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All posts by Thornton Weather
NC hurricane death toll now 19, with 3,800 in shelters, 143,000 without power
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An overblown link between hurricanes and global warming
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Deadly Hurricane Matthew downgraded, but still dangerous
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October 9 to October 15: This Week in Denver Weather History
Denver has yet to get a taste of wintry weather this year as we continue what has been a very dry period the last few months. In the past that hasn’t always been the case and our look back at this week in Denver weather history shows that heavy, winter-like snowstorms can and do strike in October.
From the National Weather Service:
9
In 1910…light smoke from forest fires in the mountains was sighted over the city.
In 1982…northwest winds gusted to 49 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
9-10
In 2005…a major winter storm brought heavy…wet snowfall to the Front Range mountains…eastern foothills…portions of metro Denver…and the Palmer Divide. Snow accumulations ranged from 8 to 26 inches with drifts from 3 to 4 feet in places. The heaviest snow occurred to the east and southeast of the city…closing most major highways in that area…including I-70 from Denver to Limon. The Red Cross opened four shelters for people who were stranded along I-70 in eastern Colorado. Since many trees had not yet shed their leaves…the storm caused significant tree damage. One woman in Denver was killed when a tree branch… 8 to 10 inches in diameter…snapped under the weight of the heavy…wet snow and struck her as she was shoveling her driveway. Xcel Energy reported power outages to about 35 thousand customers. Several incoming flights were delayed at Denver International Airport. Snow totals included: 16 inches in the foothills near Boulder…12 inches at Genesee and near Golden…22 inches near Watkins…19 inches near Bennett…17 inches southeast of Aurora…14 inches near Parker…13 inches near Castle Rock…12 inches in centennial… 11 inches in Parker…and 10 inches at Denver International Airport and in Littleton. While many areas of metro Denver received heavy snow…others experienced almost entirely rain. This included west and northwest metro Denver…Boulder…and Longmont. Rainfall amounts were significant as storm totals ranged between 1.50 and 2.50 inches. The steady rainfall triggered 3 rockslides in foothills canyons. Two of the slides occurred on State Highway 119 in Boulder Canyon and the longest slide…7 feet in length…on State Highway 74 in Bear Creek Canyon at Idledale. North winds were sustained to around 23 mph with gusts to 31 mph at Denver International Airport on the 9th. The high temperature of only 34 degrees on the 10th was a record low maximum for the date. The low temperature on both days was 32 degrees.
10
In 1901…an evening thunderstorm produced east winds to 43 mph with gusts to 48 mph.
In 1949…strong winds believed to be the worst in Boulder’s history at the time caused over 100 thousand dollars damage in the city. Peak winds were estimated to 85 mph at Valmont…just east of Boulder. High winds also occurred over most of metro Denver and caused damage to trees…window glass…and utility lines. The damage was most pronounced over the northwest metro area…including north Denver and Lakewood. Falling tree branches caused damage to parked autos and houses. Wind gusts to 70 mph were recorded at Stapleton Airport.
In 1964…lightning struck and killed a 13-year-old boy…while he was riding his bicycle along a tree-lined residential street in south Denver. Apparent microburst winds gusted to 54 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
10-11
In 1986…the first significant snowstorm of the season produced 2 to 5 inches of snow over metro Denver with 5 to 10 inches in the foothills west of Denver. Wondervu recorded the most snow from the storm…13 inches. The heavy wet snow caused numerous power outages. The storm was accompanied by strong north winds with gusts to 41 mph recorded on the 10th. The first snowfall of the season totaled 3.1 inches at Stapleton International Airport with only one inch on the ground due to melting. The strong cold front accompanying the storm cooled the temperature from a high of 73 degrees on the 10th to a high of only 33 degrees on the 11th…which was a record low maximum for the date.
