picture above: The upper East River valley, December 24. Left to right, Gothic Mountain, Mt. Bellview going into Rustler's Gulch, and the Avery Mountain complex.
Today's Weather, Sunday, March 16: mostly cloudy to cloudy overnight and windy at times with only scattered snow showers. Gradual clearing started mid-morning along with the everly irritating wind, then becoming clear early evening.
Live Station Cameras
The Station Camera, below, is located at the weather station.
--Current view: Gothic Mountain
--The windy.com web page has taken the camera put it on a fast 24-hour run-through. You can clink on the station camera to see it.
-- usually if there is little to no visibility the camera will focus on either the nearby road area, the snow board, or other close views
-- you can back track on the view by up to 12 hours by using the time bar at the bottom of the feed
-- there is sometimes a delay or a slow connection. If so, you can go directly to the YouTube page by clicking here
--Current view: Gothic Mountain
--The windy.com web page has taken the camera put it on a fast 24-hour run-through. You can clink on the station camera to see it.
-- usually if there is little to no visibility the camera will focus on either the nearby road area, the snow board, or other close views
-- you can back track on the view by up to 12 hours by using the time bar at the bottom of the feed
-- there is sometimes a delay or a slow connection. If so, you can go directly to the YouTube page by clicking here
The Up Valley Camera, below, is located north of the station.
Current view: the upper East River valley
--You can back track on the view up to 12 hours by using the time bar at the bottom of the feed
--You can go directly to the camera on the YouTube page by clicking here
--the camera will be pointed to the East River below the station whenever there is strong winter down valley wind
Today's weather data and summary for Gothic, March 16, 2025, as of 5:10 p.m. MDT
Low temperature: -10ºC (14ºF)
High Temperature: 1½ºC (35ºF)
Current temperature: -1ºC (30ºF)
Cloud cover: clear
Wind: 6-10 mph W, gusts to 20; today's strongest wind at 20 mph W
Precipitation: sunset March 15 to sunrise March 16: with 1 cm (½") new snow containing 0.04" of water content, 0.00" rain
Precipitation sunrise to sunset today: with 0 cm (0") new snow containing 0.00" water content, 0.00" rain
Precipitation today, currently: none, with 1 cm (½") new snow containing 0.04" water content, 0.00" rain
Current snowpack: 122 cm (48")
Average snowpack, at sunset March 15 is 152 cm (60")
Current snowpack 19% below average for this date (as of sunrise)
Snow water content (SWE) of snowpack to the nearest half inch: 15" (last year was 20½", 2023 was 25")
Precipitation data this snow year (starting September 01) as of sunrise March 16
Winters deepest snowpack: 160 cm (63") on February 15
Total snowfall this winter: 451 cm (177")
Average total snowfall, at sunset, March 15, is 747 cm (294")
Total snowfall is 40% below average for this date (as of sunrise)
Total water content from snowfall (SWE) this winter is 15.12"
Average water content from snow, at sunset, March 15, is 19.62"
Average water content from snowfall is 23% below average (as of sunrise)
Total rain this snow-year (since Sept. 01): 2.15"
Total precipitation this snow-year: 17.27"
Kettle Ponds, about two miles south of the station, summary for today, March 16 at 5:00 p.m. MDT
Low temperature -9½ºC (16ºF)
High temperature 3½ºC (38ºF)
Strongest wind today was 41 mph W
Low temperature: -10ºC (14ºF)
High Temperature: 1½ºC (35ºF)
Current temperature: -1ºC (30ºF)
Cloud cover: clear
Wind: 6-10 mph W, gusts to 20; today's strongest wind at 20 mph W
Precipitation: sunset March 15 to sunrise March 16: with 1 cm (½") new snow containing 0.04" of water content, 0.00" rain
Precipitation sunrise to sunset today: with 0 cm (0") new snow containing 0.00" water content, 0.00" rain
Precipitation today, currently: none, with 1 cm (½") new snow containing 0.04" water content, 0.00" rain
Current snowpack: 122 cm (48")
Average snowpack, at sunset March 15 is 152 cm (60")
Current snowpack 19% below average for this date (as of sunrise)
Snow water content (SWE) of snowpack to the nearest half inch: 15" (last year was 20½", 2023 was 25")
Precipitation data this snow year (starting September 01) as of sunrise March 16
Winters deepest snowpack: 160 cm (63") on February 15
Total snowfall this winter: 451 cm (177")
Average total snowfall, at sunset, March 15, is 747 cm (294")
Total snowfall is 40% below average for this date (as of sunrise)
Total water content from snowfall (SWE) this winter is 15.12"
Average water content from snow, at sunset, March 15, is 19.62"
Average water content from snowfall is 23% below average (as of sunrise)
Total rain this snow-year (since Sept. 01): 2.15"
Total precipitation this snow-year: 17.27"
Kettle Ponds, about two miles south of the station, summary for today, March 16 at 5:00 p.m. MDT
Low temperature -9½ºC (16ºF)
High temperature 3½ºC (38ºF)
Strongest wind today was 41 mph W
Soil Temperature and Moisture Content for sunrise March 16:
For complete data go to the soil temperature and moisture page, which was last updated through March 15 (usually updated every 5 days), as well as the links from there to the previous two years. Check out the detailed numbers there to see the trends. Any one-day change (at sunrise) is shown below as ↑ going up, ↓ going down, → holding steady.
