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Weather Geek Stuff shown on the Weather Channel

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Weather Geek Stuff is a new site with a wide array of weather related clothing and novelties. The site was recently shown on The Weather Channel.
Weather Geek Stuff is a new site with a wide array of weather related clothing and novelties. The site was recently shown on The Weather Channel.

You have read about Weather Geek Stuff (www.weathergeekstuff.com) in our news pages before.  It is a great site to buy clothing, novelties and much more for yourself or the weather geek in your life. 

Yesterday, Weather Geek Stuff was proudly plugged on The Weather Channel during one of their segments talking about gifts for weather enthusiasts.  It was of course pretty exciting to see.  You can watch the video below.

Powered by Café Press, we have created a bunch of “Weather Geek” logo merchandise for sale on WeatherGeekStuff.com.  There is even “Weather Diva” logo merchandise stuff for ladies and kids can get stuff in their size as well.  We have also created some ‘warning sign’ logos that are pretty amusing that can be put on all sorts of different items.  If you are a huge fan of ThorntonWeather.com, you can get merchandise with our logo too. Everything from t-shirts to polo shirts and from coffee mugs to clocks are available, all with a cool logos and graphics.

Climatology, Thornton Weather

Dreaming of a white Christmas? The chances are slim

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What are the odds of a white Denver Christmas? Not very good.
What are the odds of a white Denver Christmas? Not very good.

As Christmas gets closer everyone always wonders if we are going to get the proverbial white Christmas. Unfortunately, if you look at Denver and Thornton weather history, the chances arent all that good but it also depends on what you define as a white Christmas. December just isnt that snowy of a month, ranking as only the fourth snowiest (behind March, November and April) so historically we have a bit of a disadvantage.

For a complete look at Denver’s Christmas weather statistics, click here.

Climate Change

CNN meteorologist calls manmade global warming theory ‘arrogant’

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It would seem that the debate on global warming and manmade climate change isn't over yet.
It would seem that the debate on global warming and manmade climate change isn't over yet.

CNN weather anchor Chad Myers appeared on Lou Dobbs Tonight earlier this week and he had had some pretty stark comments on manmade global warming.  Calling the theory ‘arrogant’ and declaring that the data on which it is based short-sighted and faulty, Myers adds his voice to a growing chorus of dissenting opinions on the impact man has on the climate and is on the heels of last week’s news of 650 international scientists announcing their disagreement with the manmade global warming claims of the United Nations.

To think we could affect weather all that much is pretty arrogant.

– Chad Myers, CNN Meteorologist

Myers continued:

“Mother Nature is so big. The world is so big. The oceans are so big. I think we’re going to die from a lack of fresh water or die from ocean acidification before we die from global warming, for sure. But this is like you said, in your career; my career has been 22 years long. That’s a good career in TV. But in talking about climate, it is like having a car for three days and saying this is a great car. Yes, it was for three days, but maybe in day five, six and seven it won’t be so good. That’s what we’re doing here. We have a hundred years worth of data, not millions of years that the world has been around.”

This was a pretty interesting exchange.  Check out the video below.  You can also find a transcript here.

This article was also posted to the Denver Weather Examiner site. Get more local news and information on Examiner.com.  Denver Weather Examiner
Weather History

December 21 – 27 – This week in Denver weather history

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December 21st to the 27th - This week in Denver weather history.
December 21st to the 27th - This week in Denver weather history.

Our look back in Denver weather history for Christmas week includes a number of very notable events.  One is the two year anniversary of the Holiday Blizzard of 2006.  Most notably though is the 26th anniversary of the Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982.  More information on these and other significant events is below.  For more on the Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982, be sure to check out an article we wrote about it.

From the National Weather Service:

17-24

IN 1924…A PROLONGED COLD SPELL OCCURRED AFTER MILD TEMPERATURES DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH.  MOST LOW TEMPERATURES DIPPED BELOW ZERO WITH THE COLDEST READING OF 15 DEGREES BELOW ZERO OCCURRING ON THE 24TH. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 5 DEGREES ON THE 18TH WAS A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE.

