We may not have received any real snow the last two days but it is hard to complain when you consider just how much we have received this season.
Thus far Thornton has recorded 76.0 inches snowfall, the second highest seasonal total since we came online 10 years ago. Those numbers are likely to get higher as snow in April is almost certain and snow in May would not be unusual.
Out at DIA where Denver’s official totals are kept, 57.2 inches has been received. The Mile High City’s long term average (1882-2015) is 57.1 inches.
Beautiful reflections close out the first day of March 2016. (David Canfield)
The month of March is the start of meteorological spring and while conditions do begin warming, winter weather is certainly out of the question. From hot to cold, snow to rain, the conditions can be very conducive to great pictures as we see in our slideshow.
March in Denver typically means frequent and rapid weather changes. The days grow longer and we start enjoying more sunshine and sometimes summer-like weather. However, on occasion arctic air masses can still force their way south into Colorado dropping temperatures quickly and markedly.
With the active wildlife, increased outdoor activities by us humans, and of course the weather, March imagery contains a wide variety of subjects and extremes.
Slideshow updated March 31, 2016. 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.
Thornton’s Tuesday looks to be a relatively pleasant day with mild temps but with some cloud cover. We also will see a return to wintry weather tonight through tomorrow although it won’t be anything too dramatic.
For today we start with partly sunny skies and we will see a good little bit of cloud cover throughout the day, increasing in the afternoon. Temperatures will be climbing to a pleasant high of 63 degrees.
The next storm system starts making itself felt this afternoon although for the most part, its effects will be limited in our area as it will be mainly to our north. We do see a slight chance for some thunderstorms and shower activity from about 3:00pm through midnight tonight.
As temperatures drop overnight, light snow will be possible in the early morning hours through much of the day tomorrow. Accumulations will be quite light though, perhaps an inch or two for the entire event. The good news is that while temperatures will be cool for the balance of the workweek, they will rebound nicely for the weekend. Get the extended weather forecast here.
The morning of March 23, 2016 saw the blizzard hit with full force. (ThorntonWeather.com)
It is hard to believe so much snow can fall over such a short period of time. Over just more than 12 hours Thornton received 21.7 inches – our biggest snowstorm since 2006. Our east facing webcam captured all the action from start to finish.
The video below starts at midnight on the 23rd with dry conditions. By about 2:00am rain falls but that quickly transitions to snow.
It is after daybreak that the storm gets started in earnest and the heavy snowfall almost entirely obscures the view at points. As is typical in Colorado, by mid-afternoon, we actually start to see some blue skies.
The video covers 19 hours in about 39 seconds. There are a few ‘hiccups’ in the video that you might notice. These were when we had brief power outages.
To say the storm that pounded the Colorado Front Range was a big one does not do it justice. In less than 24 hours Thornton would see blizzard conditions and our second heaviest snowfall of the previous 10 years.
Light rain began in the early morning hours but that soon transitioned to snow. The white stuff would continue to fall into the evening. Strong winds helped whip the snow and create blizzard conditions grinding the Colorado Front Range to a halt.
Thornton would tally 20.1 inches of snow, one of the heftier totals from the area.
The video below begins at midnight and runs through 7:00pm.
Just yesterday we saw temperatures in excess of 70 degrees. Wednesday, March 23, will bring blizzard like conditions to Thornton. That is springtime in Colorado!
The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning which will be in effect until 6:00pm. Road conditions have deteriorated throughout the day and will continue to do so. Power outages are occurring and most schools and government offices are closed as are many businesses.
Throughout the period we will of course be monitoring the system and posting regularly to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can follow along in real time below. We are also on Google+ here.
The United States begins Daylight Savings Time at 2:00am on Sunday, March 8, 2015.
The biannual ritual of changing our clocks to adjust for Daylight Savings Time occurs this Saturday night providing yet another signal of the changing of seasons. The United States will ‘spring forward’ one hour at 2:00am Sunday morning as we begin Daylight Savings Time.
The ritual of changing our clocks twice a year can be met with some resistance as some people struggle to adjust their body’s internal clock. The start of Daylight Savings Time can be particularly problematic given the one hour less sleep people receive on the night of the change.
However, longer days as we head into the milder months are a very real benefit and for many worth the inconvenience of a lost hour of sleep. The time change definitely has big effects on how much daylight we enjoy during our normal waking hours.
On Saturday, prior to the change, sunset will occur at 6:04pm but on Sunday the sun won’t disappear over the horizon until 7:05pm. This affords folks more time in the evening to get started on those spring-time chores and allows us to get outside and enjoy the warming weather.
The March Equinox is also on the horizon. Spring officially begins at 10:30pm on March 19.
This year Daylight Savings Time will come to an end on November 6.
