JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska— The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), in partnership with Eleventh Air Force and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska, successfully completed installation of the first Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) system at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Oct. 8, 2024.

“Safety offices across the Air Force do trend analysis to identify areas that are causing mishaps more frequently than desired. The data showed us what we logically knew – that Alaska bases get a large amount of snow,” said Lt. Col. Edmund Harrington, Eleventh Air Force chief of safety. “Snow accumulation caused mishaps each of the last three winters either through roof loading or falling from facilities onto people or things. We started looking for a technological solution that would help Alaska installations better understand when to clear snow from roofs.”

The $30k solar powered asset took personnel about two days to install. The site, named Elmendorf Field SNOTEL, numbered 1332, sent its first readings only 48 hours before the first snowfall of the season. This SNOTEL is now part of a network of 90 stations in Alaska and over 900 automated SNOTELs located throughout the Western United States.

“We were able to work out a partnership with Alaska NRCS in which they would provide one SNOTEL system in exchange for scientific water data from the Elmendorf Coastal Plain, which Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson occupies,” said Harrington.

Alaska infrastructure is prone to damage from hazards such as snow loading, ice dams and cornices, which if left unmanaged can cause significant damage to facilities and equipment.

Throughout the year the SNOTEL system will act as an automated weather station measuring snow height and snowpack water content, precipitation, barometric pressure, wind speeds and direction, and incoming solar radiation. Automated reports are sent hourly to the NRCS databases and are hosted on their website. SNOTEL data is open to the public and is used by flood forecasters, water managers, hazard assessment mangers, scientists, and transportation workers.

“We are excited to collaborate with JBER and the Eleventh Air Force on this SNOTEL installation and the shared use and applications of the data,” stated Daniel Fisher, USDA, Alaska snow survey program manager. “Alaska is experiencing more extreme precipitation events and seasons and the Snow Survey Program provides valuable, reliable data that can shape future decisions on how Alaskan communities respond and adapt.”

The SNOTEL site continuously reports hourly weather measurement throughout the year, allowing the base to take preventive safety measures. Careful planning and coordination went into selecting SNOTEL components, maintenance, and the ideal location for the SNOTEL site.

“This particular site was chosen because it’s centrally located among the facilities for which we were interested in understanding snow loading. It was also a previous weather station and had the wind block around it, which made the siting process much easier and prevents snow drifting,” said Harrington. “Finally, it is on the airfield, which means it is restricted access. It will have less traffic from curious people, and it is in the exclusion zone for large mammals, like bears, which are known to cause damage to SNOTEL components in the wild.”

Each winter, incidents and mishaps occur due to snow accumulation across Alaska. Data provide by the SNOTEL equipment will help base leadership take preemptive safety measures to reduce costly damages from winter storms to facilities and equipment.

“The 673d Air Base Wing will be able to use the SNOTEL data to make smarter, risk-based decisions on when to clear snow from facilities to prevent overloading and shedding mishaps,” said Harrington. “I also hope that the JBER SNOTEL site will prove to be so useful that the Air Force chooses to invest in more sites to protect other facilities in Alaska, or even more widely across the Air Force.”

Eleventh Air Force is responsible for training, equipping, and readying Air Force troops throughout the Indo-Pacific Region and Alaska. Implementing innovative ideas and technologies to better prepare and equip the U.S. Air Force is a priority for Eleventh Air Force.