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Local News, Natural Disasters, Severe Weather

Windsor Tornado to be featured on the Weather Channel

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The Weather Channel's new season of Storm Stories will feature the Windsor Tornado from May 2008. This scary image was taken by the webcam of MyWindsorWeather.com as the twister tore through the town on May 22, 2008.
The Weather Channel's new season of Storm Stories will feature the Windsor Tornado from May 2008. This scary image was taken by the webcam of MyWindsorWeather.com as the twister tore through the town on May 22, 2008.

This Sunday, February 22nd at 6:00pm MST, the Weather Channel will premiere the new season of its series Storm Stories.  Most notably, the first episode will highlight a weather event from last year that struck very close to home – the May 22nd Windsor Tornado. 

For those that haven’t seen Storm Stories, it is an exciting, sometimes scary and sad series discussing significant weather events as seen through the eyes of those that experienced it firsthand.  For the Sunday episode, renowned storm tracker Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel will tell the story of the twister using footage from a variety of sources, including the video most have seen from KUSA (see below).  

Area residents were interviewed for what is sure to be an extraordinary episode and will serve as a poignant reminder that we in the Denver area live at the edge of tornado alley. Click here to view a story about the filming of the episode on the Windsor Beacon’s website.

The kickoff of the new season of Storm Stories is actually the beginning as well of the Weather Channel’s ‘Tornado Week’ in which twisters are front and center.  Other episodes of note during the week:

  • Monday – the “Parkersburg, IA, Tornado” on May 25, 2008, killed seven people and demolished the southern half of the town; first-hand accounts are given by residents.
  • Tuesday – the “Greensburg, KS, Tornado” on May 5, 2008, wiped out the entire town.  The story is told through the experiences of next-door neighbors who saved a mother and her baby from the rubble.
  • Wednesday – “Super Tuesday” tornadoes cut a swath over a wide area Feb. 5, 2008; touching stories come from people that were affected in Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.
  • Thursday – the “Boy Scouts Tornado” hit the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in western Iowa last June, catching everyone off guard.  The surviving scouts are forced to put their training to use in the midst of a terrifying situation to help keep injured scouts alive in the aftermath.

Be sure to check the Weather Channel’s website as there are a lot of other interesting shows related to tornadoes throughout the week.  Click here to view a press release with the full announcement. 

Thank you to Ryan of MyWindsorWeather.com for bringing this story to our attention.

Climate Change

Battle of the climate scientists part 3 – Gray attacks the science

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Hot or not? Are the global climate models accurate or are they full of hot air?
Hot or not? Are the global climate models accurate or are they full of hot air?

The science behind the theory of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), or manmade climate change, has been said to be ‘settled’.  The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Al Gore, and Dr. James Hansen make up a triumvirate of climate change advocates.  Wielding studies, computer models, and various charts and analyses, they believe man is heading down the road to self-destruction of we do not reverse course immediately and do everything and anything to stop what they believe is an unnaturally warming climate.

Last week we first brought to light a letter by Dr. William Gray, Professor Emeritus of Colorado State University, admonishing the American Meteorological Society’s decision to give its highest award to Dr. James Hansen.  Hansen is head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), an astronomer, and a very divisive figure in the global warming debate. 

We continue our analysis of not only the battle between Dr. William Gray and Dr. James Hansen but the larger issue of anthropogenic global warming.  In his letter Dr. Gray raises some very interesting arguments about Hansen’s research and about the science behind the theory of AGW.  Today we take a closer look at the science as Dr. Gray sees it.

Get all the details on Examiner.com!

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Weather History

February 15 to February 21 – This week in Denver weather history

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February 15 to February 21 - This week in Denver weather history.
February 15 to February 21 - This week in Denver weather history.

Wind, wind and more wind.  Sounding like a broken record, we see that mentioned many times in our look back at this week in Denver weather history.  There is of course other common weather conditions for this time of year including blizzards and arctic cold. 

14-15

IN 1960…HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 6.1 INCHES AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.

IN 1965…5.4 INCHES OF SNOW FELL AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BEHIND A COLD FRONT.  NORTH-NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 32 MPH.  WINDS WERE STRONG AND GUSTY ALL DAY AND CAUSED CONSIDERABLE BLOWING SNOW…CONTRIBUTING TO HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS MAINLY TO THE EAST OF DENVER.

