Change is of course the one constant in Denver’s weather but come July, things actually get pretty consistent.
The standard formula for a day in July is a sunny morning, clouds developing in the late morning and early afternoon. Come mid-afternoon, thunderstorms are rolling off of the foothills and into the metro area and the eastern plains. These storms do occasionally reach severe status containing hail, gusty winds and heavy downpours of rain.
June 4, 2018 – Sunset colors the virga late in the evening. (David Canfield)
The month of June typically sees springtime severe weather reach its height of activity in northeastern Colorado.
This affords the opportunity to capture extraordinary images of amazing weather phenomena from monstrous supercell thunderstorms to heavy rain, hail and even tornadoes.
Slideshow updated June 30, 2018
Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather and nature related imagery.
Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted. June brings some very dynamic weather and the photos are a great way to see the stunning variety.
To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.
[flickr_set id=”72157669882482238″]
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.
June 24 to June 30: This week in Denver weather history
This year the weather in June has been most notable for its heat. That however is far less common than severe weather conditions with lightning, tornadoes and hail. All of these we see in our look back at this week in Denver weather history.
From the National Weather Service:
22-26
In 2012…the maximum temperature exceeded 100 degrees for five consecutive days. Two of the high temperatures on the 25th and 26th peaked at 105 degrees…which set the all time record for the month of June and tied the all time maximum temperature for Denver.
24
In 1873…there was a great deal of smoke from a fire in the mountains to the southwest of the city during the late afternoon.
In 1875…smoke from forest fires in the mountains to the southwest could plainly be seen from the city.
In 1958…a strong cold front produced a north wind gust to 55 mph at Stapleton Airport where blowing dust briefly reduced the visibility to 1 mile.
In 1982…one inch diameter hail pelted west Denver. A half inch of rain drenched the suburb of Englewood in 10 minutes. Hail piled up to 5 inches deep…snarling rush hour traffic and damaging some stores in a shopping center when the roof started leaking.
In 1988…lightning destroyed the chimney of a house near Evergreen. Another bolt demolished a radio transmitter in the area.
In 1989…golf ball size hail cut a swath 2 1/2 miles wide through open country 14 miles southwest of Bennett. The storm also dropped 1.75 inches of rain on the area. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter damaged the car of a storm chaser just south of Bennett.
In 1996…a funnel cloud was sighted near Hudson where hail up to 1 3/4 inch diameter fell. Lightning struck a home in Littleton…which sparked a small fire on the roof. Thunderstorm wind gusts to 64 mph were recorded in Castle Rock.
In 2005…severe thunderstorms produced large hail across metro Denver. Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell near Castle Rock and Thornton. Hail to 3/4 inch was measured near Northglenn and Fort Lupton.
In 2006…severe thunderstorms raked metro Denver. Hail as large as 2 1/2 inches in diameter shattered automobile windshields in and near Boulder. Hail to 1 3/4 inches pounded areas in and near Lakewood and Morrison. Hail to 1 inch was measured in Wheat Ridge along with 7/8 inch hail in Arvada. Severe thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to 69 mph snapped power lines for a distance of one quarter mile near Castle Rock. Severe thunderstorm winds were measured to 60 mph in Sedalia. Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell near Evergreen and Castle Rock. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was reported in Louviers and near Conifer.
In 2014…damaging hail…from 1 to 2 inches in diameter…caused extensive damage to homes and automobiles over parts of Arapahoe and Douglas Counties including areas in and near: Aurora-Cherry Creek…Buckley Air Force Base…Denver International Airport and Parker. Officially…0.06 inches of rain fell at Denver International Airport…with a peak wind gust of 33 mph from the southeast.
