Snow plays a vital role in our climate, water resources, and ecosystems. Yet measuring snow properties—like depth, density, and reflectivity—and predicting future snowpack trends remain difficult, especially in mountainous areas. Challenges include limited satellite visibility due to trees, clouds, and rugged terrain, and the difficulty of simulating highly variable snow processes without reliable on-the-ground data. Most snow research in the U.S. has historically focused on the West Coast, despite the Northeast’s snow being equally crucial for winter recreation and drinking water, especially for cities like New York.

To help fill this gap, the NASA-funded **X-Snow** project, led by Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, is enlisting citizen scientists across the Catskills and Adirondacks. Local volunteers collect repeatable snow observations using simple tools and smartphone photos, measuring depth, density, and surface brightness. These community-collected data complement satellite and model-based observations, improving snow forecasting and climate research. In addition, new automated sensors and cameras are being deployed to capture continuous snow records. X-Snow is a powerful example of how community engagement can expand scientific knowledge and improve climate resilience across the Northeastern U.S.