Thornton, Colorado’s 2019 / 2020 snow season report and totals. Click for larger view. (ThorntonWeather.com)
As it appears we are done with the white stuff for the season, we can now report a finally tally for snow.
Thornton’s season recorded 84.3 inches, the second most since Thornton Weather came online in 2006. Only the 2015 / 2016 season had more (85.7 inches).
The total is most notable because we never did receive a truly big storm, just a number of respectable ones. The totals were helped by big months in October, November and February which overcame a very dry December and January.
Officially, as measured at Denver International Airport, only 57.6 inches was recorded. This was a mere 1/2 inch more than Denver’s long term seasonal average of 57.1 inches.
Those numbers continue to reflect the problem with having the Mile High City’s official weather station located out at the airport where it is in a totally different microclimate whose conditions don’t reflect what the metro area really sees.
For comparison, the site at Stapleton closest to where Denver’s records were recorded for 57 years before the move to DIA saw 71.4 inches of snow this season.
Colorado’s famously highly variable weather seems to showcase itself during the month of May when a variety of weather conditions can be seen.
Winter-like temperatures and snow are possible as are mid-summer like temperatures or the more typical spring severe weather.
As the month starts out in 2020 we are going to enjoy unseasonably warm conditions along with some chances for thunderstorms. Long range forecasts portend an overall warmer than normal month with equal chances of below, at or above normal precipitation.
The month can certainly bring extremes. Snow is not entirely uncommon during the month, oftentimes causing damage to newly bloomed trees. More common however is severe weather, particularly in the latter half of the month. Thunderstorms become more frequent and their associated hazards – lightning, wind, hail and tornadoes – are usual visitors.
April can be a tricky month weather-wise with everything from mild temperatures to snow to severe weather being possible. The good thing about that is that it provides plenty of chances for great photos!
April 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!
Throw in our usual wildlife plus the wide variety of birds that return to the Centennial State for the spring and summer and there is a lot going on.
Slideshow updated April 30, 2020.
To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.
Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.
Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.
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What is missing in the slideshow above? Your photo!
Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured. The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.
Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids. Whimsical, newsy, artsy. Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard. You name it, we want to see and share it!
Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State. We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.
We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.
What do you win for having your image in our slideshow? We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes. However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.
To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets. Links are provided below.
Following yesterday’s snowstorm, cold air settled in and resulted in our fifth broken cold temperature record of the week.
As measured at Denver International Airport, the low temperature in Denver fell to 12 degrees this morning. That breaks the record low temperature for April 17th of 13 degrees set in 1901.
Today’s record cold is the fifth record set this week:
April 13 – Record low temperature of 15 degrees (17 degrees, 1933)
April 13 – Record low maximum temperature of 25 degrees (27 degrees, 1933)
April 14 – Record low temperature of 11 degrees (15 degrees, 1933)
April 16 – Record low temperature of 19 degrees (22 degrees, 2013 and previous years)
April 17 – Record low temperature of 12 degrees (13 degrees, 1901)
As measured at Denver International Airport, the low temperature in Denver dropped to 19 degrees. The reading easily bested the previous record low temperature for April 16th of 22 degrees last set in 2013.
When the cold of the past 36 hours or so is called “unprecedented”, that is a very accurate statement as Denver has seen three cold temperature records fall.
The latest record set came this morning when the low temperature in Denver as measured at Denver International Airport dropped to 11 degrees. That shatters the previous record low temperature for the date of 15 degrees set in 1933. Thornton stayed warmer but still in record-setting territory with a low of 14 degrees.
A second cold temperature record of the day has fallen.
The high temperature in Denver as measured at Denver International Airport only reached 25 degrees today. That breaks the previous record low maximum for the date of 27 degrees set in 1933. Here in Thornton we were just a touch “warmer” with a high of 26 degrees.
Our spring cold and snow has claimed one record today and may very well break another before the day is over.
As measured at DIA, Denver hit a lot temperature of 15 degrees this morning. That easily breaks the previous record low temperature for the date of 17 degrees set in 1933. Here in Thornton, our low dipped to 16 degrees.
Additionally, the record low maximum for April 13th is 27 degrees, also set in 1933. It is quite possible that we will fail to get that warm and thus set another cold temperature record today.
Tomorrow’s record low is 15 degrees (1933), and with overnight temperatures tonight forecast to dip that low, there is yet another record that may fall.
The month of March was a relatively quiet one for the most part. We didn’t see any particularly notable extremes and only one significant snowstorm.
The month started out on the cool side and we received our first snow of the month on the 2nd. We then put together a stretch lasting two weeks with largely calm and dry conditions.
The 19th offered up a return to wintry conditions as after some rain early in the day, a transition to snow began and we received a healthy 7.5 inches of the white stuff.
Mostly dry conditions were the feature of the last 10 days of the month with a few days seeing temps above normal but most coming in below.
Thornton’s overall average temperature for the month came in at 42.2 degrees. This was a good bit above Denver’s March average of 40.4 degrees. Out at Denver International Airport where the Mile High City’s official records are kept, the reading nearly matched ours at 42.5 degrees.
Our warmest day on the 11th delivered a high of 71.1 degrees while our coldest, the 21st, saw a morning low of 14.2 degrees. Denver’s maximum reading of 68 degrees came on four different days. Their coldest of 11 degrees came on the 21st.
In terms of precipitation, Denver averages 0.92 inches in March. Thornton bested that easily with 1.56 inches and Denver did as well with 1.26 inches.
Both Thornton and Denver fell short of March’s average monthly snowfall of 10.7 inches. Thornton came closest with 9.3 inches while at the airport 7.5 inches was measured.
April 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.
