If you were thinking you were feeling fall in the air the last day or two you had good reason. Temperatures this morning almost felt chilly and Denver tied the record low temperature for the date.
At 6:25am this morning, the mercury at Denver International Airport where the Mile High City’s official records are taken dipped to 46 degrees. This tied the record low temperature for August 20 last set in 1939.
Here in Thornton we were just a touch warmer with a low of 47 degrees. That was our second chilliest temperature since May 21.
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As summer vacations wind down and families prepare to send their kids back to school in August, Colorado weather also starts to settle down. The chances for severe weather decrease markedly during August and by the end of the month daytime temperatures are dropping quite a bit as well.
The month of July was somewhat a tale of two months in one. The first half was most notable for their unseasonably warm temperatures and relatively dry conditions. The second half saw a few days of heat but for the most part was considerably cooler and wetter.
Thornton saw an average temperature for the month of 73.5 degrees. Out at Denver International Airport where the Mile High City’s official readings are taken, the month saw an average of 75.3 degrees. Long term, the month of July sees an average of 74.2 degrees in Denver so while Thornton was cooler than that, Denver was warmer.
Thornton had its highest temperature reading of 99.9 degrees on the 19th and its coldest of 47.7 degrees on the 1st. Denver saw its warmest reading of 99 degrees on the 3rd and its coldest of 47 degrees on the 1st.
In terms of precipitation, Denver’s long term July average is 2.16 inches. Thornton easily bested that number with 3.66 inches in our rain bucket. The Mile High City fell well short with only 1.03 inches.
Thornton, Colorado’s July 2018 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado’s July 2018 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
305 PM MDT WED AUG 1 2018
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2018...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2018
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 105 07/20/2005
LOW 42 07/04/1903
07/31/1873
HIGHEST 99 07/03 99 0 100 07/19
07/06
LOWEST 47 07/01 51 -4 51 07/01
AVG. MAXIMUM 90.2 89.4 0.8 91.5
AVG. MINIMUM 60.3 58.9 1.4 61.3
MEAN 75.3 74.2 1.1 76.4
DAYS MAX >= 90 19 16.0 3.0 20
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 6.41 1965
MINIMUM 0.01 1901
TOTALS 1.03 2.16 -1.13 0.47
DAILY AVG. 0.03 0.07 -0.04 0.02
DAYS >= .01 8 8.3 -0.3 6
DAYS >= .10 3 4.3 -1.3 3
DAYS >= .50 0 1.4 -1.4 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.7 -0.7 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.43 07/23 TO 07/23
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTAL 0.0 0.0
RECORDS
TOTAL 0.0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 0 6 -6 0
SINCE 7/1 0 6 -6 0
COOLING TOTAL 326 289 37 360
SINCE 1/1 615 444 171 533
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.1
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/138
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 47/140 DATE 07/02
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 64/150 DATE 07/02
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 10
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 20
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 1
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 50
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORMS 13 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 3 RAIN 5
LIGHT RAIN 11 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 FOG W/VIS <=1/4 MILE 3
FOG 8 HAZE 5
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Smoke from area wildfires helps color the sky orange at sunrise. (Jessica Fey)
Colorado offers outdoor opportunities unlike any other state and while the summer heat settles in, photos of the amazing scenes across our state provide a view into why we love it here so much.
The weather this time of year has a pretty standard pattern of quickly warming temperatures followed by afternoon thunderstorms that can cool things down. These storms sometimes provide a good bit of ‘excitement’ and are a prime photo subject.
Slideshow updated July 29, 2018
Recreationalists head outdoors and take advantage of urban, suburban and rural opportunities. As they do, our abundant wildlife that is found just about anywhere comes into focus.
Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather and nature related imagery. Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted.
To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.
[flickr_set id=”72157697199001551″]
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.
With 1.80 inches having fallen in the bucket yesterday afternoon and evening, Thornton saw a big boost in our rainfall totals for July and the entire year.
In fact, the 1.80 inches from that one storm was more precipitation than we had seen in any single month yet this year.
It did push the month’s rainfall total to above the 11 year average for July however, for 2018 we are still lagging almost 2 inches below what we would normally see by the end of July.
There are still seven days left in the month and monsoonal flow does look to be present in the coming days so we certainly could see things improve further.
The running theme so far for 2018 seems to be warmer than normal temperatures and drier that average conditions. That trend continued in June for Thornton.
Like May, June was somewhat a tale of two halves. The first half of the month was marked by very dry conditions with no precipitation until the 16th of the month. Similarly, overall temperatures trended well above normal during the first half of June.
While the warm and dry conditions were notable, the most memorable weather event came on the evening of the 18th when large hail pounded the northern half of Thornton. Extensive damage to homes and vehicles was seen as hailstones pushing 2 inches in diameter struck.
The month also featured Thornton’s hottest mercury reading in six years. We saw a high of 102.4 degrees on the 28th. You have to go back to June 25, 2012 to find a warmer reading (102.9). Additionally, the reading ties for the second warmest high temperature ThorntonWeather.com has recorded since coming online in 2007.
Thornton saw an overall average temperature for the month of 71.3 degrees. This was well above the 30 year average June temperature for Denver of 67.4 degrees. Out at DIA where Denver’s official measurements are taken, it was even warmer with an average for the month of 72.4 degrees.