10-12
In 1969…the second heavy snowstorm in less than a week dumped nearly a foot of snow across metro Denver and plunged the area into extremely cold temperatures for so early in the season. Snowfall totaled 11.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport. North winds gusting to 26 mph produced drifts up to 2 feet deep. Temperatures dipped from a high of 52 degrees on the 10th to a record low for the date of 10 degrees on the 12th. There was additional damage to trees and power and telephone lines from heavy snow accumulations and icing. Travel was restricted or blocked by drifting snow in both the mountains and on the plains east of Denver.
11
In 1997…damaging winds ahead of an approaching storm system developed in the foothills and spread across metro Denver. Winds gusted to 88 mph at conifer…71 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the mesa in Boulder… And 53 mph at Denver International Airport. Several trees and street signs were blown down with scattered power outages reported throughout metro Denver. In Arvada…a car window was blown out by a strong wind gust.
In 2013…high winds occurred in and near the Front Range Foothills. Peak gusts included: 85 mph at Rooney Road…84 mph…2 miles south of Marshall; 82 mph at Rocky Flats National Wind Technology Center and Wondervu; 79 mph at the Mesa Lab at NCAR and 75 mph…3 miles south-southwest of Boulder; 73 mph in Superior and 68 mph in Golden. The wind downed trees and power lines. As a result…scattered electrical outages affected 20000 Xcel Energy customers through the morning hours. The main outages affected the cities of Boulder…Golden and Lakewood. Smaller outages were reported in areas of Gold Hill…Ward… Westminster and Wheat Ridge.
11-12
In 1901…an apparent cold front produced northeast winds sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 48 mph on the 11th. General rain changed to snow overnight and totaled 2.0 inches. This was the first snowfall of the season. Total precipitation was 0.32 inch.
11-13
In 1892…apparent post-frontal rainfall totaled 3.33 inches in downtown Denver over the 3 days. A trace of snow on the 12th melted as it fell. Rainfall of 2.58 inches on the 12th into the 13th was the greatest 24-hour precipitation ever recorded during the month of October. Northwest winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts as high as 55 mph on the 12th.
12
In 1873…smoke from several very large forest fires was sighted along the mountains.
In 1923…post-frontal rain changed to snow and totaled 4.0 inches. North winds were sustained to 14 mph.
In 1978…northeast winds gusting to 35 mph with a strong cold front briefly reduced visibility to 2 miles in blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.
12-13
In 2001…overnight peak wind gusts to 82 mph and 70 mph were measured atop Niwot Ridge and Squaw Mountain…respectively.
12-14
In 1969…record breaking extremely cold temperatures for so early in the season occurred. The high temperature of 26 degrees on the 13th was two degrees lower than the previous record minimum temperature of 28 degrees for the date set in 1885. The high temperature of 24 degrees on the 12th exceeded the record low temperature (22 degrees set in 1885) for the date by only 2 degrees. In addition… 3 new record low temperatures for the dates were set. The low temperature dipped to 10 degrees on the 12th breaking the old record (22 degrees in 1885) by 12 degrees. On the 13th the mercury plunged to a low of 3 degrees breaking the old record (28 degrees in 1885) by 25 degrees. On the 14th the temperature reached a minimum of 4 degrees breaking the old record (25 degrees in 1966) by 21 degrees.
Continue reading October 9 to October 15: This Week in Denver Weather History
Hurricane Matthew tracker
After devastating parts of Haiti and Cuba, Hurricane Matthew now has its sights set on the southeastern United States. Florida Governor Rick Scott has warned that the storm could be catastrophic and ordered the evacuation of nearly 2 million residents.
Follow the massive storm’s progress using the live tracker below. For more information, get the latest public advisories from the National Hurricane Center.
Thornton’s October 2016 preview: Fall returns, hopefully with precipitation
With the first full month of fall here, October usually brings one of the quietest weather months in the Denver area with plenty of mild, sunny days and clear, cool nights. Given the lack of precipitation of the last few months though, we certainly would welcome some moisture.
October is historically the second sunniest month and conditions are generally calm.
