A high-resolution snow dataset for Switzerland (2016–2025) combining physics-based simulations and in situ observations

This high-resolution snow dataset provides daily estimates of snow depth, snow water equivalent, snow cover fraction, and snowmelt runoff for Switzerland and hydrologically connected bordering regions, covering water years 2016 to 2025. The dataset is based on fully distributed simulations at 250 m resolution using the multi-layer, physics-based snow model FSM2OSHD, operated by the Swiss Operational Snow Hydrological Service. To capture the high spatial heterogeneity of snow cover dynamics in complex mountainous terrain, the modeling framework combines dedicated dynamical and statistical downscaling of numerical weather prediction data with the upscaling of hyper-resolution terrain, forest, and light-availability datasets, explicitly accounting for subgrid variability. The particle filter-based assimilation of in situ snow depth observations from 444 monitoring stations across the domain dynamically corrects spatiotemporal error patterns in the meteorological forcing data. This approach ensures consistent input data quality over the entire 10-year period and mitigates potential discontinuities caused by changes within the numerical weather prediction system.

Version notes:

• Version 1.1 (November 2026): corrected northing coordinates. In version 1.0, the values were offset by −2000 m (8 grid cells, i.e., 2 km too far south) and the geospatial_lat_min/geospatial_lat_max attributes were affected accordingly. Data values (hs, swe, scf, smro), the easting coordinates, and the digital elevation model (OSHD_MODEL_DOMAIN.tif) are unchanged. Also, in version 1.1, the northing dimension is stored in ascending order (south to north). Code that accesses the data by array index rather than by coordinate may need to be adapted. 

• Version 1.0 (October 2025): Initial release. ⚠️ The northing coordinates are offset by −2000 m. Please use version 1.1, or correct with northing + 2000.