In 2015…two colliding outflow boundaries merged over east Denver and northwest Aurora at the height of rush hour. The collision quickly spawned a severe thunderstorm that produced an EF1 tornado…damaging hail…torrential rain and flash flooding. The tornado touched down in east Denver and west Aurora. The tornado first touched down near Quebec and 6th Avenue. It then moved east northeast across the Lowry Campus into the west part of Aurora. The tornado then lifted near Mount Nebo Memorial Park. Some homes had minor roof damage with one former apartment building on the Lowry Campus had more significant roof damage. The tornado and intense thunderstorm winds uprooted trees…damaging vehicles and blocking roads. The storm produced torrential rain…2 to 2.5 inches…much of which fell in less than 30 minutes and resulted in flooded intersections and power outages. Flash flooding forced the evacuation of a theater at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center…where drifts of hail formed in the parking lot…and flooding set off alarms at the University of Denver`s Ritchie Center. Numerous water rescues were reported as vehicles stalled flooded intersections. Many stoplights were knocked out. The water was reportedly 3 feet deep on the South Broadway ramp to Interstate 25. The bike path along Cherry Creek was inundated with several feet of water at the height of the storm. Ironically…it was “Bike to Work Day”…which made for a long commute home for many. The South Platte River crested above flood stage for one hour. Employees still at work were urged to stay inside but others waded across flooded intersections downtown. About 30 flights had to be diverted from Denver International Airport. At Denver International Airport… only 0.05 inches of rain fell. A peak wind gust to 47 mph was observed from the southeast.
25
In 1873…forest fires produced a great deal of smoke in the mountains to the southwest of the city.
In 1958…an unusually cold day for summer set two temperature records for the date. Under cloudy skies with occasional drizzle…a record low maximum temperature of 55 degrees was established along with a record minimum temperature of 42 degrees.
In 1959…a waitress…working at a kitchen sink…was injured by a bolt of lightning…which struck the rear of a tavern in Denver. She was hospitalized.
In 1971…a tornado touched down briefly at a high school football field in Brighton…but caused no damage.
In 1981…3/4 inch hail pelted wheat ridge and hail to 1 1/4 inches fell in Louisville. A brief funnel cloud was sighted by national weather service personnel 4 miles east of Stapleton International Airport.
In 1982…a bolt of lightning struck a cabin in the foothills west of Denver. The resulting fire totally destroyed the cabin.
In 1987…golf ball size hail fell near Bennett.
In 1988…a tornado touched down 1 mile south of Watkins and was on the ground for 4 minutes. Another tornado was spotted just southeast of Barr Lake and was on the ground for 5 minutes. No damage was reported from either tornado. Lightning struck two rock climbers near Eldorado Springs. A 25-year-old man was killed…and a 21-year-old man suffered extensive injuries. Thunderstorm winds knocked over two elm trees near downtown Denver. One fell on a house destroying most of it. A nearby building was unroofed…and two cars were damaged. A truck that had been severely damaged by one of the Denver tornadoes 10 days before was hit again. Thunderstorm wind gusts to 51 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1991…the temperature reached a high of 100 degrees… Setting a new record for the date.
In 1997…one inch diameter hail fell in Arvada and 1 1/2 inch hail in Boulder. Hail as large as 3/4 inches fell in Denver…Louisville…Westminster…and near Broomfield.
In 1999…thunderstorm winds gusted to 58 mph near Fort Lupton toppling an oil rig. A 37-year-old man was killed when he fell 55 feet from the derrick of the rig.
In 2001…four golfers and one construction worker received minor injuries from a nearby lightning strike on the Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield.
In 2002…hail to 1 inch in diameter was measured in greenwood village.
In 2005…hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell near Bennett and Roggen. A thunderstorm wind gust to 61 mph was recorded near Golden.
In 2009…lightning struck the Darlington prismatic electric fountain in City Park’s lake. The damage was estimated to be approximately $25000.
In 2010…wind gusts associated with a dry microburst downed several trees in the vicinity of 14th and federal…and near Bayaud St. and Clarkson St. in Denver. At Denver International Airport…a peak wind gust to 45 mph was observed from the southwest.
In 2015…severe thunderstorms developed late in the afternoon and continued in the late evening hours. The storms moved over parts of Adams…Arapahoe…Douglas and Weld Counties. The largest hail occurred near Aurora and Keenseburg…with hail up to tennis ball size or 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Elsewhere…the hail size ranged from nickel to half dollar size. At Denver International Airport…just a trace of rainfall was observed. A peak wind gust of 31 mph was also observed from the east.
25-26
In 1969…high winds raked Boulder causing one fatality and some injuries. One man was injured by a falling tree limb. At the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder… Sustained winds of 55 to 60 mph with wind gusts to 123 mph were recorded.
