October 12th to the 18th - This week in Denver weather history.
Looking back into the Denver weather history books shows Denver can receive just about any kind of weather this time of year. From heavy snow to gale force winds to 80 plus degree temperatures, it can all happen this week.
10-12 IN 1969…THE SECOND HEAVY SNOWSTORM IN LESS THAN A WEEK
DUMPED NEARLY A FOOT OF SNOW ACROSS METRO DENVER AND
PLUNGED THE AREA INTO EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES FOR SO
EARLY IN THE SEASON. SNOWFALL TOTALED 11.0 INCHES AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTH WINDS GUSTING TO
26 MPH PRODUCED DRIFTS UP TO 2 FEET DEEP. TEMPERATURES
DIPPED FROM A HIGH OF 52 DEGREES ON THE 10TH TO A RECORD
LOW FOR THE DATE OF 10 DEGREES ON THE 12TH. THERE WAS
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER AND TELEPHONE LINES
FROM HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND ICING. TRAVEL WAS
RESTRICTED OR BLOCKED BY DRIFTING SNOW IN BOTH THE
MOUNTAINS AND ON THE PLAINS EAST OF DENVER.
The Colorado Weather Almanac by Mike Nelson. Simply the best Colorado weather book out there.
The Colorado Weather Almanac came out last year and I have added this to my short list of “must read” books for anyone interested in weather, particularly for those in Colorado. Everyone here in Colorado is well aware of the author, Mike Nelson, 7News’ chief meteorologist, and he does an extraordinary job covering the entire gamut of weather conditions we receive here.
The best part of the book is described in one of the words in the title – Colorado. This is all about our weather. It starts out with what is probably in my opinion the single most interesting section, Colorado climate. Mr. Nelson explains all the ins and outs of how our topography and our geography greatly impact the weather we have and why weather varies so greatly over short distances, even within the confines of the metro area and Front Range.
There is of course discussion about standard weather terms we all have heard such as dew point, pressure, fronts, El Nino, La Nina and on and on. The key though is that the book ties all of this into Colorado and how these things directly impact us. Other terms associated with our weather like upslope, downslope, Chinook and more are also covered; things that we hear on the news every day but may not fully understand.
This week in Denver weather history - October 5th to October 11th
In our weekly look back at Denver weather history, we see a wide range of weather has occurred in the past. From thunderstorms to rain to big time snowstorms, we can and have seen it all.
3-5 IN 1984…THE REMNANTS OF PACIFIC HURRICANE POLO PRODUCED
HEAVY RAIN OVER NORTHEASTERN COLORADO. MOST LOCATIONS
RECEIVED BETWEEN 1.00 TO 2.50 INCHES OF RAIN…BUT 3.45
INCHES FELL IN LITTLETON. RAINFALL TOTALED 1.73 INCHES
AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…WHERE NORTH WINDS
GUSTED TO 24 MPH.
4-5 IN 1997…UNUSUALLY WARM WEATHER RESULTED IN TWO TEMPERATURE
RECORDS. HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 87 DEGREES ON THE 4TH EXCEEDED
THE OLD RECORD SET IN 1922 BY ONE DEGREE. HIGH TEMPERATURE
OF 86 DEGREES ON THE 5TH EQUALED THE RECORD SET IN 1990 AND
PREVIOUS YEARS.
ThorntonWeather.com's picks for the best drives to view the fall foliage.
This time of year many folks head to the hills west of Denver in search of gold – fall foliage gold. This year thanks to the warm and dry weather, the season is running longer and a bit later than normal so this coming weekend looks to be a great one to get out and go for a drive in the mountains. Where to go? Below are five of ThorntonWeather.com’s favorite ones near Denver. After that, we will tell you where you can find a great website that provides regular updates on viewing conditions.
I-70 Corridor – If you’re looking for the easiest route, then this one is for you. Simply head west on I-70 about 110 miles to Avon. Between Vail and Avon, both sides of I-70 are lined beautifully with aspen.
Rocky Mountain National Park – One of the most popular summer destinations in the state is of course also a prime spot to view aspen in all their glory. Once in the park on Trail Ridge Road, head toward Bear Lake. Glacier Gorge Junction provides a beautiful spot and you of course also get to enjoy all the splendor that Rocky Mountain National Park has to offer.
Peak to Peak Highway – This little road trip can be a dual purpose trip – gambling and fall foliage viewing! Take U.S. 6 through Clear Creek Canyon and then 119 through Blackhawk and Central Center. You can of course stop there if your wallet is fat enough and donate some money to the casinos. From there continue on 119 toward Nederland. Take highway 72 toward Ward and Allenspark. There you will find more golden aspen than you can imagine, all with the Continental Divide nearby.