18-24

IN 1998…A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT WITH NORTH WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 38 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 18TH DROPPED TEMPERATURES FROM A HIGH OF 51 DEGREES TO A LOW OF JUST 6 DEGREES BEFORE MIDNIGHT.  THE ARCTIC AIR MASS THAT SETTLED OVER METRO DENVER PRODUCED INTERMITTENT LIGHT SNOW AND A WEEK-LONG PROTRACTED COLD SPELL THAT CAUSED LOW TEMPERATURES TO PLUNGE WELL BELOW ZERO FOR 6 CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS.  THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE WAS 19 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE MORNING OF THE 22ND.  HIGH TEMPERATURES CLIMBED ONLY INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ON 4 CONSECUTIVE DAYS…FROM THE 19TH THROUGH THE 22ND.  AT LEAST 15 PEOPLE…MOSTLY HOMELESS… WERE TREATED FOR HYPOTHERMIA AT AREA HOSPITALS.  THE BITTER COLD WEATHER WAS RESPONSIBLE…EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY… FOR AT LEAST 5 FATALITIES.  THREE OF THE VICTIMS DIED DIRECTLY FROM EXPOSURE.  THE COLD WEATHER ALSO CAUSED INTERMITTENT POWER OUTAGES.  FOLLOWING THE COLD SNAP… THAWING WATER PIPES CRACKED AND BURST IN SEVERAL HOMES AND BUSINESSES…CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.  ONLY ONE TEMPERATURE RECORD WAS SET.  THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 7 DEGREES ON THE 19TH SET A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE.

Continue reading December 21 – 27 – This week in Denver weather history →

Thornton Weather

What are the chances the weather will kill you?

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What are the odds that a weather event will be your undoing? Image courtesy WeatherGeekStuff.com.
What are the odds that a weather event will be your undoing? Image courtesy WeatherGeekStuff.com.

In an interesting piece from the National Safety Council, they outline many of the unnatural ways you could die and what the chances are that they would actually happen. The good news is that weather most likely won’t kill you. The bad news is there are lots of other ways that you have a better chance of dying from. 

Over your lifetime, the NSC calculates you have a 1 in 22 chance (YIKES!) that you will die from something other than natural causes. Motor vehicle accidents are probably the most common way with a 1 in 84 chance you will die in a crash. Hmmm. I think I will walk home – at least then my chances jump to 1 in 267! 

As for the weather and other disasters…
  • Your chances of being struck by lightning and dying? 1 in 81,949. Pretty slim odds there. You are more likely to drown in your own bath tub (1 in 11,079). 
  • What about earthquakes, the one natural disaster that scares me more than any? 1 in 103,004 chance you will die in a temblor. That’s about the same as dying from overexertion (1 in 119,098). I guess maybe I am relatively safe from those after all, especially since I don’t live in California anymore!
  • What about the chances of dying in a major storm? Not looking too good there – a 1 in 4,361 chance you will die that way. Talk about Mother Nature’s wrath!  That’s about the same chance as you dying from choking on your dinner (1 in 4,411). 
  • Flooding can be a concern in some areas of the nation. You have a 1 in 317,595 chance of dying that way. You have a better chance of dying from electrocution from a live power source than that (1 in 36,297). 
  • All in all, the statistics say that you have a 1 in 1,749 chance of dying from some force of nature, about the same odds of dying from assault with a sharp weapon (1 in 1,817). 
I suppose those aren’t too bad of odds, especially when contrasted with every day dangers such as driving a car like we mentioned above. Other every day dangers that give you a good chance of taking a dirt nap? You have a 1 in 1,456 chance of dying in an uncontrolled building fire. Heading to the hospital? You have a 1 in 1,437 chance of dying from medical / surgical complications. That mean, neighbor dog? You have a 1 in 115,489 chance that it or another dog will kill you. 
 
In the end, weather probably shouldn’t worry you too much.  Do you have a weather or natural disaster fear?  Let us know!  Leave a comment below!
This article was also posted to the Denver Weather Examiner site. Get more local news and information on Examiner.com.  Denver Weather Examiner
Thornton Weather

Record setting cold continues for Thornton and Denver

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Erin Mooty tries to stay warm as she waits for a bus Monday. Image courtesy Darin McGregor, The Rocky.
Erin Mooty tries to stay warm as she waits for a bus Monday. Image courtesy Darin McGregor, The Rocky.