IN 1984…A SNOW AND WIND STORM HOWLED ACROSS EASTERN COLORADO CLOSING I-70 EAST OF DENVER.  THIS WAS THE SECOND BLIZZARD IN LESS THAN 4 DAYS.  ONLY 0.5 INCH OF NEW SNOW FELL AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…BUT NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 51 MPH.

15   

IN 1881…THE TEMPERATURE PLUNGED TO A LOW OF 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO IN THE CITY.  IN OUTER AREAS OF THE CITY…THE TEMPERATURE DIPPED TO 26.5 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.

IN 1910…WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 42 MPH.

IN 1986…HIGH WINDS BATTERED THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. A WIND GUST TO 95 MPH WAS RECORDED IN BOULDER…BUT WINDS OF 60 TO 80 MPH WERE COMMON IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS.  IN AURORA…AN AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIP LOST A LARGE PLATE GLASS WINDOW.  SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS TO 44 MPH WERE RECORDED AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.  THE STRONG WINDS WARMED TEMPERATURES.  A RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 66 DEGREES AND A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 37 DEGREES WERE RECORDED AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

Continue reading February 15 to February 21 – This week in Denver weather history →

Local News, Weather Education

Nature Unleashed – New exhibit to highlight weather and natural disasters

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"Nature Unleased - Inside Natural Disasters" comes to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science this weekend.
"Nature Unleased - Inside Natural Disasters" comes to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science this weekend.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science opened a new traveling exhibit titled “Nature Unleashed – Inside Natural Disasters” Friday.  This extraordinary exhibit runs through Wednesday, May 3rd. 

The new exhibit will cover the entire gamut of major natural disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and volcanoes.  A special ‘Colorado Connections’ section will take a look at the Colorado’s volcanic history as well as the various types of severe weather that affect the state.  Drought, floods, wildfire, blizzards, climate change and tornadoes are all discussed in depth. 

According the museum:

From earthquakes and volcanoes to hurricanes and tornadoes, nature’s forces have shaped our dynamic planet. Throughout history, these catastrophic phenomena have affected people around the world. Now, uncover the causes of these natural disasters and find out how people cope and adapt in the aftermath. In this captivating, interactive new exhibition all of nature’s power is on display at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

In addition to the exhibits, the museum has lined up a great slate of additional events including lectures on the following:

  • Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk
  • Storm Chasing
  • Natural Disasters on Other Planets
  • Natural Disasters in Film

Also not to be missed are tours they have arranged for:

  • NCAR Mesa Lab in Boulder
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Boulder
  • National Earthquake Information Center in Golden

Be sure to visit the Denver Museum of Nature & Science website for all the details on this great exhibit.

Climate Change

Battle of the climate scientists part 2 – Gray questions Hansen’s credentials

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Dr. William Gray is a vocal opponent of the anthropogenic global warming theory and recently took issue with Dr. James Hansen of NASA's GISS.
Dr. William Gray is a vocal opponent of the anthropogenic global warming theory and recently took issue with Dr. James Hansen of NASA's GISS.

Last week we wrote about an extremely strongly worded letter from William Gray to the American Meteorological Society (AMS) objecting to their awarding James Hansen their highest award.  This letter pits two of the giants in meteorology and climatology against each other in the debate over manmade climate change and global warming. 

The letter itself (available here on icecap.us) takes issue with some of the decision making processes within the AMS which is not particularly relevant to us.  What is revealing however is Dr. Gray’s arguments against the global warming theory and Dr. Hansen’s research.  Today we will take a look at the discussion in the letter about Dr. Hansen himself and his credentials.

For those that aren’t familiar with him, Dr. Gray is a Professor Emeritus of Colorado State University who is best known for his hurricane forecasts.  He is a highly trained and respected meteorologist with decades of practical experience in monitoring the earth and its climate.

In the letter he points out that Dr. Hansen, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), is not a trained climatologist nor a meteorologist.  His formal background is actually in astronomy which does make one wonder how he has become one of the primary mouthpieces for anthropogenic global warming (AGW), or manmade climate change.

There is much more to this story!  Get the rest of it on Examiner.com.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Natural Disasters, Severe Weather

National Storm Chaser Convention hits town – Severe weather season is almost here

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Denver will host the 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention from February 13th to February 15th.
Denver will host the 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention from February 13th to February 15th.

The 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention hits town this weekend as some of the nation’s premier storm chasers converge on Denver.  Whether you are a seasoned chaser or just someone with an interest in the weather, this is an extraordinary opportunity to mingle with and hear from some of the biggest names in severe weather.  The event is organized every year by two of the biggest names in storm chasing – Roger Hill and Tim Samaras.

