The Thornton Community Chorus will join the Thornton Community Band as one more cultural offering in the city.
Supported by the Thornton Arts, Sciences and Humanities Council (TASHCO), Thornton will soon be playing host to its own choir group – the Thornton Community Chorus. The chorus joins the relatively new Thornton Community Band and form a duo of extraordinary cultural offerings for area residents.
According to the Thornton Community Chorus’ website, they will be working to establish a performing chorus of adults in the north metro area. Currently in the formation stage is looking for organizers, musicians and supporters. Be sure to check out their website for more information at www.thorntoncommunitychorus.org.
We would be remiss to not also mention the Thornton Community Band. The band formed a bit over a year ago and has been a tremendous hit. If you have not heard them perform, you are truly missing out on hearing some extraordinary musicians. Their next concert is March 4th so please visit their website to learn more at www.thorntonband.webs.com.
While obviously not a weather-related story, we feel that both of these offerings bring new opportunities to not only the performers but citizens as well. We encourage everyone to take advantage and enjoy some music!
Weather Geek Stuff is a great store with a wide array of weather related clothing and novelties. The site's merchandise was even shown on The Weather Channel.
One year ago we launched Weather Geek Stuff, an online store with a wide variety of clothing and novelties all catering to weather enthusiasts and storm chasers. Powered by Cafe Press, there are a variety of custom logos available to adorn the merchandise.
We have our infamous Weather Geek and Weather Diva line to our amusing weather warning signs that covers severe weather from tornadoes to hurricanes. Kids clothing and even shirts for your dog area available. Clocks, mugs, aprons, bags, water bottles and more can bear the weather related logos.
By buying items from Weather Geek Stuff, you will be helping to support this ThorntonWeather.com. All proceeds from sales of items go directly to the somewhat considerable costs for maintaining ThorntonWeather.com and updating it with the new features you have come to appreciate.
With the holidays coming up, Weather Geek Stuff will make great gifts for the Weather Geek or Weather Diva on your shopping list!
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).
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.
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
Get ready for ChaserCon - Coming to Denver in February!
The 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention is coming to Denver from February 13th to the 15th. Organized by storm chasers Roger Hill and Tim Samaras, this event brings together amateur and professional storm chasers, meteorologists, climatologists and experts from across a wide spectrum dealing with weather. It is a great opportunity to learn not just about storm chasing but also about the weather in general.
As usual, a great slate of speakers has been lined up including:
More than lectures though, the convention features screening of some of the most incredible tornado footage from the past year as well as a hands-on look at the latest in weather gadgetry. On the afternoon of the 15th, the National Weather Service will also be holding an official storm spotter training session that is open to the public.
You can learn more about this great event and see the complete agenda on the convention website at www.chaserconvention.com.
Editor’s comment – This is a great way to ‘give back’ to the community and help those who truly need it. From the City of Thornton:
Winter is coming: Snowbusters needed Snowbuster volunteers help dig out neighbors in need
THORNTON, CO…Winter is on the way, and while the snow isn’t here yet, Snowbuster volunteers are needed now. Snowbusters is a snow removal program that helps fixed-income seniors and disabled residents who can’t remove snow from their sidewalks. Snowbuster volunteers are paired-up with a neighbor in their area, and when it snows, the Snowbuster goes into action clearing their neighbor’s sidewalk. “These Snowbuster volunteers make a valuable difference in the lives of those in need,” says Thornton Arts and Volunteer Specialist Heather Kailey. “Their work is really appreciated.”
After each storm, Snowbuster volunteers:
have 36 hours to shovel their partner’s sidewalks
have 48 hours to clear the snow If more than eight inches fall
don’t have to worry about driveways, they are not included in this volunteer service
“Snow removal not only provides safe sidewalks for residents, but also for delivery persons and Meals on Wheels staff,” says Kailey. “It’s just a great service for those in need, and it really doesn’t take that much effort from the Snowbuster volunteer.”
Carbon monoxide poisoning has claimed five lives in Colorado this winter. The time is now to protect yourself and your family by installing CO detectors.
The cost of carbon monoxide detectors has dropped appreciably in recent years as they become more popular and now is the time to protect yourself and your home. Every home should have at least one and indeed, experts recommend you have one on every level of the house.
An expanded version of this article is available on Examiner.com with more safety tips on how you can protect you and your family from carbon monoxide.
The incident in Aspen got my attention and I bought a number of them for my house and highly encourage everyone to do the same. They can be found at most home improvement stores, big box stores or online at places like Amazon.com. Installation is very simple with some just needing to be plugged into a wall outlet and others being battery operated.