The cold continues to hang on and in the process Denver managed to set one record and tie another in the last 24 hours.  This is of course on top of the two records set before that.

Yesterday the mercury at Denver International Airport only climbed to 2 degrees.  This smashes the old record low maximum temperature for the date of 19 degrees set way back in 1914.  Following up on that, this morning DIA fell to an official low of 8 degrees below zero.  This ties the record low temperature for December 16th last set in 1897. 

Today we have good news and bad news.  The good news is that the snow we were expecting didn’t materialize on the Front Range thanks to downslope winds.  That at least saves adding to the misery of the cold.  The bad news though is that this cold is far from over.
 
Tuesday we will remain quite cold and only reach 18 degrees here in Denver.  The mountains will continue to get pounded by snow, particularly the southwestern areas where two to three feet could fall.  A number of advisories have been posted for the southwestern and central mountains so if you are heading to the hills, you may want check the conditions before you go. 

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday there is a chance we could see temperatures above freezing but it won’t be by much – maybe 33 or 34 degrees.  A chance of snow will remain in the forecast for the foreseeable future as well although there won’t be much if it does snow. 

Come the weekend though, the “heat wave” looks to come to an end as an upper level trough that is sitting over the Pacific coast right now moves into the area.  With it our chances of snow increase and the temperatures could drop to the low 20’s Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 

The best piece of advice?  Bundle up and stay inside if you can!  

Where’s this weather coming from?  The jet stream is currently pulling in moist air from the Pacific and sending it right over Colorado.  This in turn is pulling down cold air from the north.  The image below helps you see what is going on.

The jet stream is currently speeding over southern Colorado.

Thornton Weather

ThorntonWeather.com is awarded WXForum.net featured website award

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ThorntonWeather.com is WXForum.net's Featured Weather Web Site.We are pleased to announce that ThorntonWeather.com has been chosen as WXForum.net’s Featured Weather Web Site for Summer 2008.  WXForum.net is an online community of weather enthusiasts with over 1,100 members.  Members discuss everything from weather conditions to forecasting to personal weather stations and more. 

ThorntonWeather.com is glad to be recognized by its peers for its website.  You can read more about the award and our weather station on the forum.  Click here to read it.

Thornton Weather

Dangerously cold temperatures set records in Denver

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Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills have invaded the Front Range.
Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills have invaded the Front Range.

If you love the cold you must be in heaven this morning.  We are awakening to sub-zero temperatures that have now set records for two days in a row. 

Last night at 6:35pm the temperature at Denver International Airport reached a frigid -18 degrees.  This breaks the 107 year old record of -14 degrees for December 14th set way back in 1901. 

This morning the mercury dropped a bit further to -19 degrees at 2:31am.  That absolutely smashed the previous record low temperature for December 15th of -6 set in 1951.

Here in Thornton, ThorntonWeather.com also set records for low temperatures since we first went online in October 2006.  At 6:06am this morning the mercury was at a mere -14 degrees thus breaking our previous all-time cold temperature record of -13.3 degrees set on February 2, 2007.  At 4:08am we recorded a wind chill of -25.3, an all time record for us as well.  Certainly our record keeping hasn’t been going on as long as the official Denver ones but it is still pretty neat to see. 

At 7:00am, stations on the Rocky Mountain Weather Network were recording temperatures well into the negative teens.
At 7:00am, stations on the Rocky Mountain Weather Network were recording temperatures well into the negative teens.

As dawn approached, our temperature map from the Rocky Mountain Weather Network showed many stations across the Front Range reporting temps in the negative teens.  With daybreak, we won’t see much of a warm up either  as we will only reach a high of 16 degrees today.   Denver’s official record low maximum for this date set back in 1914 is 19 degrees so there is a pretty good chance that will be a third record set.  Tonight we are expecting a touch of snow, maybe an inch is about it.

