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A look back at the snowstorms, tropical storms, typhoons, hurricanes and floods captured and analyzed by the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission from around the globe during 2015. The complete list of storms by date and location are as follows: 1. New England Nor’easter – January 26 – New England, USA 2. Snowstorm – February 17… Continue reading 2015 – A Year of Storms |
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New El Nino storm slams into Southern California
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LOS ANGELES — Another El Nino-fueled storm soaked Southern California on Wednesday and brought with it flooding, mudflows and even a small tornado that struck Orange County in the early afternoon. Pea-sized hail and 45-mph winds made their way south from San Luis Obispo, forcing the region to recognize that the season of storms has commenced.… Continue reading New El Nino storm slams into Southern California |
Obama: Mississippi Flooding an Official Disaster
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President Barack Obama declared on Monday afternoon that the flooding and tornadoes that hit Mississippi in late December constitute an official major disaster. The declaration frees up federal dollars to go toward aiding five particularly storm-struck areas in the state: Benton, Coahoma, Marshall, Quitman and Tippah counties. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant expressed gratitude to Obama and… Continue reading Obama: Mississippi Flooding an Official Disaster |
December 2015 weather recap: Average temperatures, above normal precipitation
Warm and dry were the key weather words for the start of December 2015. That however changed as the month progressed and colder, wetter weather arrived.
High pressure dominated the start of the month leading to 10 out of the first 11 days of the month seeing above normal temperatures. No precipitation was recorded over that period as well.
Things began to change on the 12th of the month as Thornton saw a couple of inches of snowfall and temperatures dropped. A second, far more potent storm arrived on the 15th giving the Mile High City its heaviest snowfall of the season to that point.
Warmer and drier conditions returned up until Christmas. For the holiday, temperatures were over 15 degrees below normal and the afternoon and evening brought a white Christmas with moderate snowfall.
We then wrapped up the month with a string of well below average temperatures. In fact, the mercury remained below the freezing mark for the balance of the month.
Thornton’s average temperature for the month came in at 29.3 degrees. That is just below the long term Denver average of 30.0 degrees. Out at the airport where Denver’s official measurements are made, the average was virtually identical to Thornton’s at 29.4 degrees.
Highs in Thornton ranged from a 66.5 degrees maximum on the 9th down to a low of 00.3 degrees on the morning of the 28th. Denver saw its warmest temperature on the 9th also with a high of 69 degrees. Its low came in at 0 degrees on the 17th and 28th.
In terms of precipitation, Thornton recorded 0.79 inches in the bucket. At DIA, Denver was just a bit drier at 0.71 inches. The December average for Denver is 0.35 inches.
Denver averages 8.7 inches of snowfall during December. Both Thornton and Denver bested the average with 14.2 inches and 11.3 inches respectively.
Click here to view Thornton’s December 2015 climate report.
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
130 PM MST FRI JAN 1 2016
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2015...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2015
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 79 12/05/1939
LOW -25 12/22/1990
12/24/1876
HIGHEST 69 12/09 62 7 66 12/12
LOWEST 0 12/28 -4 4 -19 12/30
12/17
AVG. MAXIMUM 40.9 42.8 -1.9 44.1
AVG. MINIMUM 17.9 17.1 0.8 18.5
MEAN 29.4 30.0 -0.6 31.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 10 5.8 4.2 5
DAYS MIN <= 32 28 29.4 -1.4 31
DAYS MIN <= 0 2 2.0 0.0 2
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 5.21 1913
MINIMUM 0.00 1881
TOTALS 0.71 0.35 0.36 0.59
DAILY AVG. 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.02
DAYS >= .01 5 4.1 0.9 7
DAYS >= .10 3 1.1 1.9 2
DAYS >= .50 0 0.1 -0.1 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.32 12/15 TO 12/15
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 11.3 8.7
RECORD DECEMBER 57.4 1913
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 1097 1086 11 1037
SINCE 7/1 2187 2468 -281 2291
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 877 769 108 701
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
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WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.8
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 4/210
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 41/280 DATE 12/09
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 64/290 DATE 12/15
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 5
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 22
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 4
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 58
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 0 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 3
LIGHT SNOW 8 SLEET 0
FOG 12 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3
HAZE 6
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
December 2015 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow
The month of December can offer everything from bone dry conditions to bone chilling cold and monstrous snowstorms. The weather and wildlife all afford an abundance of photo opportunities as our December photo slideshow shows.
