The snowmelt runoff model (SRM) is widely used worldwide to simulate and predict flow rates and water quantities in snow-dominated mountainous watersheds. This review focuses on the extensive application of SRM in mountainous watersheds globally, particularly in data-scarce watersheds in northwest China. The review discusses issues related to selecting appropriate input climate variables and parameters, as well as the determination of snow-covered area (SCA) using remote sensing data for snowmelt flow modeling. Despite the lack of hydrological data in most watersheds, initial applications of SRM in northwest China have shown relatively acceptable model accuracy. Future research can explore the feasibility of snowmelt flow modeling in data-scarce mountainous watersheds in northwest China by utilizing remote sensing data for model parameterization, GIS tools, watershed size, and innovative approaches.