ADO Factsheet: Standardized Snowpack Index (SSPI)

When precipitation falls in the form of snow, water may be stored as snowpack. This decreases runoff and groundwater recharge during the winter months and contributes to the increased runoff during the spring and early summer. The Standardized SnowPack Index provides information on the relative volume of the snowpack in the catchment on a ten-daily and monthly basis compared to the period of reference (JRC EDO, 2022). The name of the index is modified to include the averaging period in days. SSPI-10, for example, refers to an average period of 10 days (JRC EDO, 2020).