In February 1993, a snow pillow was installed at Widdibank Fell near Cow Green reservoir (in Upper Teesdale) to monitor snow water equivalent. This paper describes existing snow‐measurement techniques in the UK and the site‐selection process and installation details for the snow pillow. Following a winter of more than 100 days with snow cover at the site, the success of the pillow in representing site and catchment snow conditions and in providing operationally useful snowmelt information for flood warning has been assessed.

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Whilst satellite monitoring of snow cover is already operational in some countries, the maritime climate of the United Kingdom poses special problems for assessment of snow cover by satellite, including the short snow duration, its intermittent occurrence and associated conditions of cloud. Both satellite and ground-based observations of cloud have been used to assess the limitations imposed by cloud over broad regions and also for individual sites at different elevations and during periods of snow accumulation, stability and ablation. It is concluded that satellite sensing based on visible and infrared images alone is restricted by cloud cover, but can often provide helpful ancillary information in support of ground based measurements and satellite images from other spectral bands.

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