A New Year's Eve blue moon over Thornton. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton was treated to a rare New Year’s Eve blue moon and clear weather conditions to allow near perfect viewing of it. While blue moons are relatively common occuring roughly every 2 1/2 years, they only occur on New Year’s Eve every 19 years.
The first couple images in the slideshow below are from that night and the others from the night of New Year’s Day. The other photos were taken the morning of January 2nd as the moon set in the west and then a few pictures of stuff in the ThorntonWeather.com backyard are included.
Remember, if you ever capture great images around Thornton, feel free to email them to us (info@thorntonweather.com) and we will share them on ThorntonWeather.com.
A distinct lack of major natural catastrophes resulted in lower costs and less of a loss of life in 2009. German reinsurer Munich Re AG said in its annual disaster report that approximately 10,000 people lost their lives and $50 billion in losses was realized during the year. The company warned however that manmade climate change will soon reverse those numbers.
In terms of lives lost, with approximately 10,000 people killed during 2009, the year fell far short of the average of 75,000. This was also significantly less than in 2008 when 220,000 were killed by natural disasters. That year saw two major catastrophes – Cyclone Nargis and an earthquake in China’s Sichuan province – case the vast majority of lives lost.
Economic losses were also below the decadal average of $115 billion per year. 2009’s reported losses fall at less than half of that and far below the $200 billion mark that was seen in 2008. Munich Re said, “Losses were far lower in 2009 than in 2008 due to the absence on the whole of major catastrophes and a very benign North Atlantic hurricane season.”
2009 - The year climate change and global warming activists would like to forget
There is little doubt that 2009 will be viewed as a pivotal and important year in the debate about manmade climate change. For years alarmists served up their theory to a seemingly captive audience. This past year however, the sands shifted and scientists that doubt man’s influence on the climate found their voice.
Throughout the year, alarmists suffered setbacks and then the Climategate scandal struck and the UN climate summit ended in failure. Even Al Gore was likely hiding with a polar bear somewhere after the dismal year he experienced. 🙂
For those who believe the manmade climate change theory, the new year cannot get here fast enough. As 2009 comes to a close, many are faced with the realizations that not only are they losing in the court of public opinion, the ‘consensus’ about anthropogenic global warming is far from solid. The year saw preeminent scientists join the chorus of those saying that other drivers besides man influence the climate, a scandal erupted that shook the very foundation of climate science and a much touted climate summit fell into disarray.
As 2009 dawned, climate change advocates continued to sound the alarm about carbon dioxide’s accumulation in the atmosphere and the warming they believe it causes. With President Barack Obama taking office in January, it was thought their brand of climate science would find a new foothold on which to advance the cause. As Obama prepared to take office, Dr. James Hansen sent the president-elect a letter warning of the dire consequences at hand saying that he had four years to save the world.
High hopes were soon dashed as many noted scientists and public figures raised their voices in dissent. From meteorologists to geologists to climate scientists, those who don’t agree with the theory refused to be silenced.
The first New Year's Eve blue moon in 19 years will shine on revelers this year. (NASA)
A relatively rare New Year’s Eve blue moon will be shining down on revelers as they ring in 2010. Blue moons are relatively common but it has been 19 years since one was coupled with December 31st and it will be another 19 years before another occurs.
Since the 1940s the term ‘blue moon’ has come to mean the second full moon in any given month. Full moons occur every 29.5 days so most years have 12 full moons. When the calendar aligns just right though, an ‘extra’ full moon can occur. The blue moon occurs every 2 years, 7 months so given its relatively infrequency, one can understand where the phrase ‘once in a blue moon’ got its meaning.
That current definition of ‘blue moon’ actually came about as a mistake. The phrase itself has been around for at least 400 years. Prior to the 1940s the Maine Farmers’ Almanac tied the event to the seasons saying a blue moon was the fourth full moon in a season rather than the usual three. Its explanation however was entirely convoluted and difficult to understand.
In 1946 the magazine Sky & Telescope published an article titled “Once in a Blue Moon” and in it the author misinterpreted the almanac saying the “second [full moon] in a month, so I interpret it, is called Blue Moon.” This mistake caught on in modern folklore and continues to this very day.
Christmas in Thornton was certainly a white one thanks to the snow we received in the days leading up to the holiday. The morning of Christmas Eve we headed out and took some photos near the old Eastlake grain elevator and Eastlake Reservoir. The slideshow below has some of the best photos – hope you enjoy them!