These extraordinary satellites will provide everything from lightning mapping and improved hurricane forecasting to monitoring of sea surface temperatures. The press release from NOAA provides some of the details on this exciting endeavor:
NOAA, NASA Select Contractor to Build GOES-R Series Spacecraft
New Geostationary Satellites Will Give Forecasters Better Information
December 2, 2008
NOAA and NASA officials announced today Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, of Denver, Colo., has been selected to build two spacecraft for NOAA’s next generation geostationary satellite series, GOES-R. There are two options, each providing for one additional satellite. Scheduled for launch in 2015, the new satellites will provide more data in greater detail which is essential to creating accurate weather forecasts.
The contract has a total value of $1.09 billion for the two satellites. A separate contract to build the GOES-R ground system, which receives, processes and distributes data transmitted from the spacecraft, will be announced later in 2009, officials said.
“GOES-R, with its highly advanced instruments and sensors, will provide about 50 times more weather and climate data than is available with NOAA’s current fleet of geostationary satellites,” said Mary Kicza, assistant administrator for NOAA Satellite and Information Service. “The American public will see real life-saving benefits from this satellite system with more timely forecasts and warnings for severe weather.”
GOES-R will improve the monitoring of sea surface temperatures and also provide more data to hurricane forecasters by giving sharper images of storms every 30 seconds, instead of every 7.5 minutes as the current satellites provide.
Additionally, GOES-R will carry a first-of-its-kind instrument called the Geostationary Lightning Mapper, which will quickly locate all lightning flashes occurring anytime, anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. The lightning mapper will aid in predicting tornadoes, which often spawn from lightning-packed thunderstorms.
Other key benefits expected from GOES-R include: greater monitoring of surface temperatures in metropolitan areas to improve warnings for heat stress, and better data to bolster the forecasts for unhealthy air quality days. GOES-R will feature advanced solar monitoring instruments for space weather forecasts and warnings of solar storms. These storms endanger billions of dollars worth of commercial and government assets in space and cause power surges for the satellite-based electronics and communications industry.
George Morrow, director of Flight Project for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. said, “NASA Goddard is excited to be NOAA’s partner in this next generation GOES development and we look forward to delivering an outstanding observatory for their operational use.”
NOAA funds, manages and will operate the GOES-R program. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center oversees the acquisition of the GOES-R spacecraft and instruments for NOAA.
The tornado warning logo is one of many from Weather Geek Stuff that is available on everything from clothing to cups.
So do you have someone on your Christmas shopping list that simply must know what temperature it is, no matter where they are or what time it is? Here are some great places to look for gifts for them:
Weather Geek Stuff – Looking for something with a bit of humor to it? Weather Geek Stuff is a great place for shirts, cups and novelties with a variety of “weather geek” logos. They have items with their “Weather Geek” and “Weather Diva” logos and some very amusing weather warning sign logo merchandise that are sure to be a hit.
Galileo Shop – The Galileo thermometer – or thermoscope – was invented by Galileo Galilei in the early 1600s. These glass tubes filled with water use floating spheres to tell the temperature based on Galileo’s specific density principle. They are beautiful to look at in addition to be a fascinating experiment. Galileo Shop has tons of different types and styles to choose from.
One of the many incredible images available in print from Extreme Instability.
Extreme Instability – Storm chaser Mike Hollingshead has a knack for capturing some of the most incredible images of severe weather you have ever seen. From tornadoes to wall clouds to lightning, his images are striking to say the least. On his website you can order prints of his best photos.
Ambient Weather – This company is known amongst personal weather station owners as being one of the best not only in terms of prices but also customer service. They carry every type of weather station from basic wireless outside temperature monitors to professional level weather stations.
For those that may not have noticed it in the most recent issue of Inside Thornton, the city has launched a new service called Thornton Connected. This new website and system allows area residents access to all sorts of new information from the city. First is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the website that covers the entire breadth of city services. That same information is also available by phone. Second is an email subscription service that allows area residents to receive periodic emails from the city on a range of topics from just about every city department.
We have subscribed to many of the email newsletters and have them to be very informative. The city is also doing a great job of ensuring the number of messages isn’t overwhelming and is only sending out the important stuff. We commend the City of Thornton on this new service for residents!
At the current time the system is only for non-emergency messages. We do wish and hope the city will consider expanding the system to include emergency messages such as tornado warnings, Amber Alerts and other emergency alerts. The city does not have an emergency siren system or any other way to disseminate emergency information to residents and we believe this would be a valuable and potentially life saving service. A number of municipalities across the country and in Colorado have implemented such systems. We are going to talk to the city about this and will update you when we learn more about their plans.
