Real time snow depth map of USA and Canada
When planning a backcountry trip (or even a long winter drive) it can be very helpful to know real time snow levels. Is the trailhead snowed in? Should I bring skis? Should I prepare for camping on snow, or bare ground? I heard it's really dumping in Utah, how much snow do they have? Is driving on the interstate across Wyoming in January going to be a bad idea?
The US Forest Service had you covered, with a very cool snow depth model (repeat, MODEL).
From USFS: “This map displays current snow depth according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Snow Analyses (NSA). The NSA are based on modeled snowpack characteristics that are updated each day using all operationally available ground, airborne, and satellite observations of snow water equivalent, snow depth, and snow cover. “
A few notes:
Works better on a desktop with a nice big screen.
Seems to default to dark mode on the map; if you want normal view click on the map icon on the left.
Possible software bug note: Apparently the USFS server will stop serving you snow depth tiles if you request too many of them, lame . . . If you pan and zoom a lot, the colored snow depth information may disappear from your map. So, try to stay in one area. Or maybe change to a new browser.
Government websites have an annoying habit of regularly changing URLs and breaking links. If the button below does not work, do a web search for “USFS snow depth map.”
Here’s a screen grab - Mt. Rainier National Park, November 2021
If you're a Premium subscriber to Gaia GPS, you can also get the same data in a more usable format. Gaia lets you change the opacity of various map layers, showing details of whatever base map you choose. You can also have a GPX track of your intended route on your map, so you can more clearly see whether your planned trip involves lots of snow or not.
Here's a screen grab of the snow depth data laid over the top of the Gaia Topo default map layer. Note the slider bar on the left, opacity is at 100%. Yes, it looks a bit hideous, but you can clearly see exactly where the snow begins.
Now we've zoomed in a bit, and changed the snow depth slider bar to around 50%. Now you can see underlying roads and trails. A bit more helpful if you want to do some hiking.