However we also will usually see our first taste of winter during the month with the first freeze and first snowfall of the season. Temperatures as well will start to drop and by the end of the month the average nighttime lows are below freezing.
For complete details on our historical October weather and what we can expect in the coming month, read our complete October weather preview here.
September 2016 weather recap: A very dry month with near normal temperatures
The month of September was overall a pleasant one however that came at a price. A very distinct lack of precipitation led to dry conditions, a trend that had started earlier in the summer.
High pressure was the general rule for the month and that helped to ensure that any significant weather potential was steered away from the state. A few troughs and cold fronts mixed things up but in the end, we only saw precipitation on three days during the month and the amounts were negligible.
Thornton’s average temperature for the month came in at 63.7 degrees. This was just slightly above Denver’s long term average for September of 63.4 degrees. Out at the airport where Denver’s official measurements are taken, it was a good bit warmer with an average of 66.0 degrees.
Temperatures here ranged from a high of 91.6 degrees on the 5th of the month down to a low of 39.8 degrees on the 24th. DIA recorded a maximum of 93 degrees, also on the 5th, and a low of 37 degrees on the 10th.
In terms of precipitation, Thornton saw a measly 0.05 inches fall into our rain bucket. The airport fared far better with 0.28 inches. However, both measurements were well below the September average for Denver of 0.96 inches. The reading in Thornton would have been low enough to tie for the third driest reading in Mile High City history.
Click here to view Thornton’s September 2016 climate report.
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
933 AM MDT SAT OCT 1 2016
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2016...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2016
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 97 09/06/2013
09/05/2013
09/04/1995
LOW 17 09/29/1985
HIGHEST 93 09/05 91 2 92 09/02
LOWEST 37 09/10 35 2 44 09/19
AVG. MAXIMUM 82.3 78.5 3.8 85.2
AVG. MINIMUM 49.7 48.3 1.4 53.5
MEAN 66.0 63.4 2.6 69.4
DAYS MAX >= 90 6 3.4 2.6 7
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.8 -0.8 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 5.61 2013 MINIMUM T 1892 1944 TOTALS 0.28 0.96 -0.68 0.11 DAILY AVG. 0.01 0.03 -0.02 0.00 DAYS >= .01 4 6.5 -2.5 3
DAYS >= .10 1 3.3 -2.3 0
DAYS >= .50 0 0.6 -0.6 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.1 -0.1 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.18 09/12 TO 09/12 08/31 TO 09/01
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 0.0 1.3
RECORD SEPTEMBER 17.2 1971
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 64 125 -61 9
SINCE 7/1 79 141 -62 27
COOLING TOTAL 99 76 23 148
SINCE 1/1 861 764 97 861
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.....................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.5
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/171
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 37/170 DATE 09/23
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 51/200 DATE 09/04
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.40
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 13
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 13
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 4
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 45
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 6 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 6 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 4 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3
HAZE 4
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Florida braces for Hurricane Matthew as track swings closer
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September 2016 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow
The month of September is typically one of the more pleasant months in Colorado. Temperatures are usually comfortable and there is not normally a lot of weather drama. That however does not mean there aren’t plenty of photo opportunities.
Wildlife is still quite active along the Front Range and flowers will hold on to their petals for at least the first part of the month. Then of course there is the weather which you never know what to expect. Thunderstorms, heavy rain, and even snow are a possibility.
- Slideshow updated October 4, 2016
- To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.
Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.
Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.
| [flickr_set id=”72157670754216514″] |
What is missing in the slideshow above? Your photo!
Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured. The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.
Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids. Whimsical, newsy, artsy. Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard. You name it, we want to see and share it!
Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State. We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.
We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.
What do you win for having your image in our slideshow? We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes. However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.
To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets. Links are provided below.
So come on, get those camera’s rolling!
- Email: info@ThorntonWeather.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThorntonWeather
- Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Thorntonweather
- Twitter: @ThorntonWeather (https://twitter.com/thorntonweather)