Poudre Valley Canyon – Heading north on I-25 take Colorado 14 west and into Poudre Canyon and Roosevelt National Forest. As you continue west you will come very near timberline as you come to Cameron Pass. Amazing views abound!
Guanella Pass – This is a nice, relatively short drive from Denver. From C470 take 85 through Bailey and Conifer, a nice drive unto itself. When you come to the town of Grant, take the Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway north to Georgetown. The air is pretty thin along the way as you climb in excess of 11,500 views through the Pike and Arapahoe National Forests. Fair warning – about 10 miles of the road is gravel but it is well maintained.
So do you think you will try one of these drives? Or maybe one of the other dozens (hundreds?) that are possible? Before you go, be sure to check out the U.S. Forest Service’s Fall Colors website! It provides weekly updates on viewing conditions throughout the Rocky Mountain region and is a great resource to plan your trip. The site is usually updated once a week on Fridays. Click here to view the Rocky Mountain Region 2008 Fall Color Report.
As part of a special “Best of” series on Examiner.com, I recently penned an article about what was one of the most significant storms in Denver history – the 1982 Christmas Eve blizzard. It is republished here as I thought everyone might like to check it out:
Looking back through history, Denver and Colorado have had some extraordinary weather stories. When looking to pick a “best” or most significant weather event, reaching far back into the history books one might choose the Georgetown blizzard of 1913 which dumped an astonishing 86 inches of snow or perhaps the Big Thompson Flood of 1976 which claimed 145 lives. More recently, there were the holiday storms of 2006 or the Windsor tornadoes from 2007. But, there is one storm that historically stands out not only because of its severity in terms of the weather but also because of the long lasting impact it caused in Denver and Colorado which is still being felt today – the Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982. For those of you that didn’t live in Colorado then or are too young to remember, a trip through the history books shows why this storm was so significant. Those that do remember it have memories that will last a lifetime.
This week in Denver weather history - September 27- October 4
A new weekly feature for ThorntonWeather.com – This Week in Denver Weather History. The National Weather Service maintains a historical archives of weather history across the nation and makes it available to the public. ThorntonWeather.com will start publishing that information weekly.
So, let’s stroll down memory lane with This Week in Denver Weather History.
26-28 IN 1936…THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL EVER RECORDED IN SEPTEMBER
AND THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL EVER RECORDED SO EARLY IN THE
SEASON DUMPED A TOTAL OF 16.5 INCHES OF SNOW ON DOWNTOWN
DENVER AND 21.3 INCHES AT DENVER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE
15.0 INCHES OF SNOW MEASURED FROM 6:00 PM ON THE 27TH TO
6:00 PM ON THE 28TH IS THE GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL EVER
RECORDED IN SEPTEMBER. THIS WAS THE FIRST SNOW OF THE
SEASON. THE SNOW WAS INTERMITTENT THROUGH THE 26TH…BUT
CONTINUOUS FROM EARLY AFTERNOON ON THE 27TH TO AROUND
MIDNIGHT ON THE 28TH…EXCEPT FOR A PERIOD OF RAIN DURING
THE AFTERNOON OF THE 28TH WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO A LOSS OF
DEPTH ON THE GROUND. THE GREATEST SNOW DEPTH ON THE GROUND
DOWNTOWN WAS 13 INCHES WITH 8 INCHES AT DENVER MUNICIPAL
AIRPORT. THERE WERE NO HIGH WINDS WITH THE STORM AND
TRAFFIC WAS INTERRUPTED FOR ONLY A SHORT PERIOD. THE
STORM PRODUCED PROPERTY DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT 7 MILLION
DOLLARS. WITH TREES AND SHRUBS IN FULL FOLIAGE…THE LEAVES
CAUGHT AND HELD THE HEAVY WATER-LADEN SNOW…UNTIL THE
BRANCHES SNAPPED FROM THE WEIGHT. MORE THAN 3000 WORKMEN
WERE CALLED TO REMOVE THE DEBRIS AND SNOW FROM THE CITY. THE
CITY FIREMEN WHO WERE OFF DUTY…AS WELL AS ALL THE RESERVES…
WERE ASKED TO REPORT TO THEIR STATIONS. ALL SCHOOLS IN THE
CITY REMAINED OPEN…BUT ATTENDANCE WAS ONLY 50 PERCENT OF
NORMAL. GRADE SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE SENT HOME AT NOON ON THE
28TH. THE EARLY STORM CAUGHT STOCKMEN WITH MANY CATTLE STILL
IN HIGHER RANGES. WARM WEATHER FOLLOWED THE SNOW…WHICH HAD
ALL MELTED BY THE END OF THE MONTH…EXCEPT FOR A FEW INCHES
IN SHELTERED PLACES.