Held at the Red Lion Inn in Parker, the event kicks off Friday night with an ice-breaker and a chance to mingle with other weather enthusiasts.  Saturday morning the event starts in earnest with an extraordinary slate of speakers covering an array of topics.  Saturday night is the infamous video night where videos and photos from last year’s record setting year of tornadoes are sure to play a big part and Sunday the convention continues with additional speakers. 

Some of the speakers this year include:

Also notable, the National Weather Service will be holding a free storm spotter training session Sunday afternoon.  These are a great way to learn much more about severe weather.  Click here to learn more about storm spotter training and what it involves.

You can learn more about this great event and see the complete agenda on the convention website at www.chaserconvention.com.  

Here’s a little storm chasing video to get you pumped up for the event:

Weather History

February 8 to February 14 – This week in Denver weather history

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February 8 to February 14 - This week in Denver weather history.
February 8 to February 14 - This week in Denver weather history.

Our look back at this week in Denver weather history contains many of the severe weather conditions we would expect to see – high speed winds, arctic cold, big time snowstorms, etc.  Most notable is the coldest February temperature ever recorded – 25 degrees below zero. 

31-8 

IN 1963…WARM WEATHER THAT BEGAN WITH THE STRONG CHINOOK WINDS ON THE 31ST AND 1ST CONTINUED THROUGH THE 8TH. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD RANGED FROM 52 DEGREES ON THE 2ND TO 76 DEGREES ON THE 5TH…WHICH WAS A NEW RECORD HIGH FOR THAT DATE.

31-12

IN 1899…A PROTRACTED COLD SPELL LASTED ALMOST TWO WEEKS. LOW TEMPERATURES PLUNGED BELOW ZERO ON ALL DAYS BUT FEBRUARY 9TH WITH A READING OF 6 DEGREES.  THE COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE OF 22 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON FEBRUARY 6TH WAS A RECORD LOW FOR THE DATE.  LOW TEMPERATURES OF 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO OCCURRED ON BOTH FEBRUARY 11TH AND 12TH… BUT ONLY THE 11TH REMAINS AS THE RECORD MINIMUM FOR THE DATE.  HIGH TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 5 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON FEBRUARY 11TH WAS A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE.  HIGH TEMPERATURES CLIMBED TO ONLY ZERO DEGREES ON BOTH FEBRUARY 2ND AND 3RD…BUT WERE NOT RECORDS.  INTERMITTENT LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES FELL DURING THE PERIOD.  THE MOST SNOWFALL…2.0 INCHES…OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 2ND.

1-9  

IN 1883…A PROTRACTED COLD PERIOD OCCURRED WHEN LOW TEMPERATURES DIPPED BELOW ZERO FOR 9 CONSECUTIVE DAYS. LOW TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM 22 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 4TH TO 2 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 1ST AND 6TH.  HIGH TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM 10 BELOW ZERO ON THE 3RD TO 23 ON THE 9TH.  SEVERAL TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET THAT STILL STAND TODAY.  RECORD LOWS OF 18 BELOW AND 22 BELOW ZERO OCCURRED ON THE 3RD AND 4TH.  RECORD LOW MAXIMUM READINGS OF 2 BELOW AND 10 BELOW ZERO OCCURRED ON THE 2ND AND 3RD.  THE HIGH OF ONLY 10 BELOW ZERO ON THE 3RD IS THE COLDEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN DENVER.

5-11 

IN 1978…THE 5TH MARKED THE START OF A RECORD 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF DENSE FOG AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.  THE HEAVY FOG REDUCED THE VISIBILITY TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME ON EACH OF THESE DAYS.  LIGHT SNOW AND/OR FREEZING DRIZZLE OCCURRED ON MOST DAYS.  FOG REDUCING VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN 7 MILES WAS RECORDED AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON 11 CONSECUTIVE DAYS THROUGH THE 15TH.  DURING THE PERIOD 5-14…THE COLD THICK FOG DEPOSITED HEAVY RIME ICE UP TO 5 INCHES THICK ON POWER LINES AND POLES OVER A WIDE AREA OF EASTERN COLORADO…CAUSING A MAJOR ELECTRICAL POWER OUTAGE DISASTER.

