Climatology, National Weather, Natural Disasters

Deadly cold envelops Northern Hemisphere from U.S. to China

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Severe cold weather has enveloped the northern half of the globe from the United States to Britain to China. Across the continents, many places are reporting record setting temperatures and lives have been lost due to the Arctic chill.

The eastern half of the United States saw cold, Arctic air pulled down from the north plunging temperatures below freezing in normally mild places as far south as Florida. The widespread cold gripped most of the nation east of the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Seaboard.

Across the Midwest, temperatures plunged to well below freezing as parts of Iowa recorded temperatures as low as -15 degrees. Jeff Johnson, National Weather Service meteorologist, told the Des Moines Register, “”We’re a solid 30 degrees below normal.” Minneapolis, Minnesota and Chicago, Illinois were seeing wind chills below 0 degrees Tuesday morning.

In Miami, residents accustomed to short sleeve shirts and shorts bundled up as temperatures dropped to freezing. Further north in the state, Orlando saw a low temperature of 21 degrees.

The National Weather Service issued hard freeze warnings across parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida as the cold threatened the agriculture industry in those states. Freeze watches in Tennessee highlighted the severe cold and came on the heels of reports that four people have died in that state from the cold.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!The United States is not alone as the cold has turned deadly across the globe.  Get all the details and see some amazing photos at the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Climatology, Thornton Weather

December 2009 goes into the books as seventh coldest on record

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For the second time in the past three months, Denver has experienced monthly average temperatures in the ‘top 10 coldest’ category. In October, the Mile High City saw its second coldest October on record since record keeping began in 1882. Now Denver has just wrapped up its seventh coldest December in history.

Denver’s average December 2009 temperature was 24.1 degrees – a chilly 6.2 degrees below the normal average of 30.3 degrees. That puts the month into the books as the seventh coldest December on record (image right).  Thornton was just a touch colder having recorded an average temperature of 23.8 degrees.

Temperatures during the month ranged from a high temperature of 59 degrees on the 1st down to a low of -17 on the 9th. Overall, the majority of days during the month saw below normal temperatures.

In terms of snowfall, the month did finish above average but not in record setting territory. The National Weather Service recorded 11.1 inches of snowfall at the official monitoring station at Denver International Airport. This was 2.4 inches above the average of 8.7 inches for December.  In Thornton, we received a bit more snow than DIA.  15.3 inches was recorded at ThorntonWeather.com of which the single biggest even was the pre-Christmas storm which dumped 7.5 inches.

 The snow we did receive however was rather dry and as such we finished the month below normal for precipitation. DIA recorded 0.45 inch of precipitation which is 0.18 inch below normal.  Here again, because of the additional snowfall, Thornton fared a bit better with 0.5 inch of precipitation. 

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO                                 
510 PM MST SAT JAN 2 2010

................................... 

...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2009...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2009

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR'S         
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)      
                                          NORMAL                      
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              79   12/05/1939                                    
 LOW              -25   12/22/1990                                    
                        12/24/1876                                    
HIGHEST            59   12/21        79     -20       69  12/02       
                        12/01                                         
LOWEST            -17   12/09       -25       8      -19  12/15       
AVG. MAXIMUM     36.4              44.1    -7.7     41.0              
AVG. MINIMUM     11.9              16.4    -4.5     12.3              
MEAN             24.1              30.3    -6.2     26.6              
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0              
DAYS MAX <= 32     15               5.3     9.7       10              
DAYS MIN <= 32     31              29.2     1.8       30              
DAYS MIN <= 0       6               2.8     3.2        6              

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         5.21   1913                                          
 MINIMUM         0.00   1881                                          
TOTALS           0.45              0.63   -0.18     0.24              
DAILY AVG.       0.01              0.02   -0.01     0.01              
DAYS >= .01         7               5.3     1.7        6              
DAYS >= .10         2                MM      MM        0              
DAYS >= .50         0                MM      MM        0              
DAYS >= 1.00        0                MM      MM        0              
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.20   12/22 TO 12/23        0.10  12/13 TO 12/14       

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           57.4   1913  SNOWIEST DENVER MONTH SINCE 1881
TOTALS           11.1                8.7              7.1             

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1260              1078     182     1179              
 SINCE 7/1       2739              2486     253     2367              
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0              
 SINCE 1/1        533               696    -163      825              

FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/08/1962                                              
 LATEST       06/08/2007                                              
EARLIEST                        10/07                                 
LATEST                          05/05                                 
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              8.8
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   3/217
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    43/220    DATE  12/13
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    49/220    DATE  12/13

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM *SUNSHINE DATA N/A EFFECTIVE 10/1

NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            4
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             21
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          6

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     61

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               10     SLEET                      0
FOG                      11     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      1
HAZE                      7                                           
                                                                    
-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.                                      
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.                                
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.                                       
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

January 3 to January 9 – This week in Denver weather history

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January 3 to January 9 - This week in Denver weather history
January 3 to January 9 - This week in Denver weather history

January weather in Colorado can be as varied as during any month of the year.  Temperatures bordering on spring-like to bone chilling Arctic cold can be seen.  Snow of course plays a big part and while not always recognized as a big danger, high speed damaging winds are not unusual.

