The latest quake was recorded at 1:58am and was centered 3.1 miles below the surface, much like the previous one in the Craig area. While the temblor was small enough that it most likely wasn’t felt, the recent quakes have garnered the attention of seismologists and geologists in the state.
Earthquakes in Colorado are not unusual as the USGS says nine were recorded this year and more than 100 in the last four years. However having this many in such a short time span is not particularly common. The last time the state experienced two quakes of magnitude 3.5 or greater so frequently was in 2001 when an earthquake “swarm” shook the area near Trinidad. During that event, from August 28 and September 21 of that year, 12 earthquakes of magnitude 2.8 to 4.6 struck just west of the southern Colorado city.
Damage along Washington was extensive from the tornado that struck Thornton on June 3, 1981. (City of Thornton archives)
It was 28 years ago today that the worst tornado to ever strike the Denver metro area hit Thornton. June 3, 1981 is a day that will forever be remembered by longtime residents of the north metro area.
Last year the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel did a story about it which you can read by clicking here. Also, below is the entry from the National Weather Service’s history calendar – it is very interesting and serves as a good reminder that severe weather can strike anywhere.
In 1981…severe thunderstorms produced tornadoes over metro Denver. The first tornado touched down at the intersection of Alameda Ave. And Sheridan Blvd. The twister moved north along Sheridan Blvd….damaging businesses…apartment buildings…homes…and vehicles. Over ten homes were unroofed. The roof of one landed in the middle of a neighborhood park. At least 10 mobile homes were wrecked.
The tornado curved to the northeast into northwest Denver… Hopping up and down in several places. Very strong winds outside the actual funnel caused 20 to 30 thousand dollars in damage in downtown Denver. The third floor of one old building was demolished. No major injuries were reported from the tornado…although several people were hurt slightly in traffic accidents on Sheridan Blvd. in the confusion caused by the storm. Damage in Lakewood alone was estimated at 200 thousand dollars.
At the same time… The worst tornado to ever hit metro Denver struck Thornton. Coming from the same thunderstorm that spawned the Denver twister…the Thornton tornado tore a swath through the heart of the city. 87 homes were destroyed…110 others damaged at least moderately. In all…600 homes in a 100 block area sustained some damage. The twister also hit shopping centers…several restaurants…and other buildings. Seven of the 42 injured were considered serious. The storm was strong enough to snap lamp posts in half and drive a 6- inch slab of wood 2 feet into the ground. Damage was estimated at up to 50 million dollars.
The same storm that struck Thornton produced another damaging tornado that touched down in the northwest section of Fort Lupton. This twister damaged 16 homes and numerous cars and campers. Two children were slightly injured when the car they were in was knocked about and its windows shattered by the storm. The twister also damaged two commercial buildings. Damage was very spotty…and observers said the storm hopped up and down at least 3 times. Dollar damage was estimated at 500 thousand dollars.
The thunderstorm complex that produced 3 damaging tornadoes also dropped large hail which damaged many cars over northwest Denver. One to 2 inches of rain fell in less than an hour…flooding a mobile home park with 3 to 4 feet of water on the northwest edge of Denver. The high water damaged about half of the 392 homes in the park. Local flooding was also reported in other areas across metro Denver. A tornado was also sighted near Franktown…but caused no damage. A thunderstorm wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In the United States, the winter is generally considered ‘flu season’ and is when we see it most widespread. With the threat of a potential swine flu epidemic, analysts are trying to determine if the weather will play any factor in the spread of the virus.
The flu is spread through contact with an infected person or pig, typically through coughing or sneezing. In the winter, when most people in temperate regions like the United States are spending time indoors in closed environments and in close quarters with those that are infected, it is thought that the flu can be transmitted easier. The water droplets containing the virus are slower to evaporate in cooler weather thus remaining airborne for longer periods of time and increasing chances of others becoming infected.