Some of the recent history of Daylight Savings Time (from Wikipedia):
Daylight saving time in the United States was first observed in 1918. Most areas of the United States currently observe daylight saving time, with the exceptions being the states of Arizona and Hawaii along with the territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
From 1987 to 2006, daylight saving time in the United States began on the first Sunday of April and ended on the last Sunday of October. The time was adjusted at 2:00 AM (0200) local time (as it still is done now).
Since 2007, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November, with all time changes taking place at 2:00 AM (0200) local time. In 2011, daylight saving time began on March 13 and will end on November 6.
On June 3, 1981 a tornado struck Thornton in what is the worst twister to have struck the Denver metro area. Are you ready should disaster strike again? Image courtesy the City of Thornton archives.
Severe weather is a fact of life in Colorado – from blizzards to tornadoes we can and do see it all. Each year the weather is responsible for claiming lives in our state and across the nation and the threat is very real. Storm spotter training allows you to learn how to protect yourself and your family while providing a public service.
Education is key to knowing how to protect you and your family. Whether you want to be an official storm spotter or maybe just want to learn more about severe weather, storm spotter training can provide you an incredible opportunity to learn.
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:
Below are the dates, times and locations announced thus far. The embedded calendar should automatically update with new dates and changes but be sure to check the National Weather Service site for the latest.
The month of February was a bit of a mixed bag of weather conditions for Thornton. While it started out cold and snowy, it finished quite warm.
Snow and cold were the main features for the month initially as we received our biggest snowfall of the season on the 1st and 2nd. Thornton recorded a healthy 11.1 inches from the system while Denver officially saw 11.6 inches.
The white stuff and the cold with it did not last long however. Cold did linger for a few days but an extended period from the 9th to the 20th saw dry conditions and warmer than normal temperatures.
A very brief interlude then arrived cooling things down and delivering light snow on the 23rd. From there, the warm and dry conditions returned and closed out the month.
Thornton saw an average monthly temperature of 38.5 degrees for the month. Out at the airport where Denver’s official measurements are taken, the month averaged 37.8 degrees. Both were well above the historical February average of 32.5 degrees.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 74.5 degrees on the 18th down to a low of 3.3 degrees on the morning of the 3rd. Denver’s maximum reading for the month was 73 degrees and its lowest 1 degree, both occurring on the same day as Thornton’s. The Mile High City’s reading on the 18th was a record high for the date.
In terms of precipitation, Denver averages 0.37 inches during what is usually a relatively dry month. Thornton saw 0.53 inches of liquid precip while DIA recorded 0.48 inches. For both locations, the bulk of the moisture occurred with the snowstorm that started the month.
Snowfall was well above normal for February 2016. Thornton saw 11.9 inches and Denver 11.6 inches. Average for February is 5.9 inches.
Thornton, Colorado’s February 2016 Temperature Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado’s February 2016 Precipitation Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
1035 AM MST TUE MAR 1 2016
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2016...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2016
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 77 02/28/2006
02/04/1890
LOW -25 02/01/1951
02/08/1936
HIGHEST 73 02/18 68 5 74 02/07
LOWEST 1 02/03 5 4 -6 02/27
AVG. MAXIMUM 52.2 46.2 6.0 46.6
AVG. MINIMUM 23.4 18.9 4.5 21.0
MEAN 37.8 32.5 5.3 33.8
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 3 3.9 -0.9 7
DAYS MIN <= 32 25 26.9 -1.9 24
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 1.3 -1.3 2
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 2.01 1934
MINIMUM 0.01 1970
TOTALS 0.48 0.37 0.11 1.25
DAILY AVG. 0.02 MM MM 0.04
DAYS >= .01 2 5.3 -3.3 10
DAYS >= .10 2 0.7 1.3 5
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.45 02/01 TO 02/02 02/15 TO 02/16
02/21 TO 02/21
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 11.6 5.7
RECORD FEBRUARY 22.4 2015
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 780 908 -128 864
SINCE 7/1 3988 4468 -480 4113
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 11.3
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/217
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 43/220 DATE 02/18
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 53/230 DATE 02/18
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 8
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 18
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 3
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 50
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 0 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 2
LIGHT SNOW 3 SLEET 0
FOG 4 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3
HAZE 2
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
The month of February was quite generous in terms of snowfall at the start. However things quickly transitioned to drier and warmer conditions that lasted most of the rest of the month.
March usually offers healthy snowfall giving us an opportunity to add to those numbers. While there is good snow potential in March, the month also typically brings much warmer temperatures.
March is historically Denver’s snowiest month and brings about 20% of our annual snowfall. Heavy, wet spring snow storms can oftentimes bring the entire month’s snowfall total in one monstrous snow.
We also start the transition to spring and severe weather season and the month typically brings our first thunderstorms of the year. Temperatures climb throughout the month and by the end our average daytime highs are near 60 degrees.
Just yesterday we saw temperatures in excess of 70 degrees. Wednesday, March 23, will bring blizzard like conditions to Thornton. That is springtime in Colorado!