At 5 cm (2") below surface: soil temperature average 32.4ºF, → soil moisture content 20% →
At 10 cm (4") below surface: soil temperature average 32.7ºF, → soil moisture content 20% →
At 20 cm (8") below surface: soil temperature average 33.0ºF, → soil moisture content 22%, →
At 50 cm (20") below surface: soil temperature average 34.3ºF, → soil moisture content 15%, →
For complete data go to the soil temperature and moisture page, which was last updated through March 15 (usually updated every 5 days), as well as the links from there to the previous two years. Check out the detailed numbers there to see the trends. Any one-day change (at sunrise) is shown below as ↑ going up, ↓ going down, → holding steady.
At 5 cm (2") below surface: soil temperature average 32.4ºF, → soil moisture content 20% →
At 10 cm (4") below surface: soil temperature average 32.7ºF, → soil moisture content 20% →
At 20 cm (8") below surface: soil temperature average 33.0ºF, → soil moisture content 22%, →
At 50 cm (20") below surface: soil temperature average 34.3ºF, → soil moisture content 15%, →
What is New and other Notes: In order to even get close to an average snowfall winter there would need to be a storm of about 10 feet (120 inches, 300 cm) in 7-10 days. It has happened a few times before (see record storms, a fun little page), though never this late in winter.
March started with the record high on March 02, but nothing since then. For all extremes of weather go to the records by winter and the records summary tables.
The February 07 low temperature of ½ºC (33ºF) was the first day since September 30 with the daily low above freezing, and the first time in 51 years that a 24-hour low in any daily February temperature was above freezing.
February was so strange. It started out with the warmest low temperatures on February 02, 03 (tied), 05 and 07 along with the record highs on the 3rd and 4th. The high on the 3rd was ridiculous and it beat the previous high for the date by 12ºF, while the high on the 4th beat the previous high by 8ºF. Then there was the record lowest high on February 12 and the record low on the 13th (really, make up your mind already). And not wanting to be left out, the most snow on a February 14. Then finishing out the month with a record high on the 25th and tied on the 26th. These were all added on to the records by winter and the records summary tables.
Updated the Daily Winter Averages table through March 09
this winter, through February, had the 4th lowest snowfall total (403 cm, 158") of any winter since snowfall data was started in 1974 (51 winters), behind the winters of 1976-77 (255 cm, 100½" ), 2017-18 (345 cm, 135½") and 2019-20 (369 cm, 145").
With 10 winters in a row, and only one winter in the last 13, having had above average snowfall, this sadly is becoming the "new normal", not just a few dry winters.
For a detailed hour by hour weather forecast for Gothic go to the Colorado Avalanche Information Gothic weather forecast page.
March started with the record high on March 02, but nothing since then. For all extremes of weather go to the records by winter and the records summary tables.
The February 07 low temperature of ½ºC (33ºF) was the first day since September 30 with the daily low above freezing, and the first time in 51 years that a 24-hour low in any daily February temperature was above freezing.