31-6

In 1973…the 31st marked the start of a protracted cold spell that extended into January of 1974 when temperatures dipped below zero on 7 consecutive days.  Record daily minimum readings occurred on the 3rd and 5th when the temperature plunged to 17 degrees below zero on both days. A record low daily maximum temperature of only 4 degrees occurred on the 5th.

31-7 

In 1941…a protracted cold spell through January 7…1942… Produced below zero low temperatures on 7 of the 8 days. A low temperature of 2 degrees on the 3rd prevented a string of 8 days below zero.  The coldest days during the period were the 1st with a high of 2 degrees and a low of 9 degrees below zero…the 4th with a high of 2 degrees and a low of 11 degrees below zero…and the 5th with a high of 26 degrees and a low of 12 degrees below zero.

1-5  

In 1940…the first days of the month were characterized by a mixture of drizzle…light snow…and fog.  Fog occurred on each day.  On the 4th and 5th considerable glazing resulted from freezing drizzle.  All objects were coated with a glaze on the windward side.  This resulted in very slippery streets…which caused several minor traffic accidents.  The glaze was not heavy enough to damage wires and cables.

2-3  

In 1971…a major storm dumped a total of 8.4 inches of snow at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 23 mph.
 
In 1972…a strong cold front late on the 2nd produced north wind gusts to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport. Snow…heavy at times on the 3rd…totaled 6.4 inches as temperatures hovered only in the single digits.
 
In 2000…heavy snow fell over the higher terrain of the palmer divide to the south of metro Denver.  Snowfall totaled 7 inches 5 miles southwest of Sedalia.  Only 1.5 inches of snowfall were measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

2-4

In 1949…the worst blizzard in many years struck metro Denver and all of northern Colorado.  The storm produced blizzard conditions with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph all day on the 3rd when temperatures were only in the single digits.  This resulted in extremely cold wind chill temperatures of 40 to 55 degrees below zero.  Stapleton Airport received 13.3 inches of snow from the storm… While downtown Denver received 11.8 inches.  The snow fell for 51 consecutive hours downtown.  Numerous lives were lost…and livestock losses were high across the northeastern plains of Colorado where extensive airlift operations were needed to bring supplies and food to isolated communities.

Continue reading January 3 to January 9 – This week in Denver weather history →

Astronomy, Thornton Weather

Slideshow of images from the blue moon and other random pictures

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A New Year's Eve blue moon over Thornton. (ThorntonWeather.com)
A New Year's Eve blue moon over Thornton. (ThorntonWeather.com)

Thornton was treated to a rare New Year’s Eve blue moon and clear weather conditions to allow near perfect viewing of it.  While blue moons are relatively common occuring roughly every 2 1/2 years, they only occur on New Year’s Eve every 19 years. 

The first couple images in the slideshow below are from that night and the others from the night of New Year’s Day.  The other photos were taken the morning of January 2nd as the moon set in the west and then a few pictures of stuff in the ThorntonWeather.com backyard are included.

Remember, if you ever capture great images around Thornton, feel free to email them to us (info@thorntonweather.com) and we will share them on ThorntonWeather.com.

Climate Change, National Weather

Deaths and cost from natural disasters down significantly in 2009

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A distinct lack of major natural catastrophes resulted in lower costs and less of a loss of life in 2009. German reinsurer Munich Re AG said in its annual disaster report that approximately 10,000 people lost their lives and $50 billion in losses was realized during the year.  The company warned however that manmade climate change will soon reverse those numbers.

In terms of lives lost, with approximately 10,000 people killed during 2009, the year fell far short of the average of 75,000. This was also significantly less than in 2008 when 220,000 were killed by natural disasters. That year saw two major catastrophes – Cyclone Nargis and an earthquake in China’s Sichuan province – case the vast majority of lives lost.

The insurer’s numbers match closely with a report released last month by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) which put the annual death toll at 8,919. The most significant events in 2009 were an earthquake in Indonesia in September which killed 1,117, flooding in India in July that killed 992 and a series of typhoons and tropical storms that struck the Philippines.

Economic losses were also below the decadal average of $115 billion per year. 2009’s reported losses fall at less than half of that and far below the $200 billion mark that was seen in 2008. Munich Re said, “Losses were far lower in 2009 than in 2008 due to the absence on the whole of major catastrophes and a very benign North Atlantic hurricane season.”

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!For the rest of this story and to see how climate change could cause greater impact from natural disasters, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Climate Change

2009 proves to be pivotal year in climate change

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2009 - The year climate change and global warming activists would like to forget
2009 - The year climate change and global warming activists would like to forget

There is little doubt that 2009 will be viewed as a pivotal and important year in the debate about manmade climate change.  For years alarmists served up their theory to a seemingly captive audience.  This past year however, the sands shifted and scientists that doubt man’s influence on the climate found their voice. 

