Category Archives: Severe Weather

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11th annual Storm Chaser Convention coming to Denver

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Get ready for ChaserCon - Coming to Denver in February!
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.

Severe Weather

2008 had second highest number of tornadoes on record

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2008 will go down as the second most active year for tornadoes on record.
2008 will go down as the second most active year for tornadoes on record.

According to the latest data from the Storm Prediction Center, the number of confirmed tornadoes in 2008 will finish well above average.  Final numbers through the end of October count 1,621 twisters, exceeding the average over the last ten years of 1,270 per year. 

Once the data is finalized, the year will most likely go down as the second most active tornado year on record since record keeping began in 1950.  2004 was the most active year with 1,871 and the number three year was 1998 with 1,424. 

While some alarmists may look to climate change as a reason for what seems to be an increase in the number of twisters, the explanation is actually much simpler than that.  Technology like radar now allows us to ‘see’ tornadoes in rural areas that normally would have gone unreported.  Further, as population grows, there are simply more people living in areas that were unpopulated before and thus twisters are spotted more often. 

Get more local news and weather information on Examiner.com.
This article and many more are posted to the Denver Weather Examiner site.		 Visit Examiner.com for more local Denver news and weather.

What about Colorado?  Certainly we all remember the Windsor tornado in May.  Beyond that, there were a total of 61 tornado reports in 2008.  The actual number of twisters will certainly be lower than that once duplicate reports are removed and the tally is official.

TORNADO TOTALS AND RELATED DEATHS...THROUGH 12/31/2008
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0726 AM CST THU JAN 01 2009

    ...NUMBER OF TORNADOES...            NUMBER OF        KILLER
                                       TORNADO DEATHS    TORNADOES
     ..2008..  ..2007.. 2006 2005  3YR            3YR            3YR
    PREL  ACT PREL  ACT  FIN  FIN   AV 08 07 06 05 AV 08 07 06 05 AV
JAN  136   84   29   21   47   33   34  7  2  1  4  2  4  1  1  2  1
FEB  230  148   87   52   12   10   25 59 22  0  0  7 12  3  0  0  1
MAR  150  126  214  171  150   62  128  4 27 11  1 13  3 10  7  1  6
APR  189  189  187  165  245  132  181  0  9 38  0 16  0  3  9  0  4
MAY  597  460  282  250  139  123  171 43 14  3  0  6 10  4  1  0  2
JUN  394  289  152  128  120  316  188  7  0  0  0  0  4  0  0  0  0
JUL  120   94   55   69   71  138   93  1  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0
AUG  145   99   87   73   80  123   92  0  1  1  4  2  0  1  1  3  2
SEP  133  111   63   51   84  133   89  2  0  1  1  1  1  0  1  1  1
OCT   28   21  115   87   76   18   60  0  5  0  0  2  0  3  0  1  1
NOV   20    -    7    7   42  150   66  2  0 10 28 13  2  0  3  5  3
DEC   50    -   22   19   40   26   33  0  1  2  0  1  0  1  2  0  1
    ----  --- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
SUM 2192 1621 1300 1093 1106 1264 1159 125 81 67 38 62 37 26 25 13 21

PREL = 2009 PRELIMINARY COUNT FROM NWS LOCAL STORM REPORTS.
ACT = ACTUAL COUNT BASED ON NWS STORM DATA SUBMISSIONS.

TORNADO-RELATED FATALITY NUMBERS ARE ENTERED WHEN CONFIRMED BY NWS
FORECAST OFFICES.
Severe Weather

Green skies – Storm Chasers episode 7 sneak peek

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The Doppler On Wheels (DOW) surveys storm clouds looking for tornadoes.
The Doppler On Wheels (DOW) surveys storm clouds looking for tornadoes.

Our friendly little bird from the Discovery Channel continues to offer us – and you – sneak peeks of coming episodes of Storm Chasers.  The episode guide for this coming Sunday’s episode says:

HAIL TO THE BEAST – Nov. 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Reed and Josh’s teams struggle to find the perfect storm in Nebraska. Reed’s girlfriend Jene gets lost in a deadly hailstorm while the DOW fleet mistakenly drives into an oncoming tornado.