December 27 to January 2 - This week in Denver weather history
Snow and wind are the two dominant weather conditions seen on our look back at this week in Denver weather history. Three years ago, the second of two major winter storms buried Denver and closed highways. Two years ago, damaging winds that downed trees and caused power outages occurred.
25-31
In 1980…temperatures were unusually warm during the week between Christmas and new year’s. High temperatures for the week ranged from the mid-50’s to the mid-70’s. Four temperature records were set. Record highs occurred on the 26th with 68 degrees…the 27th with 75 degrees…and the 30th with 71 degrees. A record high minimum temperature of 41 degrees occurred on the 27th.
26-27
In 1954…a major storm dumped heavy snow across metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 8.6 inches at Stapleton Airport. The storm produced the heaviest snowfall of the calendar year and was the only measurable snowfall in December.
In 1987…a snowstorm stalled in northeastern Colorado…giving metro Denver its worst winter storm in 4 years. Total snowfall from the storm ranged from 12 to 18 inches on the east side…1 to 2 feet in Boulder County…and 2 to 3 feet in western and southern parts of metro Denver. The largest reported snowfall was 42 inches at Intercanyon in the foothills southwest of Denver. Snowfall totaled 14.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport. Winds were light on the 26th…but increased as high as 40 mph on the 27th… Creating near-blizzard conditions and forcing complete closure of Stapleton International Airport for about 8 hours. The strong winds whipped drifts to 5 feet high on the east side of town. All interstate Highways leading from Denver were closed on the 27th.
26-28
In 1979 a heavy snow storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of snow over the metro area and 15 to 20 inches at Boulder with up to 2 feet in the foothills west of Boulder. Heavy snowfall totaled 6.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 21 mph. Most of the snow… 4.8 inches…fell on the 27th.
27
In 1895…west Chinook winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 48 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 52 degrees.
In 1901…an apparent cold front produced sustained north winds to 41 mph with gusts to 48 mph.
In 1957…northwest winds gusting to 52 mph produced some blowing dust across metro Denver.
In 1975…a northwest wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1976…a strong pacific cold front moving across metro Denver produced a northwest wind gust to 53 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1990…high winds raked the eastern foothills with a wind gust to 84 mph clocked on fritz peak near Rollinsville. The strong northwest winds of 50 to 70 mph whipped newly fallen snow over higher areas into billowy clouds several hundred feet high that could be seen from most locations across metro Denver.
In 1996…another round of high winds developed over portions of the Front Range foothills during the morning hours. Several wind gusts from 70 to 100 mph were reported at Wondervu southwest of Boulder. West-northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at Denver International Airport.
In 2005…a trained weather observer in Georgetown recorded a wind gust to 94 mph. No damage was reported.
In 2007…a winter storm brought heavy snow to portions of the urban corridor and adjacent plains. Storm totals generally ranged from 3 to 7 inches. Locally heavier bands produced up to 10 inches of snow. In the urban corridor…storm totals included: 10 inches…10 miles south-southeast of Buckley AFB and at Castle Pines; 9.5 inches…4 miles south-southeast of Aurora and Kassler; 7.5 inches…2 miles southeast of Highlands Ranch; 7 inches in Aurora and Sedalia; 6.5 inches in Arvada…4 miles east of Denver and Lafayette; 6 inches in Castle Rock and Thornton. A measurement of 5.4 inches was taken at the former Stapleton International Airport. The official total for the month was 20.9 inches; making it the 6th snowiest December on record.
Two thirds of the contiguous United States had a white Christmas. (NOAA)
Christmas 2009 may have granted some people’s wishes for a white Christmas but for millions it equated to misery. A series of snowstorms blanketed two thirds of the nation in snow and snarled holiday plans for many.
From Texas to North Dakota and Nevada to Minnesota the breadth of the storms was tremendous. Holiday travelers were forced to spend their Christmas in airports and shelters while those already at home devoted their holiday to digging out from the heavy snowfall.
Dallas, Texas experienced its first white Christmas in 80 years. The three inches of snow that fell Christmas Eve was a record for the date and lasted long enough for residents to wake up to a cover of white early Christmas morning.
