Snowshoeing into the Tony Grove Ranger Station snow course is much easier now than it was 100 years ago when researchers first began measuring the snow water equivalent, or SWE, here. Snow water equivalent measures how much water is in the snowpack.
Clear roads and good weather make the drive up easy. In 1924, if the roads were blocked, you’d have to hike 10 miles up Logan Canyon to make it here.
The site, almost 20 miles up Logan Canyon, is the first snow course site in the state and its SWE has been measured monthly since the spring of 1924.
Jordan Clayton, supervisor of the Utah Snow Survey, said having month-by-month data for this site helps his team understand and predict snowpack for the area.
“From a perspective of wanting to be able to predict how much water we're going to get from this snowpack, the longer the period of record we have, the better job we can do with that,” he said.
Clayton led the group of hydrologists, scientists and media in a rendition of "Happy Birthday," to celebrate the site’s 100th birthday.
Clayton and Claire Stellick, a hydrologist with the Snow Survey, demonstrated how they measure SWE by plunging an aluminum pole into the ground and weighing the snow inside after.
“There’s about 16 inches of liquid water content at this site,” Clayton said after converting the weight and depth of the snow into snow water equivalent.
Nathan Daugs, manager of the Cache Water District, said data from this site and the SNOTEL precipitation station nearby helps farmers plan for the summer’s water supply.
“In a year like this with a well above normal stream flow forecast gives them a pretty safe bet, that unless something drastic happens, they're gonna have an adequate water supply for the entire season this summer," he said.
Clayton said while this year won’t break any records like last winter, we are guaranteed an above-average snowpack year.
