SNOTEL

Some sites also measure snow depth, soil moisture and temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, humidity, and atmospheric pressure.

VHF radio signals are reflected at a steep angle off the ever-present band of ionized meteors existing from about 50 to 75 miles (80 to 120 km) above the earth.

Serious problems or deteriorating performance trigger a response from the NRCS electronics technicians located in six data collection offices.

A central computer at the NRCS's National Water and Climate Center (NWCC) in Portland, Oregon controls system operations and receives the data collected by the SNOTEL network.

[1] Basic SNOTEL sites have a pressure sensing snow pillow, storage precipitation gauge, and air temperature sensor.

[1] System performance has increased over the years, mainly due to a better understanding of meteor burst communication characteristics and improved equipment.

Current and historical data and analyses are available by dialing into the CFS, by disk or tape media, paper copy, and on the Internet.