Leaves have fallen from trees now and the landscape can sometimes look quite stark. However it only takes a quick shot of snow to change that picture greatly. Throw in gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, plenty of wildlife big and small, kids playing and much more and the month can be quite colorful and eventful.
- Slideshow updated December 31, 2015
- 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=”72157662064667211″] |
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)
January 3 to January 9: This week in Denver weather history
January weather in Colorado can be as varied as during any month of the year. Temperatures bordering on spring-like to bone chilling Arctic cold can be seen. Snow of course plays a big part and while not always recognized as a big danger, high speed damaging winds are not unusual.
31-6
In 1973…the 31st marked the start of a protracted cold spell that extended into January of 1974 when temperatures dipped below zero on 7 consecutive days. Record daily minimum readings occurred on the 3rd and 5th when the temperature plunged to 17 degrees below zero on both days. A record low daily maximum temperature of only 4 degrees occurred on the 5th.
31-7
In 1941…a protracted cold spell through January 7…1942… Produced below zero low temperatures on 7 of the 8 days. A low temperature of 2 degrees on the 3rd prevented a string of 8 days below zero. The coldest days during the period were the 1st with a high of 2 degrees and a low of 9 degrees below zero…the 4th with a high of 2 degrees and a low of 11 degrees below zero…and the 5th with a high of 26 degrees and a low of 12 degrees below zero.
1-5
In 1940…the first days of the month were characterized by a mixture of drizzle…light snow…and fog. Fog occurred on each day. On the 4th and 5th considerable glazing resulted from freezing drizzle. All objects were coated with a glaze on the windward side. This resulted in very slippery streets…which caused several minor traffic accidents. The glaze was not heavy enough to damage wires and cables.
2-3
In 1971…a major storm dumped a total of 8.4 inches of snow at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 23 mph.
In 1972…a strong cold front late on the 2nd produced north wind gusts to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport. Snow…heavy at times on the 3rd…totaled 6.4 inches as temperatures hovered only in the single digits.
In 2000…heavy snow fell over the higher terrain of the palmer divide to the south of metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 7 inches 5 miles southwest of Sedalia. Only 1.5 inches of snowfall were measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.
2-4
In 1949…the worst blizzard in many years struck metro Denver and all of northern Colorado. The storm produced blizzard conditions with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph all day on the 3rd when temperatures were only in the single digits. This resulted in extremely cold wind chill temperatures of 40 to 55 degrees below zero. Stapleton Airport received 13.3 inches of snow from the storm… While downtown Denver received 11.8 inches. The snow fell for 51 consecutive hours downtown. Numerous lives were lost…and livestock losses were high across the northeastern plains of Colorado where extensive airlift operations were needed to bring supplies and food to isolated communities.
2-5
In 1959…very cold temperatures…to near zero and below…caused power and gas lines…water pipes…and automatic sprinkler systems to break. In Boulder… Merchandise and furnishings were water damaged when pipes burst in a department store…flooding three floors. The temperature was below zero for 38 consecutive hours at Stapleton Airport on the 2nd…3rd…and 4th and plunged to a low of 13 degrees below zero on the 4th.
3
In 1874…heavy snowfall totaled 6 inches with 5 inches falling in 3 hours. Melted snow totaled 0.40 inches of precipitation. Northeast winds were sustained to 24 mph.
In 1887…west winds were sustained to 44 mph in the city.
