Category Archives: Climatology

Climatology, Severe Weather, Weather Education

ThorntonWeather.com sneak peek – Storm Chasers episode 4 preview

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The probe trucks await an opportunity to deploy their instruments on Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers.
The probe trucks await an opportunity to deploy their instruments on Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers.

We continue to be granted sneak peeks of new episodes of the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chaser’s (Sunday’s @ 8:00pm MST).  Last week corn husks fell from the sky on the scout crew after a tornado had passed and Reed and the TornadoVideos.net team chased a twister in the dark. 

As the show chronicles the 2008 storm season, it is now getting into what was the most intense period of the summer.  This coming Sunday’s episode guide says:

NIGHTMARE ON DOW STREET – Nov. 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Halfway into the season, TIV1 returns to action, and the whole team heads first toward Oklahoma and then into Arkansas. Monster hail storms batter the fleet, but the vehicles forge ahead as tornadoes start touching down all across this part of the Great Plains. Everyone gets to feast on the tornado bounty, but after dark, a twister chases the chasers in the streets of Stuttgart, Arkansas.

This week’s episode sneak peek –  The storm chasers race to outrun a devastating twister as it quickly catches up to the team’s TIV-1 vehicle in this clip from Storm Chasers.

Climatology, Thornton Weather

Snow on Halloween more fact than fiction

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Snow on Halloween? Popular belief is that we seem to have a lot of snow when the trick or treaters are out on the street.
Snow on Halloween? Popular belief is that we seem to have a lot of snow when the trick or treaters are out on the street.

Conventional wisdom in the Denver area is that it always seems to rain or snow on Halloween.   I know as a kid it seemed like Mother Nature always put a damper on our trick or treating. 

But, is there any truth to this urban legend?  Or is this just one of those times where our memory doesn’t serve us quite right? 

This year it certainly looks like we have nothing to worry about but  the National Weather Service has been kind enough to compile weather statistics just for Halloween.  As it turns out, the thought of snow and rain on Octboer 31st isn’t just in our minds! 

Click here to read all about Halloween and Denver’s historical chances of snow.

Climatology, Severe Weather, Weather Education

2009 National Storm Chaser Convention dates announced

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The 2009 National Storm Chaser convention will be February 13 - 15, 2009.
The 2009 National Storm Chaser Convention will be February 13 - 15, 2009.

The dates for the 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention have been announced.  The event will be held February 13th to the 15th at the Red Lion Inn in Parker.  As usual there looks to be a great lineup of speakers and of course it will certainly be informative and fun.  The agenda is still being finalized but some of the highlights announced thus far include:

This year’s convention promises to be the biggest and best yet! The convention is held each year in Denver, Colorado, and is geared for you, the storm chaser, spotter and storm enthusiast, to be the premiere gathering of the year. Because of the intense severe storm and hurricane season that 2008 brought, we have been able to gather some of the best scientists and forecasters in the world to present at this year’s convention. Dr Steve Lyons, hurricane expert for The Weather Channel, will be this year’s keynote speaker. From the National Hurricane Center, we welcome lead forecaster Dr Jack Bevens.

On the severe storm side, we welcome Dr Greg Forbes from The Weather Channel, and are also excited to welcome back Dr Howie Bluestein. We are also excited to have Rich Thompson, lead forecaster at the Storm Prediction center, as well as meteorologist Jon Davies. Tim Marshall will once again bring is attention getting presentation to our convention. We have several other speakers that you won’t want to miss!!! So sign up early and tell all your friends to come to the 2009 National Storm Chaser Convention.

For more information, visit the convention website at:  http://chaserconvention.com/

Climatology, Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

November 2008 weather preview posted

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A Preview of Denver's November Weather - Will it be a Fall Month or a Winter Month?
A Preview of Denver's November Weather - Will it be a Fall Month or a Winter Month?

A preview of Denver’s November weather – Will it be a fall month or a winter month?  Typically November is a quiet weather month with plenty of nice, fall days but it can also turn wet with plenty of snow and moisture.  Just like Forest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates, you never quite know what you are going to get.

Looking into the weather history books, we see that November is actually Denver’s second snowiest month, second only to March (April is third).  Historically we average 10.7 inches of snow during the month.

Click here to read our complete November preview and see what to expect for the month.

Climatology, Colorado Weather, Severe Weather, Thornton Weather, Weather Education

ThorntonWeather.com junior stormchaser chases tornado for 7News

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ThorntonWeather.com junior stormchaser Bobby pursued a tornado in Weld County yesterday and provided live reports for 7News.  Watch the video below (you may need to turn up the sound due to a lot of background noise).

[hana-flv-player video=’https://www.thorntonweather.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/7news.flv’ /]

The DOW - Doppler On Wheels - as seen on Storm Chasers.
The DOW - Doppler On Wheels - as seen on Storm Chasers.

🙂  Okay, so maybe not but it still is kind of fun.  This was taken yesterday at NCAR’s Super Science Saturday in Boulder.  Channel 7 was there with their “24 / 7 Weather Experience” which was a lot of fun as it gives folks a small taste of what goes into a weather broadcast.  Unfortunately Mike Nelson, author of our favorite weather book, wasn’t there when we were but this was probably the highlight of the day up at NCAR for the kids.