February was so strange. It started out with the warmest low temperatures on February 02, 03 (tied), 05 and 07 along with the record highs on the 3rd and 4th. The high on the 3rd was ridiculous and it beat the previous high for the date by 12ºF, while the high on the 4th beat the previous high by 8ºF. Then there was the record lowest high on February 12 and the record low on the 13th (really, make up your mind already). And not wanting to be left out, the most snow on a February 14. Then finishing out the month with a record high on the 25th and tied on the 26th. These were all added on to the records by winter and the records summary tables.
Updated the Daily Winter Averages table through March 09
this winter, through February, had the 4th lowest snowfall total (403 cm, 158") of any winter since snowfall data was started in 1974 (51 winters), behind the winters of 1976-77 (255 cm, 100½" ), 2017-18 (345 cm, 135½") and 2019-20 (369 cm, 145").
With 10 winters in a row, and only one winter in the last 13, having had above average snowfall, this sadly is becoming the "new normal", not just a few dry winters.
For a detailed hour by hour weather forecast for Gothic go to the Colorado Avalanche Information Gothic weather forecast page.
This is the animal activity for the day as of March 16 11:40 a.m.
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Bird Sightings: All birds with a √ next to them were seen on this day. Otherwise, they have generally been around here but not seen at this time.
Stellar Jay √ Gray Jay American Crow √ American Robin Magpie Pine Grosbeak √ Mountain Chickadee √ Black Capped Chickadee Gray Crowned Rosy Finch Red Breasted Nuthatch White Tailed Ptarmigan Downy Woodpecker Pine Siskin Red Crossbill |
Animal Sightings: The key for the mammals for today is v=visual, A= audible, t= track
tree squirrel- v Red Fox- t Deer Mouse- Long Tailed weasel- Short tailed weasel- snowshoe hare- Moose- coyote- pine marten- |
"If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain" -Steven Wright
"The wind shows us how close to the edge we are". -Joan Didion
"Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together". ~Vista M. Kelly
"Only the mediocre are always at their best" -Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley (Al Franken)
"The wind shows us how close to the edge we are". -Joan Didion
"Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together". ~Vista M. Kelly
"Only the mediocre are always at their best" -Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley (Al Franken)
Some pictures of the area:
February 18, slides on Gothic, the left a larger one out of the cirque, the right a lower slab release
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February 25, up Copper Creek valley with White Rock and Red Rock mountains
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Gothic Weather Page Index:
Home page (this page- if you lived here you'd be home already)
Current Year, daily Description:
2024 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2024
2023 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2023
2022 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2022
2021 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2021
2020 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2020
2019 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2019
2018 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2018
2017 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2017
2016 weather description- the last months of 2016- a written out daily weather summary description
notes on this site: explains what things mean and sampling methods, as well as a short video of the data site
contact- where you can send requests or suggestions about this web site from. Please do. (you don't write, you don't call. Was it something I said?)
Data: summary page and description of data
Daily data, current year- 2025 Daily description
2024 daily data- daily weather data for the 2024 calendar year.
2023 daily data- daily weather data for the 2023 calendar year.
2022 daily data- daily weather data for the 2022 calendar year.
2021 daily data- daily weather data for the 2021 calendar year.
2020 daily data- daily weather data for the 2020 calendar year.
2019 Daily data- daily weather data for the 2019 calendar year.
2018 daily data- daily weather data for the 2018 calendar year.
2017 daily data- daily weather data for the 2017 calendar year.
2016 daily data- daily weather data for the 2016 calendar year.
weekly weather summary- this page has been discontinued but the data from it can be found above on the Daily Data and Summary table
long term snow- snow totals month by month, and snow-year by snow-year, since fall, 1974 in both centimeters and inches
long term water- month by month and snow-year by snow-year water content of the snowfall
ground cover- the dates and number of consecutive days of snow on the ground for each winter, as well as date of snow melt drop under 100 and 50 cm
soil temperature and moisture- temperature information from underground at four different depths as well as the moisture content of the soil at those depths
daily high temperature => freezing- this table shows the number of days over the years in each winter month where the daily high reached or surpassed freezing, the temperature when snow would melt
Records: this area will have info on the number of records, such as most snow on a given date, highest temperature and so on
records by winter: showing each winter and the number of record highs, lows, days with most snow etc. since 1974 as well as other info pertinent to that winter.
record summary table: a quick-look summary table of the records by winter
Monthly Data: The title page has all summarized data for each month for November through May starting in the fall of 1974 up until the current listed chronologically. The individual months below of June through October start from the 2000-2001 winter to current, except for snow totals which date back to 1974.
