Weather Station Map - Help & How to Guide

Welcome to the CAIC Weather Stations Map. This tool displays real-time data from hundreds of weather stations across Colorado—key information CAIC forecasters use every day to assess avalanche conditions. Stations are operated by a variety of partners, including ski areas, the Snotel network, CDOT, and CAIC. 

This page provides an overview of the data display and some of the tools available for exploring observed weather. If you have any questions, please reach out through our Contact Us page.

What Is a Weather Station?

A weather station is a site used to measure atmospheric and/or snowpack conditions, typically utilizing automated systems but sometimes involving manual observations. Measurements often include temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, precipitation, and snow depth. The collected data can vary based on the station's purpose, and not every station records all parameters (e.g., some may record temperature and wind but not snow depth). 

About the Data

We’ve partnered with Synoptic to provide data for this platform. The date and time shown in the table header reflect the most recent available data for each station within the previous 3 hours. If a station did not report during that window it will not appear on the map or in the table.

 

Data availability varies by station:
 

  • Reporting frequency (15 min, hourly, or daily)
  • Variables measured
  • Temporary outages due to storms, telemetry issues, or maintenance

About the Map

The map displays nearly 500 weather stations, each represented by a circle. You can pan, zoom, hover for a quick summary, or click a station to view more detailed information.

 

Map Controls 

 

Upper Left

  • Zoom - zoom in or out. 

  • Rectangular Filter - select an area to view only stations inside the box (map + table will update). Refresh your browser’s URL bar to reset.

     

Upper Right

  • Create a URL - generate a unique link to the current map view and settings. Bookmark this page to quickly return to the stations and parameters you want to view. 

  • Help - opens this page.

     

Lower Left

  • Dropdown menu to change the parameter displayed on the map (Snow, SWE, Temperature, Wind). The color bar shows the values represented.

     

Mouse Over

  • Hover over a station to see a brief summary of its latest data.

Viewing Station Details

Click a station to open a dedicated details page, which includes:

  • Station name
  • Station ID
  • Timestamp of the most recent 3-hour report

 

Charts Provided

  1. Hourly Temperature - 24-hour trend
  2. Hourly Wind - wind speed
  3. Hourly Humidity - 24-hour relative humidity

 

Daily Temperature (3-Day)- multi-day temperature patterns

About the Table

The interactive table appears below the map and lists all active stations alphabetically. You can change the order of the stations in the table by clicking the label at the top of each column (e.g. sort in ascending or descending order for each parameter). Here is a description of the table functions:
 

Bottom of the map
 

  • Table button - use this button to open or close the table. You can also use the hamburger icon to make the table bigger or smaller.
     
  • Table header
    • Date/Time - Pick the date and time of the data you want to see. The map and table will show the most recent available data for each station within the previous 3 hours.
    • Metric/English - change the units of the data displayed.
    • Highlight - Turn on or off colored flags for specific values or ranges relevant for avalanche forecasting. Mouse over the Highlight label to see the schema.
    • Table Columns - add or remove the parameters shown for each station from the table.
       

Stations - add or remove stations from the table and map displays