There was also a bit of a celebrity there too as Justin Walker from Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers TV show was there with their Doppler On Wheels (DOW) truck – a mobile radar vehicle.  Justin serves as one of the team members from the Center for Severe Weather Research that chases the storms.  He in particular is tasked with placing scientific probes in the path of the tornadoes.  We got to spend a good bit of time chatting with Justin about their chases this past tornado season and in particular the ones in the north central Kansas area where a good bit of my family lives.  He had some fascinating anecdotes to share about the storms, in particular the one that struck near Glen Elder, KS.

Bobby with Justin Walker of Storm Chasers.
Bobby with Justin Walker of Storm Chasers.

For those that didn’t make it up there, you really missed a great opportunity for kids to learn more about not only the weather but also things like energy, the environment and more.

Climatology, Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

October 2008 weather preview posted

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A Preview of Thorntons October Weather - Fall is Here
A Preview of Thornton's October Weather - Fall is Here

With the first full month of fall here, October usually brings one of the quietest weather months in the Denver area with plenty of mild, sunny days and clear, cool nights. The month actually has our second highest amount of sunshine with 72 percent with September having the most with 74 percent. Interestingly enough, the month following, November, is one of the lowest sunshine months with only 64 percent. Typically October brings our first real taste of winter with the first freeze on average coming on the 7th of the month and the first snow on the 15th of the month.

Click here to read our complete October preview and see what to expect for the month.

Climatology, National Weather, Natural Disasters

Gustav imagery via Google Earth

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Below you will find the latest satellite imagery (as of 10:00am MDT) with tracking for Gustav generated with Google Earth.  For those that haven’t played with it, Google Earth is a very fun – and useful – program for any number of tasks.  Using it you can download place files with a wide variety of information including weather related items.  Here are a few links to get your started:

Hurricane Gustav image from Google Earth as of 10:00am MDT Sunday.
Hurricane Gustav image from Google Earth as of 10:00am MDT Sunday. Click on image for larger view.
Climatology, National Weather, Severe Weather

Forecasters increase hurricane chances

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NOAA says there is a greater chance for hurricanes in the coming months.
NOAA says there is a greater chance for hurricanes in the coming months.

In their August update to hurricane season forecasts, experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have changed their predictions for the season and now expect a greater chance of hurricanes this season.  They are now predicting an “above normal” season with 14 to 18 named storms – up from the 12 to 16 they predicted in May.

The forecasters now believe there is an 85 percent chance that this above normal trend will take place (up from 65 percent in May). 

“Leading indicators for an above-normal season during 2008 include the continuing multi-decadal signal – atmospheric and oceanic conditions that have spawned increased hurricane activity since 1995 – and the lingering effects of La Niña,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D. of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Some of these conditions include reduced wind shear, weaker trade winds, an active West African monsoon system, the winds coming off of Africa and warmer-than-average water in the Atlantic Ocean.”

The updated 2008 hurricane outlook.
The updated 2008 hurricane outlook.

Thus far in 2008 there have been five named storms and the most active hurricane period – August to October – is just now beginning.  Will this prediction hold true?  Unfortunateley forecasters have struggled in recent years with their predictions.  Last year NOAA predicted 10 hurricanes and only six formed. The year prior, 2006, nine hurricanes were forecasted by NOAA but only five formed.  In 2005, the year Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in the worst U.S. natural disaster, the forecasts underestimated storm activity.

Climatology, Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Red Flag Warning in Effect, Experts Warn of Wildfire Danger

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Red Flag Warning TodayA Red Flag Warning has been issued for most of the state as warm temperatures and low humidities have increased the danger of fires getting out of control. This was witnessed first hand last week with the four wildfires in southern Colorado that quickly got out of hand.

Further, the AP is reporting that while we have had record snowpack this winter, that doesn’t necessarily translate to decreased fire danger.

Wildfire experts say the problem is the winter was short, which means the trees and plants absorbed less moisture than if the snow cover had been around longer.

They say that’s one of the factors behind a fire near Carbondale last week that burned 1 and 1/2 square miles.

Capt. Shaun Moore of the Greater Eagle Fire Protection District says the snowpack could actually boost the wildfire risk because the snow has helped grass grow taller. That could make it easier for flames to leap to trees when the grass dries out.

PLEASE be careful out there!

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS AND VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. AS A RESULT A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM 12 PM TO 8 PM MDT. AREAS IN THE WARNING WILL AGAIN INCLUDE THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR AND NORTHEAST PLAINS OF COLORADO.

SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH A FEW HIGHER GUSTS CAN BE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. IN ADDITION…RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL DROP TO AROUND 10 PERCENT. THE GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL COMBINE WITH DRY FUELS TO CREATE CRITICAL FIRE CONCERNS THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING.

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING OR IMMINENT.

Climatology, Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

April Weather Preview – Something for Everyone

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April Weather PreviewApril marks a transition between winter and summer for most of the country but for Denver it is especially true as we can see a stunning variety of weather. The proverbial April showers are certainly a possibility for Denver. Snow? Tornadoes? Thunderstorms? You bet – all can happen! For good measure throw in a chance for hail and even dust storms and April gives every type of weather condition you could like – or hate.   Click here to read our April 2008 weather preview.