In downtown Boulder…winds averaged 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 70 mph. Widespread minor damage occurred… Especially in the Table Mesa area of south Boulder. Much tree damage occurred in the older areas of Boulder where several trees were uprooted. A mobile home was overturned by the winds. At Stapleton Airport…west winds gusted to 43 mph on the 25th and 37 mph on the 26th.
In 1975…strong winds damaged utility lines…buildings… Vehicles…trees…and power lines in Boulder and other communities to the north of Boulder. Microburst winds gusted to 45 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 25th.
In 1983…heavy rain fell in the foothills west of Denver with 1.50 inches in 30 minutes at Intercanyon. Heavy rain continued over metro Denver on the 26th with two-day storm totals at many locations ranging from 1.00 to 2.50 inches. Rainfall totaled 1.37 inches at Stapleton International Airport on the 26th.
In 1985…one to two inches of rain fell over metro Denver. At Stapleton International Airport…rainfall totaled 0.93 inches…thunderstorm winds gusted to 44 mph…and 7/10 inch hail was measured. The air mass was unusually cold for the season…and snow fell in the foothills above 8 thousand feet. The high temperature of only 63 degrees on the 26th equaled the record low maximum reading for the date.
In 2012…Denver broke the all-time record temperature for the month of June on the 25th when it reached 105 degrees. This also tied the all-time record maximum temperature in Denver. The maximum temperature of 105 degrees was then matched once more on the 26th. Sandwiched in between these records…the minimum temperature of 71 on the morning of the 26th…established a new record high minimum for the date.
On the June solstice, the Earth’s northern hemisphere is tilted at its maximum toward the sun. The result is the longest day of the year for the northern part of the planet. (NASA)
Astronomical summer arrived in Thornton this morning and with the solstice we will enjoy our longest day of the year.
Summer officially began at 4:07am MDT this morning. The Summer Solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted at it closest to the sun – 23.4 degrees. This results in the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Here in Denver the sun rises at 5:32am today and sets at 8:31pm. This will give us 14 hours, 59 minutes and 14 seconds of daytime.
Tomorrow it will be a bit less than one second shorter than today and each day from now through the Winter Solstice in December will get gradually shorter as well.
At the poles of the globe, the seasonal extremes will be quite notable. Areas north of the Arctic Circle to the North Pole will see 24 hours of daylight and have a midnight sun. On the opposite end of the globe, the South Pole will have no direct sunlight at all as they are in the depths of their winter.
Did you know that there is a difference between the astronomical seasons that we are discussing here and meteorological seasons?
Meteorological seasons differ slightly and are geared toward matching the calendar with the annual temperature cycle. This is done primarily for meteorological observing and forecasting and in many ways it is more logical than the astronomical seasons.
For the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological spring covers the months of March, April and May. Summer brings the hottest months of the year and so meteorological summer is June, July and August. Meteorological fall then is September, October and November followed by the coldest months of December, January and February as meteorological winter.
June 17 to June 23: This week in Denver weather history
Heavy rain, flooding, lightning, tornadoes and hail are not at all uncommon this time of year and we see plenty of those types of events in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. Probably one of the most notable events occurred 10 years ago when a thunderstorms with large hail ripped through Denver International Airport causing $10 million in property damage and damaged dozens of airplanes.
From the National Weather Service:
1-30
In 2012…it was the hottest June in Denver since weather records began back in 1872. The average temperature for the month was 75.0 degrees which was 7.6 degrees above normal. There were a total of seventeen 90 degree days in the month of June. The highlight of record setting month was a stretch of five consecutive 100 degree days from the 22nd to the 26th. This was only the third time in Denver weather history in which this happened. Two of the high temperatures during the stretch peaked at 105 degrees…which set the all time record for the month of June and tied the all time maximum temperature for Denver.
