Terms of Service

01 Acceptance & eligibility

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a binding agreement between you and Snoflo.org LLC ("we", "us", "our"), the operator of Snoflo. By creating an account, downloading the Snoflo iOS app, or otherwise using snoflo.org or any service, page, feature, or content offered through it (collectively, the "Service"), you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

You must be 13 or older to use the Service. If you are between 13 and 18 (or the legal age of majority where you live), you may use the Service only with the involvement of a parent or guardian who has agreed to these Terms on your behalf, in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The Service is administered in the United States and intended primarily for U.S. users. Use outside the U.S. is at your own risk and you are responsible for compliance with local laws.

02 The service

Snoflo is a climate intelligence application for the great outdoors, available as an iOS app and a web app at snoflo.org. We aggregate publicly available snowpack, streamflow, reservoir, weather, avalanche, wildfire, and recreation data from federal, state, and academic sources and present it as an interactive map, daily AI-generated reports, and related tooling for skiers, paddlers, anglers, ranchers, and water managers.

The Service is currently free to use. Browsing the map requires no account. Saving favorites and configuring push alerts requires a free account.

We may add, change, or remove features at our discretion. We will give reasonable notice of material changes that affect users in a meaningful way.

03 Account registration

To save favorite stations, configure push alerts, or use any non-public feature, you must create an account by providing a valid email address and choosing a password.

You agree to:

• Provide accurate information and keep it up to date.
• Keep your password confidential.
• Notify us at info@snoflo.org if you suspect unauthorized access.
• Use only your own email address — not someone else's, and not an address you don't control.

You are responsible for all activity that happens under your account. We may refuse, suspend, or terminate accounts at our reasonable discretion if they violate these Terms.

04 Pricing & future paid features

The Service is currently free to use. We may introduce optional paid features in the future (for example, advanced alerts, professional tooling for water managers, or guide-grade exports). If we do, paid features will be clearly labeled, opt-in, and offered with a free trial wherever practical.

If and when paid features launch, this section will be updated to describe pricing, billing cadence, free-trial behavior, auto-renewal, cancellation, refunds, price changes, failed payments, and applicable taxes. Payment processing will be handled by an industry-standard processor (e.g. Stripe) and your card details will not be stored on our servers.

05 Climate data disclaimers

Informational, not predictive or operational

Snoflo is an informational tool. We do not detect new floods, fires, or avalanches faster than the agencies whose data we display. We do not predict outcomes. We do not direct evacuations, dispatch responders, issue forecasts, or provide official guidance.

Your decisions are your own

You assume full responsibility for any decision made on the basis of Snoflo data. We are not responsible for property damage, injury, or loss of life resulting from reliance on the Service.

Data may be wrong, late, or missing

Snowpack, streamflow, weather, avalanche, wildfire, and reservoir data shown in Snoflo comes from third-party feeds that update at varying intervals (some near-real-time, some hourly, some daily). Data may be:

• Incomplete — not every gauge, station, alert, or perimeter is captured by our upstream sources.
• Delayed — sensor reports, perimeter updates, and weather alerts each have their own latency.
• Inaccurate — sensor readings can drift; modeled fields are estimates; satellite-derived layers can be confounded by clouds, terrain, or sensor artifacts.
• Unavailable — we may experience outages, third-party data may be temporarily inaccessible, or particular locations may have no coverage at all.

Algorithms and models

Snoflo may apply proprietary algorithms, statistical models, AI summaries, or other computation to the underlying data to produce derived outputs (for example, daily AI-written briefings, percent-of-normal calculations, surge alerts, or aggregated regional reports). We cannot guarantee the accuracy of any modeled or derived output.

Always cross-check

For any decision that matters — a backcountry tour, a river run, an evacuation, an irrigation release, a frost-protection call — cross-check Snoflo against official sources and qualified professionals. Snoflo is one input, not a complete picture.

Mapping and geolocation

Map rendering, geocoding, and address search are provided by Mapbox. Address search may not return your exact location; nearby coordinates may be used. Map tiles, base imagery, and labels are subject to Mapbox's accuracy limitations.