Outbreaks can and do occur in the tropics however research indicates they occur with less frequency in places that do not have the seasonality that other areas do. Limited laboratory and health data from regions like Africa and Latin America have made it more difficult to track the spread of viruses and thus learn from it.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday that it hoped drier and warmer weather would help stifle the effects of the swine flu. The organization is asking health authorities to work with weather services to assess the role of weather and the climate in the outbreak as this is an aspect that is not fully known. WMO spokeswoman Gaelle Sevenier said , “The transmission patterns of this particular influenza and its possible seasonality are as yet not adequately understood and are the subject of ongoing investigations.”
The VORTEX2 tornado research project will be the largest in-field study of tornadoes ever.
The single largest and most ambitious field study to increase our understanding of tornadoes is set to kick off next month. The Verification of Origin of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment2 (VORTEX2 or V2) will feature more than 50 scientists utilizing 40 vehicles, 10 mobile radar units and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
The study which will run from May 10 to June 13 will become the largest mobile in-field laboratory ever assembled to study tornadoes. In a statement Louis Wicker, research meteorologist with NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory and V2 co-principal investigator said, “Data collected from V2 will help researchers understand how tornadoes form and how the large-scale environment of thunderstorms is related to tornado formation.”
The VORTEX2 tornado research project will be the largest in-field study of tornadoes ever.
Operations will be controlled at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma while the mobile units chase tornadoes across Tornado Alley and the central Great Plains. The target area for the study ranges from southern South Dakota through Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Eastern Colorado, home of many tornadoes, is included in the study.
This unprecedented gathering of scientists and technology hold incredible promise for the research that will be gathered. The original VORTEX program which happened from 1994 to 1995 documented the entire life cycle of a tornado from start to finish, the first time that had ever been done. That research greatly enhanced our understanding of twisters and led to much improved tornado warnings that help to save lives today.
VORTEX2 seeks to build on that research and the research that has taken place since. According to the project website it will seek to answer such important questions as: How do tornadoes form? What exactly causes the wind to spin into a concentrated funnel? How can we tell exactly when a tornado will form and when it will die, or how long it will last? Why do some thunderstorms produce tornadoes and others do not? What is the structure of tornadoes? What is the relationship of tornadic winds to damage?
An important finding from the original VORTEX experiment was that the factors responsible for causing tornadoes happen on smaller time and space scales than scientists had thought. New advances will allow for a more detailed sampling of a storm’s wind, temperature and moisture environment and lead to a better understanding of why tornadoes form – and how they can be more accurately predicted.
– Stephan Nelson, NSF program director for physical and dynamic meteorology.
VORTEX2 features scientists and students from the United States, Canada and Australia in collaboration with government agencies, private industry and educational institutions. Many luminaries within the storm chasing and severe weather research community will participate including Dr. Josh Wurman of the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers TV show. Some of the notable participating organizations include Center for Severe Weather Research, Rasmussen Systems, NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, OU/NOAA Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, NSF-sponsored National Centers for Atmospheric Research, Penn State University, University of Oklahoma, Texas Tech University, Lyndon State College, University of Colorado, Purdue University, North Carolina State University, University of Illinois, University of Massachusetts, University of Nebraska, Environment Canada, and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Florida researches believe a strong La Nina event is responsible for reduced global hurricane activity.
Researchers at Florida State University announced that global hurricane activity continues to decrease and is now at levels not seen since 1977. The researchers say that, “Tropical cyclone (TC) activity worldwide has completely and utterly collapsed during the past 2 to 3 years.”
Using a measurement called the Accumulated Cyclone Energy index (ACE), researchers see a tremendous drop in cyclone energy for the globe as a whole. While the north Atlantic saw above normal levels of ACE in 2008, it represents a relatively small amount of the global hurricane energy and as such cannot compensate for the much reduced levels elsewhere on Earth.
Just as there are active periods of hurricane activity around the globe, there are inactive periods, and we are currently experiencing one of the most impressive inactive periods, now for almost 3 years.
– Florida State University researchers
You can find complete coverage of this story as well as an incredible slideshow of hurricanes as seen from space on our Examiner.com weather news page. Click here to go there.
Want to be an official storm spotter or maybe just want to learn more about severe weather? Here’s your chance!