16-17
In 1965…on the afternoon and evening of the 16th…violent thunderstorms produced extremely heavy cloudbursts of rain over the palmer divide and sent a wall of water as high as 20 feet down both branches of plum creek into the South Platte River and through metro Denver. The heavy rainfall produced the most devastating flood in the history of Denver. Rainfall totaled 14.0 inches in 3 hours at both Larkspur and Palmer Lake with 12.0 inches recorded in Castle Rock. The flood waters caused extensive damage to roads and bridges in Larkspur…Castle Rock…and Sedalia…including washing out the I-25 bridge over east Plum Creek in Castle Rock. The citizens of metro Denver received reports of the flooding to the south and had a few hours to initiate evacuation procedures along the South Platte River…greatly limiting the loss of life. By evening…the flood reached Littleton where an heroic effort was made to save nearly 150 horses at the Centennial racetrack…which was completely inundated by the flood waters. As the flood proceeded through the city of Denver…the river became more than 1/2 mile wide and destroyed all homes…trailer courts… And businesses in its path. The waters contained debris ranging from refrigerators to old cars. As many as 26 bridges were damaged or destroyed…including the 6th avenue freeway bridge across the South Platte. Both Public Service Company power plants were shut down by the flood. The King Soopers grocery chain bakery was inundated. About midnight… The torrent crested at 25 feet above normal with flow exceeding 40 times normal and is the record flood on the South Platte and many of its tributaries. The flood caused 230 million dollars in damage and 8 deaths along the entire South Platte River basin. The intense rain also caused flooding along Cherry Creek in Denver…on Toll Gate and Sand creeks in east metro Denver…and on Kiowa and Bijou creeks to the east of Denver. The South Platte River flood closed nearly every major east-west highway into Denver…nearly isolating the city. The flood caused heavy damage to state and County roads in the area. Railroads were also hard hit with the main yards in lower downtown inundated. Sewerage… Water supply facilities…and irrigation works also received heavy flood damage. The flood crest did not reach Nebraska until the 20th.
17
In 1915…northwest winds were sustained to 41 mph with an extreme velocity to 42 mph.
In 1967…this was the 24th consecutive day with a trace or more of precipitation from May 25th. Precipitation totaled 5.87 inches during the period…more than a third of the average yearly total.
In 1975…hail more than 2 inches in diameter fell in eastern Aurora.
In 1977…golf ball size hail was reported 3 miles east of Arapahoe County Airport…now Centennial Airport. Heavy hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was reported in Littleton… Castle Rock…and Sedalia.
In 1979…a man and a girl were struck and killed by lightning while walking in a park in northwest Denver.
In 1987…3/4 inch hail fell near Boulder.
In 1991…a microburst wind gust to 59 mph kicked up some blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1998…hail as large as 3/4 inch in diameter fell in Boulder.
In 2003…lightning struck a feeder line…knocking out the electricity to about 3000 residents in Littleton. A lightning strike caused minor damage to the roof and attic of a home in Lafayette. Another lightning strike caused minor roof damage to a residence in Louisville. Yet another lightning strike hit a home in Denver and caused a small attic fire. Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter was measured near Centennial airport and near Greenland.
In 2009…hail up to 1 inch in diameter was measured near Longmont.
17-18
In 1964…high winds at speeds of 50 to 60 mph with gusts as high as 75 mph caused damage to homes…power lines…and trees in Boulder. Non-convective west winds gusting to 46 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport on the 17th.
18
In 1875…a windstorm produced sustained winds to 45 mph during the morning hours. Numerous forest fires along the base of the mountains were visible from the city.
In 1886…northwest winds sustained to 40 mph were the strongest of the month that year.
In 1987…severe thunderstorms produced lightning…large hail… A tornado…heavy rain…and strong winds across metro Denver. Rainfall totaled 2.50 inches in an hour in Wheat Ridge… Causing minor flooding. I-25 was flooded in north-central Denver…snarling traffic. Hail 7/8 inch in diameter fell in Louisville with 1 1/2 inch hail near Golden and 1 to 1 3/4 inch hail in and near Castle Rock. A tornado touched down briefly in Castle Rock. No damage was reported. Lightning started a small fire that burned half a cabin near Evergreen.
In 1994…a funnel cloud was sighted over Aurora; hail to 1 3/4 inch diameter fell near Brighton; and hail over an inch in diameter fell over Aurora…southeast Denver… Louisville…and Boulder. Lightning struck a home in Henderson 9 miles north of Denver and knocked a hole in the roof…which caused the ceiling to collapse. Hail to 1 1/4 inch diameter was measured at Stapleton International Airport.
In 2002…the Hayman wildfire in the foothills to the southwest of Denver intensified…and the winds aloft carried the smoke plume directly over metro Denver…again creating a dense haze of smoke which blocked the sun. Surface visibilities were again reduced to as low as 1 1/4 miles at Denver International Airport.