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.
Photo of the tornado near Parker. Image courtesy Jeff Smith and 9News.
Three tornadoes and multiple funnel clouds were reported in Elbert and Douglas counties Sunday evening. At 5:31pm the Centennial Airport tower reported a tornado on the ground five miles southwest of Parker. This was followed by a second tornado reported at 5:47pm six miles northeast of Parker. Lastly, a third twister was spotted three miles west of Castle Rock reported by trained spotters at 6:03pm.
News video showed the tornadoes weaving through relatively unpopulated areas interspersed wtih some houses. Authorities currently report no major damage.
Tornado warnings were issued but have now expired. As always, please be aware of the weather situation around you and when a danger presents itself, take appropriate action.
Update, 8/25/08, 7:50am – Reports are varying on the actual number of tornadoes that touched down. We have seen reports as low as two twisters to as many as a dozen. Chances are the actual number is toward the lower end of that range as oftentimes the same tornado is reported by multiple spotters with different descriptions of their locations. The National Weather Service investigates these and at some point in the future will determine the true number of tornadoes.
Park County tornado near Eleven Mile Reservoir. Image courtesy 7News and Jerry Bivens.
In a truly unusual weather occurence, a tornado struck near Eleven Mile Reservoir in Park County Saturday afternoon. Certainly we are all used to hearing about twisters along the Front Range and on the plains but mountain tornadoes are quite rare – the rugged terrain usually disrupts the weather patterns necessary to product tornadoes. Authorities estimate five vehicles were damaged including a motorhome and pickup truck camper that were overturned, a trailer was destroyed. Beyond cuts and scrapes, thankfully no one was injured.
Colorado is ranked ninth in the country with an average of 40 tornadoes a year. It is interesting to note that every state in the union – including Alaska and Hawaii – have had tornadoes.
Doing some research at the TornadoProject.com yields an interesting fact as well. This was Park County’s first tornado ever. That leaves 12 of Colorado’s 64 counties that have never had a tornado including:
Clear Creek
Dolores
Garfield
Gilpin
Gunnison
Hinsdale
Lake
Montrose
Ouray
San Juan
San Miguel
Summit
It does serve as a reminder that while the unofficial severe weather season is behind us, Colorado’s weather is anything but boring and everyone should be aware of all the types of weather hazards that are possible.
Will Barrack Obama accept the nomination in rain or shine?
The last time one of the major political parties held a major part of their political convention outdoors was 48 years ago. On July 15, 1960 John F. Kennedy accepted his party’s nomination in the Los Angeles Coliseum before 50,000 people. Denver isn’t Los Angeles though and our weather is a lot more volatile than sunny southern California. As locals all know, the one thing consistent about Colorado weather is the inconsistency and that is true in the month of August.
As the end of the month comes, we start to notice our daylight hours getting fewer and even a bit of a chill in the early morning air. Historical temperature extremes for August are somewhat interesting. First, the highest temperature ever reached in Denver was actually recorded in August – 105 degrees on August 8, 1878 (also tied on July 20, 2005). Second, while there has never been snow in Denver in August, twice the mercury has dropped to 40 degrees to serve as a reminder the white stuff isn’t too far off – those occurrences were on August 22, 1904 and August 24, 1910.
On August 28th, the day Barrack Obama will accept the nomination, the normal high temperature is 83 degrees. Extremes? Our record high temperature for that day, set multiple times – most recently in 1969 – was 94 degrees. The lowest high temperature ever recorded on the 28th is 66 degrees in 1898.
Generally the chance for severe storms decreases in August but precipitation is not unusual at all. Cooler air near the surface helps to create a stable atmosphere thus keeping thunderstorms from usually becoming too intense. After the middle of August, tornadoes and damaging hail are pretty rare. The slow movement of storms this time of year are more likely to produce potentially heavy rain.
From midnight to noon convention visitors can usually expect clear conditions but it is the afternoon and evenings when things could get interesting. Those are the times when thunderstorms roll across the Front Range – typically 8 days a month have them, 9 with measurable precipitation.
Will weather be a factor for the DNC in 2008? We won’t know that until it gets closer but it could be interesting.
Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.
As part of a special “Best of” series on 
