Mountain snow pack is usually talked about in the spring when weather forecasters worry about the possibility of flooding.
Snow pack is the snow that falls and doesn’t melt until spring, and it’s not just in the mountains. It’s anywhere it snows, said Lisa Glover, a spokesperson for Alberta’s environment department.
Mountain snow pack is generally deeper than that on the Prairies and accumulates throughout the winter.
The depth of the snow pack is measured with special tools called snow pillows, which measure the weight of the snow and calculate how much water there would be if it melted.
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Snow melt in spring is a key source of water for springs, lakes and rivers. Extreme snow melt, in combination with rain, can be a major factor in flooding.
Alberta Environment’s River Forecast Centre monitors snow pack in the province. Field crews from the centre manually measure the depth and density of the snow once or twice a month. The department also has snow depth sensors and automated snow pillows to help collect data in the mountains.
The snow surveys are completed at 133 locations, and snow samples are taken at 10 points across the sites. The samples are weighed and the amount of water calculated.
A snow depth sensor is an automated instrument that uses sound waves. The data is collected and transmitted to the centre throughout the winter via satellite.
An automated snow pillow is a large bladder filled with antifreeze. The antifreeze is forced into a measuring tube that sticks out of the snow when it gathers on top of the pillow and pushes down on the bladder.
There are 21 snow pillows in Alberta. Data from these stations is displayed on the Alberta River Basins website and the Alberta River app.