In 2004…severe thunderstorms produced hail to 3/4 inch in diameter near Morrison…in Littleton…near Conifer…near Castle Rock…and in Aurora near Cherry Creek.
In 2013…a landspout tornado touched down at DIA. The tornado sent 10 thousand travelers on the concourse…on planes and in the terminal scrambling to get into tornado shelters. The tornado formed just to the south of Runway 35R and then moved slowly northwest between Runway 35R and 35L…and moved to within one third of a mile of Concourses A and B before dissipating. The tornado moved extremely close if not over the ASOS (Automated Surface Observation System) and another low level wind shear sensor at DIA. The ASOS weather observing system reported a 97 mph wind gust…while the wind shear sensor reported a wind gust to 109 mph at the same time indicative of an EF1 tornado. There was only minor damage noted to the equipment. Nine flights were diverted elsewhere during a tornado warning. Severe thunderstorms also produced large hail up to quarter size in Adams and Weld Counties.
In 2014…a severe thunderstorm produced large hail up to quarter size near Buckley Air Force Base. At Denver International Airport…a peak wind gust to 55 mph was observed from the southwest…along with 0.37 inches of water.
June 10 to June 16: This week in Denver weather history
We are entering the primetime of Colorado’s severe weather season. Our look back at Denver weather history for this week shows numerous damaging, dangerous and deadly weather events.
From the National Weather Service:
9-10
In 1864…high water from melting snow combined with heavy rains over the upper reaches of the South Platte River forced the river over its banks and caused flooding of low lying areas along the river in the city. The amount of rainfall in the mountains and in the city is unknown.
10
In 1943…a man was killed by lightning while using a surveying instrument at Buckley Field.
In 1969…hail stones 2 to 3 inches in diameter caused extensive damage to buildings and automobiles in an area from northeast of Boulder to Longmont. Two funnel clouds were reported near Castle Rock. A funnel cloud and 1 inch hail stones were reported 10 to 20 miles southeast of Stapleton International Airport. Hail stones to 1 3/4 inches fell 3 miles west of Littleton. Hail to 3/4 inch diameter fell over southeast Denver.
In 1988…thunderstorm winds clocked to 60 mph unroofed a porch and downed a fence at a home near Stapleton International Airport. A small tornado touched down briefly in northeast Aurora. Another small tornado touched down for 3 minutes in southeast Aurora. No damage was reported from either twister.
In 1989…a national weather service observer saw lightning strike 2 storage tanks at 40th and Havana…3/8 mile northeast of Stapleton International Airport. The strike temporarily knocked out some weather observing equipment at the national weather service.
In 1991…a tornado was sighted 2 miles south of Castle Rock. No damage was reported. The funnel cloud associated with the tornado was sighted for 5 minutes by National Weather Service observers at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1994…lightning struck a home in Denver…which started a fire in the attic and caused minor damage.
In 1997…lightning struck a security guard at the castle pines golf course near Castle Rock. He received only minor injuries.
In 1999…severe thunderstorms rolled off the foothills over metro Denver…producing large hail and damaging winds. Hail to 1 inch diameter fell near Evergreen with 1 3/4 inch hail measured west of Golden. Hail to 1 1/2 inches fell in Commerce City with one inch hail in Lakewood…wheat ridge… The city of Denver and at Denver International Airport where thunderstorm winds gusted to 58 mph. As the storms moved east…3/4 inch hail was reported in Aurora…and damaging thunderstorm winds developed between Bennett and Strasburg. Winds gusting as high as 69 mph blew half a metal roof from a shed in a Bennett lumberyard. A small barn was also leveled between Bennett and Strasburg. Winds also gusted to 58 mph near Manilla.
In 2000…a dry microburst produced a wind gust to 58 mph at Jefferson County Airport. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 55 mph at Denver International Airport.
In 2003…hail as large as 1 3/4 inches was measured at centennial airport and near Parker.
In 2005…hail to 7/8 inch in diameter was reported near Parker with 3/4 inch hail measured near Castle Rock.
In 2009…lightning struck an apartment complex…a veterinary hospital in Boulder and caused minor damage. Lightning also struck two oil tanks…one in Boulder and the other at Front Range airport north of Watkins. The oil tanks in both instances were set on fire and suffered extensive damage.