Temperatures ranged from a high of 102.4 degrees on the 28th down to a low of 46.8 degrees on the morning of the 25th. The Mile High City saw it warmest reading of 105 on the 28th as well and its coldest reading of 44 degrees on the 2nd.
The National Weather Service reports that June 2018 will go into the books as the seventh warmest June on record for Denver. Additionally, three days saw record tying or setting highs. The 5th brought a record high of 95 degrees, the 6th saw a record-tying high of 95 degrees and the 105 degree reading on the 28th was a record for that date.
Denver averages 1.98 inches of precipitation during the month of June. Both Thornton and Denver fell short of that mark. Thornton saw 1.28 inches fall in its rain bucket while at the airport, it was even drier with only 0.43 inches.
June 2018 temperature summary chart for Thornton, Colorado. (ThorntonWeather.com)June 2018 precipitation summary chart for Thornton, Colorado. (ThorntonWeather.com)
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
320 PM MDT SUN JUL 1 2018
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2018...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2018
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 105 06/28/2018
06/26/2012
06/25/2012
LOW 30 06/02/1951
HIGHEST 105R 06/28 104 1 99 06/20
LOWEST 44 06/02 30 14 42 06/13
AVG. MAXIMUM 88.8 82.4 6.4 85.5
AVG. MINIMUM 56.0 52.3 3.7 53.6
MEAN 72.4 67.4 5.0 69.5
DAYS MAX >= 90 16 7.9 8.1 9
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.96 1882
MINIMUM T 1890
TOTALS 0.43 1.98 -1.55 0.33
DAILY AVG. 0.01 0.07 -0.06 0.01
DAYS >= .01 5 8.4 -3.4 5
DAYS >= .10 2 4.6 -2.6 2
DAYS >= .50 0 1.4 -1.4 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.3 -0.3 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.25 06/17 TO 06/17
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTAL 0.0 0.0
RECORD 0.4 1919
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 9 62 -53 25
SINCE 7/1 5410 6058 -648 5109
COOLING TOTAL 241 133 108 167
SINCE 1/1 289 155 134 173
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.5
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 1/129
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 40/240 DATE 06/05
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 57/160 DATE 06/27
SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.40
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 11
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 16
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 3
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 42
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORMS 12 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 5
LIGHT RAIN 5 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 FOG W/VIS <=1/4 MILE 1
FOG 5 HAZE 2
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Change is of course the one constant in Denver’s weather but come July, things actually get pretty consistent.
The standard formula for a day in July is a sunny morning, clouds developing in the late morning and early afternoon. Come mid-afternoon, thunderstorms are rolling off of the foothills and into the metro area and the eastern plains. These storms do occasionally reach severe status containing hail, gusty winds and heavy downpours of rain.
June 4, 2018 – Sunset colors the virga late in the evening. (David Canfield)
The month of June typically sees springtime severe weather reach its height of activity in northeastern Colorado.
This affords the opportunity to capture extraordinary images of amazing weather phenomena from monstrous supercell thunderstorms to heavy rain, hail and even tornadoes.
Slideshow updated June 30, 2018
Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather and nature related imagery.
Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted. June brings some very dynamic weather and the photos are a great way to see the stunning variety.
To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.
[flickr_set id=”72157669882482238″]
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.
On the June solstice, the Earth’s northern hemisphere is tilted at its maximum toward the sun. The result is the longest day of the year for the northern part of the planet. (NASA)
Astronomical summer arrived in Thornton this morning and with the solstice we will enjoy our longest day of the year.
Summer officially began at 4:07am MDT this morning. The Summer Solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted at it closest to the sun – 23.4 degrees. This results in the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Here in Denver the sun rises at 5:32am today and sets at 8:31pm. This will give us 14 hours, 59 minutes and 14 seconds of daytime.
Tomorrow it will be a bit less than one second shorter than today and each day from now through the Winter Solstice in December will get gradually shorter as well.
At the poles of the globe, the seasonal extremes will be quite notable. Areas north of the Arctic Circle to the North Pole will see 24 hours of daylight and have a midnight sun. On the opposite end of the globe, the South Pole will have no direct sunlight at all as they are in the depths of their winter.
Did you know that there is a difference between the astronomical seasons that we are discussing here and meteorological seasons?
Meteorological seasons differ slightly and are geared toward matching the calendar with the annual temperature cycle. This is done primarily for meteorological observing and forecasting and in many ways it is more logical than the astronomical seasons.
For the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological spring covers the months of March, April and May. Summer brings the hottest months of the year and so meteorological summer is June, July and August. Meteorological fall then is September, October and November followed by the coldest months of December, January and February as meteorological winter.
We knew the weekend was going to be a scorcher and sure enough, it has been thus far.
Today, the high temperature in Denver as measured at Denver International Airport topped out at 95 degrees at 4:00pm. This tied the record high temperature for June 9 last set in 2012.
Here in Thornton we matched that number with a 95 degree high of our own as well.
More heat is expected on Sunday with highs potentially coming in a couple of degrees warmer than today. We then will see a weak cold front cool things down slightly Monday and Tuesday but then the heat returns for the latter half of the workweek. See our extended forecast for details.
Stay up to date with Thornton’s weather: ‘Like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitterand add us to your Google+ circles
Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.
If you were thinking you were feeling fall in the air the last day or two you had good reason. Temperatures this morning almost felt chilly and Denver tied the record low temperature for the date.