When will the cold end?  Not for the foreseeable future unfortunately.  Long range forecasts going out to next Sunday do not show even one day with temperatures above freezing and there is a slight chance of snow almost every day.

This severe cold almost assures rough travel conditions as the sun isn’t helping to melt the lingering snow.  Please be safe out there and allow plenty of time to arrive at your destination.

Thornton Weather

Denver breaks 107 year old record

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Denver officially broke the record for the coldest temperature recorded on this date.
Denver officially broke the record for the coldest temperature recorded on this date.

Updated 12/15/08 @ 3:30am:

It’s officially cold as heck now!  The cold front has caused the mercury to plummet across the Front Range and we have officially set two new low temperature records.

At 5:52pm on Sunday, December 14th, the temperature at Denver International Airport dropped to -15 degrees.  That broke the old record of -14 degrees for this date set way back in 1901.  The mercury continued to drop and bottomed out at -18 degrees at 6:35pm.

The morning of the 15th has started with a new record low temperature as well.  At 12:00am the temperature was -13 degrees, breaking the old record for the date of -6 set in 1951.  The temperature is still dropping so that record will undoubtedly get even colder. 

It is important to note that prior to DIA opening, temperatures were measured at the old Stapleton site and prior to 1950 they were measured downtown.   That makes a 15 mile distance between where temperatures are measured now and where they were prior to March 1995.  Those 15 miles can accont for large differences in temperature so the record setting temperatures needs to be balanced with that knowledge as in some ways you are comparing apples and oranges.  Click here for a bit of history on the Denver Forecast Office.

Original posting:

We can officially say it is cold now.  The National Weather Service has reported that at 5:52pm the temperature at Denver International Airport dropped to -15 degrees.  That breaks the old record of -14 degrees for this date set way back in 1901. 

Thankfully here in Thornton we haven’t gotten that cold.  At 7:00pm Sunday night it is currently -6.2 degrees.  We will get down to -11 tonight and then only climb to 18 Monday.  Bundle up!

It is important to note that prior to DIA opening, temperatures were measured at the old Stapleton site (and before that downtown).   That makes a 15 mile distance between where temperatures are measured now and where they were prior to 1994.  Those 15 miles can accont for large differences in temperature so you have to take these new records with a grain of salt.

Thornton Weather

The snow is ending but the arctic cold will remain

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The Rocky Mountain Weather Network is showing temperatures barely above zero across Denver as of 10:00am Sunday morning.
The Rocky Mountain Weather Network is showing temperatures barely above zero across Denver as of 10:00am Sunday morning.

Last night and this morning the metro area received a nice little bit of snow, something which was desperately needed. The northern and western suburbs received more than the rest of the metro area. Areas like Thornton and Broomfield are reporting around 4 inches while Centennial and Parker are just a bit more than an inch. Officially, the National Weather Service reported 1.3 inches at the old Stapleton International Airport site.

The big story though isn’t the snow – it is the frigid cold that is accompanying it. Denver International Airport has reported temperatures as low as 3 degrees below zero and the wind chills are into the negative teens. Currently stations on the Rocky Mountain Weather Network are reporting low single digit temperatures across the Front Range.

Today most of the metro area will remain in the single digits with Denver reaching a high of around 9 degrees. Tonight will be equally frigid and drop to 2 below zero. There will be some minor warming during the work week but it won’t be much and it will be the latter half of the week before we see temperatures above freezing. A chance for snow will also remain each day and night with the best chance being Monday night into Tuesday morning.

120 mph jet stream is sitting over southern Colorado and bringing the cold air down from the north.
120 mph jet stream is sitting over southern Colorado and bringing the cold air down from the north.

This cold air is being drawn down by a rather powerful jet stream that has set in over the southern part of Colorado. Areas to our north in Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas have it much worse than us – Spearfish, SD recorded -13 degrees with a -22 degree wind chill this morning!

With the severe cold and the snow, now might be good time to take a look at our Winter Weather Preparedness series:

Part 1 Winter travel safety
Part 2 Watches…warnings…and advisories
Part 3 High winds
Part 4 Wind chill temperatures and hypothermia
Part 5  Avalanche safety
Review  Winter Weather Preparedness Week review