In 2010…a complex of severe thunderstorms hammered portions of eastern Arapahoe…eastern Douglas and western Elbert counties. The hail ranged from 1 inch to 3 inches in diameter. The largest hail was observed near Elizabeth. Areas in and around Aurora…Byers…Parker and Thornton were also impacted by large hail. One weak tornado touched down near prospect valley but did no damage. At Denver International Airport…a peak wind gust to 35 mph was observed from the northwest.
10-11
In 1882…heavy thunderstorm rains on the morning of the 10th caused a rapid rise in Dry Creek…which enters the South Platte River at Fairview in present day south Denver. This…combined with additional heavy rainfall on the 11th caused the South Platte River to overflow. Five people drowned and several houses were destroyed. Total losses in the city and suburbs was estimated at 75 thousand dollars. Total rainfall in central Denver was 2.21 inches over the 2 days.
11
In 1947…a trace of snow fell over downtown Denver. Low temperature of 34 degrees was a record minimum for the date.
In 1962…hail caused extensive crop damage near Hudson northeast of Denver.
In 1970…stratiform rainfall totaled 3.16 inches at Stapleton International Airport. This was the greatest amount of precipitation ever recorded on a calendar day in June. In addition…it was the greatest amount of precipitation ever measured during any 24-hour period in June. The high temperature climbed to only 51 degrees…which was a record low maximum for the date.
In 1973…large hail from 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter fell west of Boulder.
In 1977…golf ball size hail was reported just south of Arapahoe County airport…now centennial airport. Lightning struck a home in Lakewood.
In 1988…a 30-year-old man was seriously injured by lightning while mowing his lawn in Denver.
In 1992…lightning started two house fires in the southern Denver suburbs where 3/4 inch hail fell and a funnel cloud was sighted.
In 1999…severe thunderstorms formed over the palmer divide and moved across Douglas…Elbert…and Adams counties. Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter was reported in and near Castle Rock…Sedalia…Franktown…and Aurora. Hail as large as golfballs accumulated several inches deep and caused a large section of a corrugated metal roof of a greenhouse complex to collapse near Franktown. About a third of the roof covering the 30 thousand square foot building collapsed. Thirty-five workers were trapped in the debris…but only 3 were treated for minor injuries. Hail 1 to 2 feet deep blocked the roadways and slowed the arrival of emergency vehicles. Damage to the building was estimated to be around 3 million dollars.
In 2006…a man was struck and killed by lightning as he was returning to his car after leaving the mile high flea market near Henderson. Two others were knocked down…but not injured by the lightning strike. Severe thunderstorms produced large hail across the northern portion of metro Denver. Hail to 1 1/4 inches in diameter was measured in Arvada…with 1 inch diameter hail reported near Fort Lupton. Hail to 7/8 inch in diameter was recorded near Brighton…and hail…3/4 inch in diameter…fell near Keenesburg.
In 2009…large hail pummeled portions of Adams…Arapahoe… Elbert and Douglas counties. Hail up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter was measured near Parker.
In 2010…severe thunderstorms producing very large hail pummeled portions of Front Range foothills and urban corridor. The large hail ranged in size from 1 to 2 1/2 inches…caused extensive damage to home and vehicles. The hardest hit areas included: Brighton… Castle Rock…Greenland…Idledale…Mountain View and Thornton. The combination of heavy rain and hail destroyed 50 thousand acres of cropland in southeast weld County. Flash flooding forced the closure of State Highway 52…east of prospect valley. Several County roads were either flooded or completely washed out. At Denver International Airport…0.69 inches of rainfall was observed.
We knew the weekend was going to be a scorcher and sure enough, it has been thus far.
Today, the high temperature in Denver as measured at Denver International Airport topped out at 95 degrees at 4:00pm. This tied the record high temperature for June 9 last set in 2012.
Here in Thornton we matched that number with a 95 degree high of our own as well.
More heat is expected on Sunday with highs potentially coming in a couple of degrees warmer than today. We then will see a weak cold front cool things down slightly Monday and Tuesday but then the heat returns for the latter half of the workweek. See our extended forecast for details.
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The month of May started off cool and damp but that did not last long. It soon dried out and warmed up leading to one of the warmest Mays on record.
