snowpack · Switzerland
Weissfluhjoch, Davos
1 April snow depth
Modelled demonstration series · not observed data
Altitude used to be a guarantee here. What this chart shows is the snow line climbing past stations that were built specifically because they were high enough never to worry about it. Below about 1,500 m in the Alps, reliable winter snow has already become a marginal proposition.
75 years, modelled
Same reading, two normals
| Normal | Mean | σ | Pct | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–1980 | 235 cm | −2.90σ | 0.19th | 1 in 540 years |
| 1991–2020 | 151 cm | −0.95σ | 17th | 1 in 5.8 years |
Today would rank 7 of 76 for lowest value in the modelled series. Nothing about the reading changes between rows — only the yardstick.
The season here
At 2,540 m this is one of the longest continuous high-Alpine snow records anywhere, which is why it is the reference station for the region.
Where this series comes from
MODELLED SERIES — not observed. Parameters set from published Weissfluhjoch 1 April snow-depth climatology. The 75 annual values are synthesised by the seeded generator. Population is a rounded Alpine-basin estimate.
Every number on this page comes from a modelled series: 75 annual values synthesised by a seeded generator from published climatological parameters for Weissfluhjoch, Davos. It shows how anomaly reasoning works. It is not a measurement and must not be cited as one.
How to read σ
σ counts standard deviations from this place's own normal. The sigma guide · return periods.
More snowpack stations
Open Weissfluhjoch on the field →