Backcountry weather forecasting is becoming increasingly popular as winter backcountry recreation has experienced significant growth. SpotWX is a useful tool that provides a variety of weather model forecasts for any specific location the user chooses through a map system. This study analyzes SpotWX forecast accuracy based on 14 backcountry field days during the 2019/2020 winter season in the South Columbia Mountain Range. Forecasted temperature, precipitation, wind intensity, and cloud cover are analyzed for both two- and ten-day forecast models. Temperature accuracy was demonstrated by an average temperature discrepancy of 1.6°C. SpotWX was found to provide forecasts with different elevations than the desired elevation. Wind intensity forecasts were found to not represent the variability of wind in mountainous terrain. Varying spatial resolution of forecasts was found to affect the accuracy of forecasted cloud cover and precipitation. By understanding the limitations and what accuracy to expect of SpotWX users can be better suited to use this resource.