September- summary for September, 2000-2024
October- summary for October, 2000-2024
November- summary for November, 1974-2024
December- summary for December, 1974-2024
January- summary for January, 1975-2025
February- summary for February, 1975-2025
March- summaries for March, 1975-2024
April- summary for April, 1975-2024
May- summary for May, 1975-2024
June- summary for June, 2001-2024
July- summary for July, 2001-2024
August- summary for August, 2001-2024
Other Info- just a heading page for the underlying categories
animals- notes on siting and activity of winter animal life, updated June 02
photos and videos- an archive of photos that were on various site pages (in progress- well, actually little there to see)
links- links to other web sites people may find helpful
↑ ↓ → º ½ √ ¼
Home page (this page- if you lived here you'd be home already)
Current Year, daily Description:
2024 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2024
2023 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2023
2022 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2022
2021 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2021
2020 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2020
2019 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2019
2018 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2018
2017 weather description- daily written summary for the calendar year 2017
2016 weather description- the last months of 2016- a written out daily weather summary description
notes on this site: explains what things mean and sampling methods, as well as a short video of the data site
contact- where you can send requests or suggestions about this web site from. Please do. (you don't write, you don't call. Was it something I said?)
Data: summary page and description of data
Daily data, current year- 2025 Daily description
2024 daily data- daily weather data for the 2024 calendar year.
2023 daily data- daily weather data for the 2023 calendar year.
2022 daily data- daily weather data for the 2022 calendar year.
2021 daily data- daily weather data for the 2021 calendar year.
2020 daily data- daily weather data for the 2020 calendar year.
2019 Daily data- daily weather data for the 2019 calendar year.
2018 daily data- daily weather data for the 2018 calendar year.
2017 daily data- daily weather data for the 2017 calendar year.
2016 daily data- daily weather data for the 2016 calendar year.
weekly weather summary- this page has been discontinued but the data from it can be found above on the Daily Data and Summary table
long term snow- snow totals month by month, and snow-year by snow-year, since fall, 1974 in both centimeters and inches
long term water- month by month and snow-year by snow-year water content of the snowfall
ground cover- the dates and number of consecutive days of snow on the ground for each winter, as well as date of snow melt drop under 100 and 50 cm
soil temperature and moisture- temperature information from underground at four different depths as well as the moisture content of the soil at those depths
daily high temperature => freezing- this table shows the number of days over the years in each winter month where the daily high reached or surpassed freezing, the temperature when snow would melt
Records: this area will have info on the number of records, such as most snow on a given date, highest temperature and so on
records by winter: showing each winter and the number of record highs, lows, days with most snow etc. since 1974 as well as other info pertinent to that winter.
record summary table: a quick-look summary table of the records by winter
Monthly Data: The title page has all summarized data for each month for November through May starting in the fall of 1974 up until the current listed chronologically. The individual months below of June through October start from the 2000-2001 winter to current, except for snow totals which date back to 1974.
September- summary for September, 2000-2024
October- summary for October, 2000-2024
November- summary for November, 1974-2024
December- summary for December, 1974-2024
January- summary for January, 1975-2025
February- summary for February, 1975-2025
March- summaries for March, 1975-2024
April- summary for April, 1975-2024
May- summary for May, 1975-2024
June- summary for June, 2001-2024
July- summary for July, 2001-2024
August- summary for August, 2001-2024
Other Info- just a heading page for the underlying categories
animals- notes on siting and activity of winter animal life, updated June 02
photos and videos- an archive of photos that were on various site pages (in progress- well, actually little there to see)
links- links to other web sites people may find helpful
↑ ↓ → º ½ √ ¼
Thank you to Greg of the Desert Research Institute and Brian of Slopeside Technology for their support in maintaining instrumentation. Also to Dan Jones for equipment assistance and station set-up; for David Inouye and Art Mears and for advice, input and data analysis; and Jessica Lundquist for the online water content of the snowpack (snow pillows).
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