View high-resolution snow depth, 24-hour snowfall, and season-to-date snowfall estimates for the United States and southern Canada on OpenSnow.
Estimated Snow Depth
This shows the model-estimated depth of snow on the ground. Not an actual observation.
- Tap the "Maps" tab.
- Tap the overlay button.
- Tap "Snow Depth".
This data is estimated based on weather models and some weather stations and is a product of NOAA. Keep in mind that this is estimated data and sometimes it is very accurate, most of the time it is in the ballpark, and sometimes it's off the mark by a lot.
Estimated 24-Hour Snowfall
This shows how much snow fell between 5:00 AM on the previous day and 5:00 AM on the current day. It is useful because it covers all US locations (like Nordic and backcountry locations) and not just ski resorts.
- Tap the "Maps" tab.
- Tap the overlay button.
- Tap "Snowfall (24 Hours)".
- Scrub the bottom slider.
This data is estimated based on weather models and some weather stations and is a product of NOAA. Keep in mind that this is estimated data and sometimes it is very accurate, most of the time it is in the ballpark, and sometimes it's off the mark by at least a few inches.
This estimated snowfall layer, covering the 24-hour period from 5:00 AM to 5:00 AM Mountain Time (MT), will not be shown until 1:00 PM MT (20z). The delay between 5:00 AM and 1:00 PM is because the accuracy of the 24-hour snowfall estimate improves over time (as more data is incorporated into the analysis) and we found that waiting until 1:00 PM allows the formula enough time to generate information that has reasonable accuracy.
NOAA continues to update the data each hour with the latest available data from SNOTEL sites and local observations and the quality/accuracy of the estimate continues to improve each hour (so don't be surprised if the data changes at least a little bit from when you first see it).
Estimated Season-to-Date Snowfall
This shows the total amount of snow that has fallen between October 1 and the current date.
Remember, this is an estimated number, and sometimes it is very accurate, most of the time it is in the ballpark, and sometimes it's off the mark many feet in big mountains where seasonal snowfall measures in the hundreds of inches. Even if the data is not perfectly accurate, it still provides a useful guide to finding areas that have received the most snow during the winter season.
- Tap the "Maps" tab.
- Tap the overlay button.
- Tap "Snowfall (Season)".
To clarify one more time, these maps are estimates and they will not always match what is reported directly from ski resorts. If there's a big discrepancy between what ski resorts report and this estimated data, look at the snow stake cam timelapse (if available) to confirm the snow totals for yourself.
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