Abstract. Detailed hydrometeorological data from the rain-to-snow transition
zone in mountain regions are limited. As the climate warms, the
transition from rain to snow is moving to higher elevations, and
these changes are altering the timing of downslope water
delivery. To understand how these changes impact hydrological and
biological processes in this climatologically sensitive region,
detailed observations from the rain-to-snow transition zone are
required. We present a complete hydrometeorological dataset for
water years 2004 through 2014 for a watershed that spans the
rain-to-snow transition zone
(https://doi.org/10.15482/usda.adc/1402076). The
Johnston Draw watershed (1.8 km2), ranging from
1497 to 1869 m in elevation, is a sub-watershed of the
Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW) in southwestern Idaho,
USA. The dataset includes continuous hourly hydrometeorological
variables across a 372 m elevation gradient, on north- and
south-facing slopes, including air temperature, relative humidity,
and snow depth from 11 sites in the watershed. Hourly measurements
of incoming shortwave radiation, precipitation, wind speed and
direction, soil moisture, and soil temperature are available at
selected stations. The dataset includes hourly stream discharge
measured at the watershed outlet. These data provide the scientific
community with a unique dataset useful for forcing and validating
hydrological models and will allow for better representation and
understanding of the complex processes that occur in the
rain-to-snow transition zone.
Hydrometeorological observations from the rain-to-snow transition zone: a dataset from the Johnston Draw catchment, Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed, Idaho, USA
