Obtaining Precipitation or Snow Data from USDA / NRCS

Go to the USDA/NRCS National Water and Climate Center web page at www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov.  If you have trouble getting there, follow the bulletted steps below:

• Go to the USDA home page at www.usda.gov,
• Click on the Agencies, Services & Programs button near the top,
• Click on the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) link, located about mid-page,
• Choose the Technical Resources button at page top,
• Click on the Water Resources link near the bottom,
• Click the Water and Climate Data link.

1. Once at the Water and Climate Data web page, click on the link for Water Supply Forecasts.
2. Several valuable links are located here.  For this example, we will explore just a few of them.  First, click the State Basin Outlook Reports link.
3. Select a state.  For example, choose Utah and pick any month (e.g., January).
4. Click the Retrieve Selection button.
5. Scroll down the list of available basins and choose one of them.
6. Choose the Narrative and Graphs link.  Again, several options for snow, precipitation, and reservoir storage are here.  Explore around a bit.
7. Return to the Water and Climate Data web page at www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/wcc.html.
8. Click on the Water Supply Forecasts button.
9. Choose the Precipitation Reports link.
10. Choose a state from the list.  For example, Utah.
11. Click the Submit button.  Two types of data are available: BAPR and BSPR.  BAPR data displays the percent of average and percent of last year for monthly and year-to-date precipitation.  BSPR displays the current, last year and average values for monthly and year-to-date precipitation as well a basin summary.  All the data is in table/text format.

1. For this example, choose the Daily SNOTEL Snow/Precipitation Update Reports link.
2. Choose the State Reports link.
3. Select a state (for example, Utah) from the list and click the Retrieve Selection button.
4. Choose the Select this line to receive the Precipitation Update for Utah from our FTP site link.  The SNOTEL data report will appear similar to the image below (depending upon the data).

1. Go back to the National Water & Climate Center snow page at www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/water/w_data.html.
2. This time choose the Snowpack Maps link.
3. Select a state.  For example, click the Alaska link.
4. Choose the January 2000 button.  Your snow map should look similar to the one below.

1. Using your browser, backtrack to the main National Water & Climate Center snow page at www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/water/w_data.html.
2. This time, click on the Areal Extent of Snow Cover Maps link.
3. Select a month and year.  For example, choose January 2000.  Your image should look similar to the one below.

 

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