Snowpack
Colorado snowpack
Statewide snow water equivalent vs the 1991-2020 median
Data through Oct 28, 2026 · source last checked Oct 30, 2026 · page revised Oct 29, 2026
Cite
- This snow year
- 1991-2020 median
About this data
- Source
- USDA NRCS SNOTEL (Air-Water Database)
- Series
- Snow water equivalent (WTEQ), basin-index percent of the 1991-2020 median
- Geography
- Colorado
- Unit
- in
- Calculation
- Daily reading, aggregated across reporting SNOTEL stations
- Last observation
- Oct 28, 2026
- Update frequency
- Daily in season (Oct-Jun); melts out by mid-summer
Colorado's snowpack averages 0.7 in of snow water equivalent, 113% of the 1991-2020 median for Oct 28, 2026.
Colorado's snowpack stands at 0.7 in of snow water equivalent, 113% of the 1991-2020 median. Water-year precipitation through Oct 28 is 4.3 in, running 191% of the median.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Current snowpack (SWE) | 0.7 in as of Oct 28, 2026 |
| Percent of 1991-2020 median | 113% |
| This season's peak (SWE) | 0.8 in on Oct 25, 2026 |
| Normal peak (1991-2020 median) | 0.6 in |
| Peak vs normal peak | 130% |
| Water-year precipitation to date | 4.3 in (191% of median) |
Previous weeks
An earlier week
Colorado's snowpack stands at 0.7 in of snow water equivalent, 133% of the 1991-2020 median for Oct 27. Water-year precipitation to date is 4.3 in, 198% of median.
An earlier week
Colorado's snowpack stands at 0.7 in of snow water equivalent, 147% of the 1991-2020 median. The season peaked at 0.8 in on Oct 25, 158% of the normal peak. Water-year precipitation to date is 4.2 in, 203% of the median.
Week of Oct 25, 2026
Colorado's snowpack peaked at 0.8 in of snow water equivalent on Oct 25, 168% of the normal peak. Water-year precipitation to date is 4.2 in, 212% of the 1991-2020 median.
An earlier week
Colorado's snowpack peaked at 0.7 in of snow water equivalent on Oct 24, 2026, 181% of the normal peak. Water-year precipitation is 3.9 in, 212% of the median.
About Colorado snowpack
Snow water equivalent (SWE) is the depth of water held in the snowpack, and it is the single number that best predicts the coming spring and summer runoff. Depth alone can mislead: a deep, dry snowpack can hold less water than a shallow, dense one.
The Waterline reads Colorado's snowpack from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service SNOTEL network using the standard basin-index method. It sums the current water content across every reporting SNOTEL station in Colorado (105 on the latest reading), divides by the sum of those same stations' 1991-2020 medians for the date, and reports the ratio as percent of median, so a deep high-elevation site counts for more than a shallow valley one and a station with no long-term normal never distorts the number. The inch figures shown here are the average snow water equivalent across those reporting stations.
Snow builds from about October, normally peaks near April 1, and melts out by early summer. Once the normal snowpack for the date nears zero, percent of median stops being a meaningful number, so this page reports the season's peak instead of a percentage until the snow returns.