In 1913…northwest Chinook winds sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 52 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 58 degrees. The low temperature was only 40 degrees.
In 1951…northwest winds gusted to 56 mph at Stapleton Airport.
In 1967…a strong Chinook wind reached 90 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. In downtown Boulder winds only gusted to 35 mph. Northwest winds gusting to 49 mph produced some blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1986…winds gusted to 63 mph at Jefferson County airport near Broomfield and reached 73 mph at Echo Lake in the foothills west of Denver. West winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1994…high winds raked the eastern foothills. Wind gusts to 99 mph were recorded on Squaw Mountain…south of Idaho Springs…and gusts to 85 mph occurred at the rocky flats facility in northwest Jefferson County. Northwest winds gusted to 41 mph at Stapleton International Airport. No significant damage was reported.
In 1996…very strong Chinook winds gusting to 104 mph blasted the Front Range foothills and portions of metro Denver. Three people were injured in separate incidents. One man was injured when strong crosswinds toppled his moving van into oncoming traffic along Colorado 93 south of Boulder. Two other people received minor injuries from flying debris. At the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility…eleven hazardous waste storage facilities received at least 100 thousand dollars in damage. In addition…several power lines were downed leaving 3 thousand homes and stores without power. Hundreds of car windows were shattered…and several signs were toppled from buildings. Some of the strongest wind gusts included: 104 mph at Boulder municipal airport…98 mph in south Boulder…96 mph at Jefferson County airport…94 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research southwest of Boulder…91 mph at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility…and 90 mph at Wondervu southwest of Boulder. West-northwest winds gusted to only 39 mph at Denver International Airport where the Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 52 degrees.
In 2004…bands of heavy snow fell across metro Denver. Snowfall totals included 6.5 inches in Broomfield and 6 inches in Westminster…Arvada…and near Hudson. Only 0.5 inch of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. More snow fell in the foothills with 9 inches recorded near Jamestown. Southeast winds gusted to 25 mph at Denver International Airport.
In 2006…locally high winds developed in northern Jefferson County over and near rocky flats. Peak wind gusts from 75 to 91 mph were recorded during the afternoon. A semi-trailer truck was blown onto its side on State Highway 93 atop rocky flats. Strong winds also spread across metro Denver. West winds gusted to 44 mph at Denver International Airport.
Continue reading January 3 to January 9: This week in Denver weather history
From ‘biblical’ floods to deadly heat, 2015 was a year of weather worsts
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The weather seemed to dominate headlines in 2015 — not one continent was spared from some sort of extreme weather event. Antarctica The southernmost continent, mostly covered in ice, kilometres deep in places and spread over 14 million square kilometres, recorded its warmest day on record in 2015. On March 24, temperatures at Esperanza Base, just… Continue reading From ‘biblical’ floods to deadly heat, 2015 was a year of weather worsts |
Mississippi River is About to Have a Record Flood
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The Mississippi River is flooding in a big way right now, at the wrong time of year, and is forecasted to match or break 22-year-old crest records over the next few days. Meteorologists are calling it “insane.” Over the next three to four days, the Mississippi is predicted to reach a crest height of 49.7 feet… Continue reading Mississippi River is About to Have a Record Flood |
Worst floods for 70 years swamp northern England
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Parts of northern England are suffering their worst floods in more than 70 years with weeks of heavy rain leaving vast areas under water on both sides of the Pennines mountains. British Prime Minister David Cameron has sent in 500 soldiers to help the exhausted residents and emergency workers. A further 1,000 troops remain on standby.… Continue reading Worst floods for 70 years swamp northern England |
Texas tornado’s winds topped 200 mph; 11 dead in storms
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A tornado that blew through Garland, Texas, killing eight people Saturday night has been classified as an EF4, with winds up to 200 mph. It was one of two confirmed tornadoes that tore through North Texas in a storm that killed 11 people, including an infant. The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado that touched… Continue reading Texas tornado’s winds topped 200 mph; 11 dead in storms |