Continue reading February 8 to February 14 – This week in Denver weather history →

Climate Change

Climate scientist knockdown – William Gray versus James Hansen

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Battle of the climate scientists - William Gray versus James Hansen.
Battle of the climate scientists - William Gray versus James Hansen.

Certainly the debate over manmade climate change and global warming can get heated at times (pun intended).  Today that went to a new level pitting William (Bill) Gray, Professor Emeritus of Colorado State University who is best known for his hurricane forecasts against James Hansen of NASA’s GISS division and devout climate change advocate.

Bill Gray has long been warning that the threat of manmade climate change is not real.  In his own words, “I am of the opinion that this is one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on the American people.  I’ve been in meteorology over 50 years. I’ve worked damn hard, and I’ve been around. My feeling is some of us older guys who’ve been around have not been asked about this. It’s sort of a baby boomer, yuppie thing.”

On the other side James Hansen has become Al Gore’s best friend thanks to his sometimes outlandish claims about the effects of global warming.  He recently warned that President Obama has ‘four years to save the world’ and was quoted as saying, “We cannot afford to put off change any longer.  We have to get on a new path within this new administration. We have only four years left for Obama to set an example to the rest of the world. America must take the lead.”

The latest battle is over the decision of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) to grant its highest award, the Rossby Research Medal, to Hansen.  In a seven page letter to the AMS titled “On The Hijacking of the American Meteorological Society,” Mr. Hansen no longer seems willing to be outshouted in the debate over global warming. 

This is great reading and very interesting debate – check out the complete article and read the letter on our Examiner.com pages!  There is also a great slideshow of the key players in the global warming debate.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Thornton Weather

Red Flag Warning for most of Colorado highlights extreme fire danger

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The entire eastern half of Colorado is under a Red Flag Warning through Friday evening.
The entire eastern half of Colorado is under a Red Flag Warning through Friday evening.

The National Weather Service has updated the Red Flag Warning and it will now go into effect at 9:00am today and run through 9:00pm.  Further, the warning now covers the entire eastern half of the state of Colorado and in fact extends to the south and east into parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.  This of course covers the entire Denver metro area and the Front Range. 

The extension and widening of the warning should serve to really drive home how dry things are and how serious the fire conditions are.  Please be sure to take appropriate precautions as we certainly would like to avoid any wildfires.

RED FLAG WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
456 AM MST FRI FEB 6 2009

…Dry and windy conditions across the plains and lower foothills today…

Very dry air will combine with strong winds to produce increased fire danger over the foothills and plains of northeast Colorado today. Winds will gust as high as 40 mph on the plains this afternoon with gusts to 50 mph in the foothills. Minimum humidities will range from 10 to 15 percent. Conditions will improve on the plains around sunset…with warm and breezy conditions lingering in and near the foothills through the early evening hours.

…Red Flag Warning now in effect from 9 am this morning to 9 pm mst this evening for gusty winds and low humidities…

The Red Flag Warning is now in effect from 9 am this morning to 9 pm mst this evening. A Red Flag Warning is now in effect for all of the plains and foothills areas of eastern Colorado… Including fire weather zones 235…236…and 238 through 251.

West winds of 20 to 35 mph will become widespread in and near the southern Front Range foothills this morning…and spread across the plains by afternoon. Gusts as high as 50 mph are possible in the foothills. Relative humidities will drop into the 8 to 15 percent range. The combination of the gusty winds…low humidities and dry fuels will create very high fire danger. The gusty winds will decrease and the relative humidities will increase this evening.

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or imminent. Please advise the appropriate officials and fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning.

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

The weather is nice but what Denver needs is moisture

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The Denver weather has been nice but we are extremely dry and in need of some moisture.
The Denver weather has been nice but we are extremely dry and in need of some moisture.

This week we have had some extraordinarily nice weather and it has been great.  The mountains are certainly having a great year for snow with all of the major basins exceeding 100% of average for snowpack.  However, here along the Front Range and the plains, we are bone dry and well below normal for snowfall. 

As of today, Denver has received only half of its normal amount of snow for this point in the snow season which runs from July through June.  By the first of February, we normally should have received 33.3 inches.  To date for the 2008 – 2009 season we have received a mere 16.9 inches of snow as measured at Denver International Airport.  Closer to the central part of the city, Stapleton has been even drier with only 13.1 inches of the white stuff to date. 

For a complete look at how bleak the moisture has been along the Front Range, check out the details in our Examiner.com story.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather