Western Italian Alps Monthly Snow Observations from 18 Stations

Eighteen stations in the western Italian Alps provide monthly snowfall amounts and snow cover duration in days, with records spanning from 1877 to 1996. The dataset is derived from daily snow stake measurements taken at 8 a.m. local time and aggregated into monthly totals. It was compiled by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in monthly snowfall across an elevation gradient from 565 to 2720 meters.
• Correlating snow cover duration with seasonal temperature or precipitation records.
• Calibrating and validating regional snowpack or hydrological models using historical ground observations.
• Studying the interannual variability of snow accumulation and melt in the western Italian Alps.

Strengths

• Contains a long-term record, with the longest station providing data from 1877 to 1996.
• Covers a significant elevation range (565m to 2720m) across 18 stations, offering topographic context.
• Data collection method (daily snow stake measurement at 8 a.m.) is consistent, making trends comparable.

Limitations

• Monthly values are derived from daily measurements, which may underestimate true snowfall by 10-20% due to snowpack settlement.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata: one source states 2026-03 12 (likely a metadata error), while another indicates the data ends in 1996-12-31.
• Specific column names and the exact row count are not provided in the available metadata.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Summaries of daily snow stake measurements taken at 8 a.m. local time using a snow measuring rod.

Time Range

1877 to 1996

Freshness

1996-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Western Italian Alps