We have written before about the great opportunity the National Weather Service provides by giving storm spotter training during the start of the severe weather season. That time is now here and training sessions start in the coming week and new sessions have been added since we last reported on the topic.
The storm spotter program is a nationwide program with more than 280,000 trained spotters. These volunteers report weather hazards to their local National Weather Service office providing vital information when severe strikes. Data from spotters include severe wind, rain, snow measurements, thunderstorms and hail and of course tornadoes.
Storm spotters are part of the ranks of citizens who form the Nation’s first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that their efforts have given communities the precious gift of time–seconds and minutes that can help save lives.
By completing one of these training classes you can become an official storm spotter. When severe weather strikes, you can report it by calling a special toll free number or submit your report via the National Weather Service’s website.
These are great sessions for anyone wanting to learn more about the severe weather we experience in Colorado, whether you want to be an official spotter or not. All training is free. Topics include:
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.
Denver will host the 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention from February 13th to February 15th.
The 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention hits town this weekend as some of the nation’s premier storm chasers converge on Denver. Whether you are a seasoned chaser or just someone with an interest in the weather, this is an extraordinary opportunity to mingle with and hear from some of the biggest names in severe weather. The event is organized every year by two of the biggest names in storm chasing – Roger Hill and Tim Samaras.
Held at the Red Lion Inn in Parker, the event kicks off Friday night with an ice-breaker and a chance to mingle with other weather enthusiasts. Saturday morning the event starts in earnest with an extraordinary slate of speakers covering an array of topics. Saturday night is the infamous video night where videos and photos from last year’s record setting year of tornadoes are sure to play a big part and Sunday the convention continues with additional speakers.
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.
This amazing image of the Windsor tornado was taken from a backyard webcam. Image courtesy MyWindsorWeather.com.
May 22, 2008 started like most other spring days in Colorado. That Thursday morning had dawned with relatively mild temperatures and a touch of humidity in the air. That moisture in the air was a warning sign as moist air from the Gulf of Mexico was entering the state and a signal of the potential for severe storms. No one knew though just what was in store for a small town in northeastern Colorado.
As temperatures rose in the morning, the moist air near the ground mixed with fast moving dry air aloft and created conditions ideal for supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes. Hail began to fall around 11:20am near Platteville, a harbinger of things to come. As the weather situation became much more excited and confused, reports of a twister on the ground near Gilcrest at 11:29 rolled in.
A classic wedge tornado had formed and was moving to the north-northwest at a leisurely 30 mph wreaking havoc and destruction all along its path. Examiner.com soon posted a special report at 11:30 warning of the twister and showing its expected path. It narrowly missed the town of Milliken, dumping baseball sized hail on it instead. The twister was now a full mile wide with winds in excess of 136 mph and at 11:57am, the storm struck Windsor, home to 16,000 Coloradoans. By the time it was done with the town, it had claimed one life, destroyed 80 homes and damaged nearly 770 others.
For a total of nearly 45 minutes the storm carved a 35 mile long path of devastation and all along its path it left the evidence – houses with nothing but a foundation left, power poles snapped like matchsticks, semi-trailers overturned like toy cars, mangled pieces of metal and shards of wood.
Tornadoes in Colorado are not uncommon with an average of 60 per year, although most do occur on the eastern plains in more rural areas. The storm was only the second deadly tornado in Colorado in the last 10 years (the Holly tornado in 2007 being the other) but it served to highlight that the Front Range is on the western edge of Tornado Alley. Weld County is in fact Colorado’s own tornado capital having had more twisters than any other county since 1950.
When it was over, Coloradoans showed their sense of community in helping the affected areas. The Red Cross immediately went into action as did the state government in calling out the National Guard to help. Donations poured in and other relief agencies provided food and shelter to those left homeless. While the Windsor Tornado was an example of the worst of Mother Nature, the storm also showed us the best of mankind. No other weather event comes close to being Colorado’s biggest weather story of 2008.
Below is some amazing raw video from 9News of the tornado as it moved north.
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