Snowpack Prediction Contest: Kenai Mountains – Turnagain Arm

SNOWPACK PREDICTION CONTEST: Kenai Mountains – Turnagain Arm

Can your classroom accurately predict the amount of snow that we will have in the mountains of Alaska 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 click this link:  Click here to submit your prediction 

Questions contact: 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!

SnowSchool is a national network of dozens of education sites all working to connect kids to nature through snow, click to learn more!

The above graph is from the Mt Alyeska Snotel Station- Click here to view a full page image of the graph.

The above graph is from the Turnagain Pass Snotel Station- Click here to view a full page image of the graph.

Please chose either Mt Alyeska or Turnagain Pass as your location. Predictions from SnowSchool program participants will be posted below. The contest is also open the general public! Click here to submit your prediction and track it below.

To view the webpage for the Snotel station click the picture below (this is where the snow data is collected):

Click to interactive map to see all the SNOTEL stations the US!

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 many communities.   If we have less snow than normal, we could have less water available for people to use. As part of the SNOTEL snow survey, scientists have been keeping track of information at this site about the snowpack since 1981!  In making your prediction you will want to look at what happened in previous years (see graph link below), how much snow and snow/water equivalent we have on the ground right now (above graph link), and any data you collected during your SnowSchool field trip.  To help with your predictions we’ve compiled 40 years of snowpack data below (click to view live version)