SNOWPACK PREDICTION CONTEST: TAOS
Can your classroom accurately predict the amount of snow that we will have in the mountains above Taos 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 SnowSchool by clicking here!
Questions? Email – kmcclay@winterwildlands.org
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 from the Snotel Station at Taos Pueblo. Click here to view a full page image of the graph.
Predictions from SnowSchool program participants will be posted below.
Click here to submit your prediction.
To view the webpage for the Taos Pueblo SNOTEL Station click the picture below:
Click to explore the interactive map of SNOTEL Stations!
Want to learn more about 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 the Western US. If we have less snow than normal, we could have less water available for people to use. As part of the SNOTEL program, scientists have been keeping track of information about the snowpack in the mountains above Taos for over a decade! In making your prediction you will want to look at what happened in previous years at nearby Taos Powderhorn SNOTEL (see graph below), how much snow and snow/water equivalent we have on the ground right now (above graph), and any data you collected during your SnowSchool field trip. To help with your predictions we’ve compiled years snowpack data below:
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization promoting and
preserving winter wildlands and a quality human-powered snowsports
experience on public lands.
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