This paper presents the results of detailed monitoring of temperature fields and snowpack stratigraphy during the 2025/2026 winter-spring transition. The study was conducted at the Moscow State University Meteorological Observatory. Detailed stratigraphic descriptions of the snowpack, along with measurements of snow density and temperature, were also conducted. Changes in the thickness and thermal field of the snowpack at the Moscow State University Meteorological Observatory’s site were examined. Air and snowpack temperature measurements were conducted using an autonomous automatic system. The study aimed to determine characteristic diurnal and synoptic thermal rhythms, assess the insulating role of the snowpack, and describe the snowpack’s complex stratigraphy, including numerous ice crusts and deep hoar horizons. The feasibility of using an automatic measurement system to determine snowpack thickness based on its thermal field was tested. The study was conducted at the Moscow State University Meteorological Observatory. Using an original high-resolution measuring system (5 cm increments, 30 min–4 h time resolution), snow cover temperature was recorded. Detailed stratigraphic descriptions of the snowpack, along with measurements of snow density and temperature, were also conducted. It was shown that the winter season was characterized by an abnormally late onset of stable snow cover (December 22) and subsequent extreme snow accumulation, with an absolute snow depth record for 72 years of observations (86 cm on February 26, 2026). The study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring snow cover thickness by monitoring the thermal field at Moscow State University observation sites. Air temperature and snow cover measurements were conducted using autonomous automatic systems. The studies have shown the magnitude of snow thickness and identified thermal waves penetrating the snow layer at night, allowing us to estimate temperature gradients and thermal conductivity in the snow layer, as well as determine snow thickness based on the magnitude of daily temperature fluctuations and penetrating temperature waves.
Frolov et al. (Sun,) studied this question.