
Specifically, SnowSchool wants to know your prediction for the greatest snow depth measurement and the greatest snow/water equivalent measurement during the course of the entire winter. One prediction (snow and water) per class please (this should be two numbers both in inches).
Example: Prediction for Ms. Smith’s Class- 50 inch snow depth, 14.1 inch snow/water equivalent
Once you make your prediction your class name will be added to this page below and you will be able to track and compare your prediction to the live snowpack graph as it grows (or melts) each week of the winter!
The above graph is updated every hour from the Sand Flats weather station. Click here to view current Snow/Water Equivalent.
Contest predictions will be posted here:
Example: Prediction for Ms. Smith’s Class- 50 inch snow depth, 14.1 inch snow/water equivalent
View the interactive map of weather stations around Mt Shasta:
Want to learn more about SNOTEL and the connection between mountain snow and water?
HISTORICAL SNOWPACK DATA: Its important to keep track of snow, how much of it there is in the mountains because mountain snow is our source of water in California. If we have less snow than normal, we could have less water available for people to use. In making your prediction you will want to look at what happened in previous years (see graphs below), how much snow and snow/water equivalent we have on the ground right now (above graph), any data you collected during your SnowSchool field trip, and historical/forecasted weather. To help with your predictions we’ve compiled 4 years of snowpack data below-
Winter 2015-16 Sand Flat Weather Station

Winter 2014-15 Sand Flat Weather Station

Winter 2013-14 Sand Flat Weather Station

All data collected from the Sand Flat Weather Station. Click to view additional years.