The first three days of the month brought cool temperatures and generous amounts of rain, more than one inch total. We then followed that up with a warming trend that for a week.
Temperatures then cooled for the 12th and 13th of the month then started their upward trend again. Another, short break from the warmth came along from the 18th to the 20th.
After that, the warm weather returned and the last eleven days of the month all saw above normal mercury readings.
While there were a few days with rain after the wet start, none really amounted to much.
Thornton’s average temperature for the month came in at 60.5 degrees. By comparison, Denver’s long term average temperature for May is 57.1 degrees. Out at the airport where Denver’s official readings are taken, the month’s average temperature was warmer than ours at 61.4 degrees. That made the month the eight warmest May in Denver history.
Thornton saw its warmest temperature reading for the month of 92.4 degrees on the 26th of the month. The lowest reading of 35.4 degrees fell on the 4th. Denver saw its warmest reading of 94 degrees on the same day we saw our warmest and its coldest of 40 degrees on the 20th.
Denver set a record high temperature on the 10th and tied the record high temperature for the 25th. Additionally, the Mile High City saw four days with high temperatures at or above the 90 degree mark (Thornton had three). This breaks the record for the number of 90 degree days in May which previously was three days set in 1989 and 1874.
In terms of precipitation, Denver averages 2.12 inches during May. Thornton fell well short with 1.59 inches in our bucket. The Mile High City fared better, but still below normal, with 1.86 inches.
No snow fell during the month in Thornton or Denver.
Thornton, Colorado’s May 2018 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado’s May 2018 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
942 AM MDT FRI JUN 1 2018
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2018...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2018
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 95 05/26/1942
LOW 19 05/02/2013
05/03/1907
HIGHEST 94 05/26 86 05/06
LOWEST 40 05/20 32 05/04
05/03
05/02
AVG. MAXIMUM 75.4 71.5 3.9 69.6
AVG. MINIMUM 47.5 42.7 4.8 42.3
MEAN 61.4 57.1 4.3 55.9
DAYS MAX >= 90 4 0.8 3.2 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 1.9 -1.9 1
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 8.57 1876
MINIMUM 0.06 1974
TOTALS 1.86 2.12 -0.26 3.66
DAILY AVG. 0.06 0.07 -0.01 0.12
DAYS >= .01 8 9.4 -1.4 17
DAYS >= .10 5 4.8 0.2 11
DAYS >= .50 0 1.2 -1.2 2
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.2 -0.2 1
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.49 05/03 TO 05/03 05/18 TO 05/18
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS 0.0 1.1
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 151 265 -114 281
SINCE 7/1 5401 5996 -595 5084
COOLING TOTAL 46 21 25 6
SINCE 1/1 48 22 26 6
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.9
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 1/116
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 36/330 DATE 05/30
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 52/330 DATE 05/30
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 6
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 15
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 10
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 57
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORMS 11 MIXED PRECIP 3
HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 2
LIGHT RAIN 11 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 3
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 FOG W/VIS <=1/4 MILE 6
FOG 10 HAZE 3
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
The evening of June 5 had been relatively calm after a record-tying high temperature. Some high-based thunderstorms then began to move through and created gusty winds. For some residents, those winds turned damaging.
What appears to have been a microburst (or multiple microbursts), brought fences, broke tree branches and for one Thornton family, toppled a 40 year old tree. Watch the video below for the story from CBS4.
The winds did appear confined to relatively small areas, hitting hard when they did. At ThorntonWeather.com, we saw some gusty winds (39mph) but nothing that would cause the type of damage seen by others.
The National Weather Service did report a 54mph gust at Denver International Airport and a 66mph gust at Buckley Air National Guard Base.
Did you suffer damage? If you have pics, we’d love to see them!
The recent heat is much more like we would expect to see toward the middle of July. High pressure though keeps the cooler air at bay and today Denver tied the record high temperature for the date.
As measured at Denver International Airport, the Mile High City saw an official high of 95 degrees. That ties the record high last set in 1946.
Here in Thornton, we were actually warmer by a good measure, something that doesn’t happen often. We topped out at 98 degrees at 3:06pm.
We will see a little bit of a reprieve from the heat tomorrow as a cold front moves through. Highs Wednesday should be in the upper 80s. After that though, the heat returns with 90+ degrees forecasted each day through the weekend.
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