Oklahoma bore a big hit from the storms as 14 inches of snow was recorded in Oklahoma City on Christmas Eve, easily eclipsing the previous record for the date of 2.5 inches. Blizzard conditions forced Governor Brad Henry to order every interstate and highway in the state closed Christmas Eve due to the dangerous conditions. Will Rogers World Airport shut down for a period and was finally able to clear one runway Christmas Day.
Happy holidays from ThorntonWeather.com! Image of the old Eastlake grain elevator, Christmas Eve 2009. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Mother Nature was kind enough to bring us a white Christmas this year and the city looks beautiful covered in a blanket of white as we sit here and write this. The holidays are a special time of year for us as we are sure it is for all of our visitors.
Other than a brief interruption courtesy of the U.S. Navy, we are life-long residents of the north metro area and have lived in Thornton more than 11 years. We are proud to call the city our home and believe it is one of the finest communities in the state. Over the past year ThorntonWeather.com has grown by leaps and bounds and thousands of area residents get their weather from us. We provide the site as a public service and it makes us happy to see so many people trust us to provide them with the latest news, information and forecasts.
Please take some time out of all the hustle and bustle of the coming days to remember our brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who are serving and protecting our nation at home and abroad. Many of them won’t be with their families this holiday and it is important that we keep them in our prayers and let them know that we are thinking about them. May God watch over all of them!
We wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season and new year and thank you for using ThorntonWeather.com. Having traveled the world, we truly believe there is nothing like a ‘Colorado Christmas’ and to demonstrate that, we offer up this video as proof. Happy holidays!
Santa Claus has begun his whirlwind trip around the globe to deliver toys to all the good little boys and girls! For more than 50 years the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has tracked Kris Kringle on Christmas Eve and helped to ensure he completes his journey safely.
Old Man Winter arrives in Thornton. December 23, 2009. Image courtesy Shannon Vermilye. Click on the picture to view our slideshow of more photos of the weather.
Update, 1:45pm – A white Christmas with snow the ground is an obvious certainty at this point. Most areas around the Denver metro area have received from 3 to 4 inches of snow with higher amounts in the foothills and in Larimer and Weld counties.
The snow continues to fall and will do so throughout the afternoon although we may see a bit of a lull for a short while. Metro area freeways are mainly wet at this point but that could change this evening and tonight when temperatures start to drop.
This evening we will see the winds pick up setting up the potentially for blowing snow conditions that will cause some problems on the roads. Another round of heavier snow is expected to begin this evening and through tonight leading to additional accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. The snow will taper off in the early morning tomorrow and we will end the storm in the neighborhood of 4 to 8 inches total snow accumulation.
A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for the Front Range extending north beyond the Wyoming border and northeast and east to the Fort Morgan and Limon areas. Further east on the plains a Winter Storm Warning is in effect along the I-70 and I-76 corridors. Travel is likely to become hazardous through Nebraska and Kansas tonight.
Temperatures are the other major part of this storm system. High temperatures will remain quite cold and well below seasonal normals. Overnight lows for the next few nights will dip into the single digits.
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Original story, 8:25am – Old Man Winter was a couple days late but he has arrived in the Mile High City overnight. As expected he has brought with him plenty of cold and a bit of snow just in time to give Denver a white Christmas.
Overnight last night most areas across the metro area reported 1 to 2 inches of snow. Areas to the north like Greeley and Fort Collins have received a bit more in the neighborhood of 3 to 5 inches thanks to a decent snow band moving through those areas.
That snow band to the north will begin to move to the south and arrive over Denver this morning increasing our snow totals. We are expecting 1 to 3 inches additional daytime accumulation today and another 1 to 3 overnight Wednesday. This puts us on target for snow totals for the event of 3 to 8 inches.
Temperatures will remain very cold today with the high only reaching the mid 20’s. Tonight winds will pick up and blowing snow could become problematic, particularly in areas east of I-25. Overnight lows will plummet into the single digits.
A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for the Front Range and mountain areas east of the Continental Divide. When the winds pick up this evening they will lead to blowing and drifting snow and likely impact road travel so caution is advised.
Thursday temperatures remain cold and in the teens. We won’t see much more accumulation but windy conditions will cause what snow has already fallen to blow around, particularly in open areas.
Christmas Day we will see a return of some sun but temperatures remain in the low 20’s. Some of the latest models did introduce a slight chance for flurries so we will keep an eye on that.
Beyond the holiday, warming will gradually continue and the general weather pattern will be dry. Temperatures though are expected to remain a bit chilly and below seasonal norms.
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