The sneak peek the Discovery Channel has offered us this week is aptly titled, “Green Skies.”  As anyone who has been around severe weather knows, green skies mean hail – and tornadoes.  We see this is Denver occasionally but in this clip, the TornadoVideos.net team finds themselves separated from each other while under a sky completely filled with green clouds.  It is a rather eerie – and scary – effect.

For more information:  The Discovery Channel – Storm Chasers

Climatology, National Weather, Severe Weather

ThorntonWeather.com sneak peek – Storm Chasers episode 4 preview

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Now that is heavy metal! The TIV 2 is a machine designed specifically for driving into a tornado. Image courtesy Discovery Channel.
Now that is heavy metal! The TIV 2 is a machine designed specifically for driving into a tornado. Image courtesy Discovery Channel.

The 2008 tornado season was historical for its ferocity.  Record breaking numbers of twisters struck Tornado Alley with a frequency not seen in years.  In June, north central and western Kansas were ground zero for tornado outbreaks that went on for days. 

ThorntonWeather.com continues to be granted special access to the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers (Sunday’s @ 8:00pm MST) footage.  In this coming Sunday’s episode, the crew finds itself right in the thick of things.  The episode guide says:

No Place Like Kansas – Nov. 23 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
With the DOW and all the chase vehicles up and running again, the team finds themselves hunting in the same territory as the rival TVN crew. Tornadoes are forming all over western Kansas on what looks like the biggest day of the season.

This week’s sneak peak – A funnel cloud begins to form in the skies over Quinter, Kansas as the the Storm Chasers scramble to approach it.

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.

Colorado Weather, Severe Weather, Weather Education

Wild Western Weather 2008 announced

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Wild Western Weather 2008 will be held on November 18th.
Wild Western Weather 2008 will be held on November 18th.

The channel 7 24 / 7 Weather Center has accounced an exciting event – Wild Western Weather 2008.  The event will be held at the Wild Life Experience in Parker on Tuesday, November 18th from 6:00pm to 10:00pm.  This looks to be a great event with a number of notable speakers.  

Some of the highlights include: 

  • Tim Samaras – Tornado Expert – featured in National Geographic Magazine, “Inside Tornadoes – The Latest Research: Twistex 2008” 
  • Tony Laubach – Storm Chaser – “The Windsor Tornado vs Douglas County Landspouts” 
  • Dr. Walt Lyons – Lightning Researcher – “Flash Facts – Red Sprites, Blue Jets and Other Rare Airities” 
  • Ethan Green – Director, Colorado Avalanche Information Center – “Avalanches and the Big Snow Winter of 2007-08” 
  • Dr. Thomas Schlatter – NOAA’s Earth System Research Lab and the University of Colorado – “The Pine Bark Beetle – A Canary for Climate Change?”

    • I do wish they had chosen a more central location for it or at least held the event on the weekend.  It is pretty tough for anyone who works and lives north to try to make it down there. 

    For more information, check it out on channel 7’s website here:  http://www.thedenverchannel.com/weather/5103957/detail.html

    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, 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.

    Colorado Weather, Severe Weather, Thornton Weather

    Governor proclaims Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado

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    Governor Bill Ritter has proclaimed the week of October 19th through October 25th as Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado.
    Governor Bill Ritter has proclaimed the week of October 19th through October 25th as Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado.

    Winter weather in Colorado can be an inconvenience but more than that it can be deadly.  Emergency preparedness for major winter storms – as well as for other types of severe weather – is an important part of living in a state where conditions can change wildly from one moment to the next.  To help raise awareness of the need to be prepared for these occassions, Governor Ritter has proclaimed the week of October 19th to October 25th Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado. 

    The National Weather Service will be issuing Public Information Statements each day this week to highlight the dangers of winter weather and how best to be prepared.  ThorntonWeather.com will be posting these notices here in our news section to help you be prepared.  Please take the time to read and heed these messages – your life could depend on it. 

    Continue reading Governor proclaims Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado →

    Colorado Weather, Severe Weather

    Storm Chasers premieres tomorrow night – New promo video released

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    Our favorite show, Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers, premieres its second season tomorrow, October 19th.  We of course have touted this show before and cannot say enough good things about it.  The new season chronicles the tornado hunters’ as they chase storms across the plains this past summer.  The season was record breaking in the number of tornadoes and the number of deaths and the Storm Chasers team was right in the thick of it. 

    Be sure to check out the show if you can.  Here is a new trailer to help get you excited.