06 Data sources & attribution

Snoflo stands on the shoulders of public agencies and academic institutions whose data we display. We are grateful to these sources; please credit them when sharing Snoflo content. Sources include but are not limited to:

• USGS U.S. Geological Survey — streamgauges (cfs, stage, water temp), watershed boundaries, terrain, and other geospatial layers.
• USDA NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service — SNOTEL station network (snow depth, SWE, precipitation, air temperature).
• NOAA / NWS Weather alerts, watches, and warnings; precipitation, temperature, wind, marine, and avalanche-relevant fields.
• NOHRSC National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center — modeled snow analysis fields and snowfall forecasts.
• USBR U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — reservoir storage, releases, and elevations.
• USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — project reservoir data and flood-control infrastructure.
• FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (flood zones) and disaster declarations.
• NIFC / NASA FIRMS National Interagency Fire Center perimeters and NASA satellite hot-spot detections (MODIS & VIIRS).
• USFS U.S. Forest Service — recreation amenities, wildfire context, and trail data.
• NASA Earth observation imagery and climate data.
• U.S. Drought Monitor Weekly drought intensity classifications.
• Mapbox Base map tiles, geocoding, and the underlying mapping platform.

Each upstream provider has its own terms and citation requirements. We use their data in accordance with those terms. If you reuse Snoflo content elsewhere, attribute the original sources, not just Snoflo.

07 Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Reverse-engineer, modify, or attempt to extract source code from the Service.
• Use any robot, scraper, or automated process to access the Service or construct a derivative dataset, except via tools or APIs we explicitly provide.
• Resell, sublicense, or otherwise commercially redistribute Snoflo data or features without our express written consent.
• Bypass entitlement limits or access controls by creating multiple accounts or otherwise.
• Use the Service to violate any applicable law, harass another person, or transmit malware.
• Impersonate another person or use an email address you don't control.
• Take any action that imposes an unreasonable load on our infrastructure or interferes with the proper working of the Service for others.
• Remove or alter copyright, trademark, or proprietary-rights notices.
• Use the Service in any context where its failure could cause harm, without independent corroboration from official sources — including but not limited to evacuation, search-and-rescue, firefighting, dam operations, ski-patrol decisions, river permitting, or insurance underwriting.

Violation of this section may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account.

08 Intellectual property

Snoflo, including the iOS app, web app, brand, logo, design, code, models, and aggregations of public data into our particular presentation, is owned by Snoflo.org LLC or its licensors. All rights not expressly granted in these Terms are reserved.

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for your own personal or internal business purposes, in compliance with these Terms.

Underlying data sourced from federal agencies (USGS, NRCS, NOAA, NOHRSC, FEMA, USBR, USACE, NIFC, NASA, USFS, etc.) is generally in the public domain or available under open licenses; their terms apply to their respective datasets. Mapbox content is subject to Mapbox's terms of service.

"Snoflo", the Snoflo logo, and the Snoflo wordmark are trademarks or service marks of Snoflo.org LLC. Other names and marks are property of their respective owners.

09 Privacy

Your privacy matters to us. How we collect, use, retain, and protect data is described in our Privacy Policy, which is part of this agreement by reference. Short version: we don't sell data, we collect only what we need to operate the Service, and your favorite locations and alert preferences stay tied to your account — not shared with third parties.

10 Account deletion

You can permanently delete your account at any time from Account settings → "Delete my account", or by emailing info@snoflo.org from the address on file.

When you delete your account:

• Your authentication record is removed from our database.
• All your sessions and pending password-reset tokens are revoked.
• Your saved favorites and alert configurations are removed from our active services.
• Aggregated, anonymized usage statistics may persist, but cannot be linked back to you.

11 Email communications

When you create an account, you agree to receive emails from us related to the operation of your account. These include:

• Password resets you initiate.
• Service-critical announcements (planned outages, security incidents).
• Important changes to these Terms or to your account.

We do not currently send marketing email. If we ever do, those emails will be opt-in or include a clear unsubscribe link.

12 Termination

You can terminate this agreement at any time by deleting your account (section 10).

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms, abused the Service, attempted fraud, or otherwise put other users or our infrastructure at risk.

Sections that by their nature should survive termination (intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, governing law) survive termination.

13 Disclaimer of warranties

Some jurisdictions do not allow exclusion of certain warranties; in those jurisdictions the above exclusion applies to the maximum extent permitted by law.

14 Limitation of liability

Our total cumulative liability to you for all claims arising out of or relating to the Service is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) US$50.

These limitations apply whether the claim is based on contract, tort, statute, or any other legal theory, and apply even if a stated remedy fails of its essential purpose.

Some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on certain damages; in those jurisdictions our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

15 Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Snoflo.org LLC and its affiliates, employees, and contractors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your use of the Service in violation of these Terms; (b) any content you submit; (c) your violation of any law or third-party right; or (d) any decisions you make based on Service content.

16 Governing law & disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of incorporation of Snoflo.org LLC, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in that jurisdiction, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.

Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.

17 Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, if the changes are material, notify you by email and/or by an in-app notice. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of revised Terms constitutes acceptance of the changes.

18 Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email info@snoflo.org. Privacy-specific questions can be sent to the same address.

Snoflo is a product of Snoflo.org LLC.