Mt. Hood pressure pillow snow gage

At Mount Hood, Oregon the Soil Conservation Service has developed and conducted evaluation tests of the pressure pillow approach to measuring the water content of the snowpack. The evaluation has indicated this method to be a practical and accurate method of measuring the equivalent water content of the snow. Installation procedures are described and shown. Comparisons between snow water equivalent by pressure pillow data and snow sampling are tabulated. A schematic diagram is shown of the recording and telemetering devices by which a continuous record is made of the snowpack accumulation and ablation; thus providing accurate data for streamflow forecasting and snowmelt computations. Wen installed above avalanche terrain such data would be valuable for avalanche prediction and safety control.