Throughout the year, alarmists suffered setbacks and then the Climategate scandal struck and the UN climate summit ended in failure.  Even Al Gore was likely hiding with a polar bear somewhere after the dismal year he experienced.  🙂

The Climate Change Examiner has a great summary of the year in climate change:

For those who believe the manmade climate change theory, the new year cannot get here fast enough. As 2009 comes to a close, many are faced with the realizations that not only are they losing in the court of public opinion, the ‘consensus’ about anthropogenic global warming is far from solid. The year saw preeminent scientists join the chorus of those saying that other drivers besides man influence the climate, a scandal erupted that shook the very foundation of climate science and a much touted climate summit fell into disarray.

As 2009 dawned, climate change advocates continued to sound the alarm about carbon dioxide’s accumulation in the atmosphere and the warming they believe it causes. With President Barack Obama taking office in January, it was thought their brand of climate science would find a new foothold on which to advance the cause. As Obama prepared to take office, Dr. James Hansen sent the president-elect a letter warning of the dire consequences at hand saying that he had four years to save the world.

High hopes were soon dashed as many noted scientists and public figures raised their voices in dissent. From meteorologists to geologists to climate scientists, those who don’t agree with the theory refused to be silenced.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!Click here to read the rest of this important look back at 2009 in climate change news.

Astronomy

Rare New Year’s Eve blue moon to shine over the nation

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The first New Years Eve blue moon in 19 years will shine on revelers this year. (NASA)
The first New Year's Eve blue moon in 19 years will shine on revelers this year. (NASA)

A relatively rare New Year’s Eve blue moon will be shining down on revelers as they ring in 2010. Blue moons are relatively common but it has been 19 years since one was coupled with December 31st and it will be another 19 years before another occurs.

Since the 1940s the term ‘blue moon’ has come to mean the second full moon in any given month. Full moons occur every 29.5 days so most years have 12 full moons. When the calendar aligns just right though, an ‘extra’ full moon can occur. The blue moon occurs every 2 years, 7 months so given its relatively infrequency, one can understand where the phrase ‘once in a blue moon’ got its meaning.

That current definition of ‘blue moon’ actually came about as a mistake. The phrase itself has been around for at least 400 years. Prior to the 1940s the Maine Farmers’ Almanac tied the event to the seasons saying a blue moon was the fourth full moon in a season rather than the usual three. Its explanation however was entirely convoluted and difficult to understand.

In 1946 the magazine Sky & Telescope published an article titled “Once in a Blue Moon” and in it the author misinterpreted the almanac saying the “second [full moon] in a month, so I interpret it, is called Blue Moon.” This mistake caught on in modern folklore and continues to this very day.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!Get more details about whether or not a ‘blue moon’ is really blue and other interesting history in the complete article on the Denver Weather Examiner.

Thornton Weather, Weather History

December 27 to January 2 – This week in Denver weather history

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December 27 to January 2 - This week in Denver weather history
December 27 to January 2 - This week in Denver weather history

Snow and wind are the two dominant weather conditions seen on our look back at this week in Denver weather history.  Three years ago, the second of two major winter storms buried Denver and closed highways.  Two years ago, damaging winds that downed trees and caused power outages occurred. 

25-31

In 1980…temperatures were unusually warm during the week between Christmas and new year’s.  High temperatures for the week ranged from the mid-50’s to the mid-70’s.  Four temperature records were set.  Record highs occurred on the 26th with 68 degrees…the 27th with 75 degrees…and the 30th with 71 degrees.  A record high minimum temperature of 41 degrees occurred on the 27th.

26-27

In 1954…a major storm dumped heavy snow across metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 8.6 inches at Stapleton Airport.  The storm produced the heaviest snowfall of the calendar year and was the only measurable snowfall in December.
 
In 1987…a snowstorm stalled in northeastern Colorado…giving metro Denver its worst winter storm in 4 years.  Total snowfall from the storm ranged from 12 to 18 inches on the east side…1 to 2 feet in Boulder County…and 2 to 3 feet in western and southern parts of metro Denver.  The largest reported snowfall was 42 inches at Intercanyon in the foothills southwest of Denver.  Snowfall totaled 14.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport.  Winds were light on the 26th…but increased as high as 40 mph on the 27th… Creating near-blizzard conditions and forcing complete closure of Stapleton International Airport for about 8 hours.  The strong winds whipped drifts to 5 feet high on the east side of town.  All interstate Highways leading from Denver were closed on the 27th.

26-28

In 1979 a heavy snow storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of snow over the metro area and 15 to 20 inches at Boulder with up to 2 feet in the foothills west of Boulder.  Heavy snowfall totaled 6.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 21 mph.  Most of the snow… 4.8 inches…fell on the 27th.

27

In 1895…west Chinook winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 48 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 52 degrees.
 
In 1901…an apparent cold front produced sustained north winds to 41 mph with gusts to 48 mph.
 
In 1957…northwest winds gusting to 52 mph produced some blowing dust across metro Denver.
 
In 1975…a northwest wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1976…a strong pacific cold front moving across metro Denver produced a northwest wind gust to 53 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1990…high winds raked the eastern foothills with a wind gust to 84 mph clocked on fritz peak near Rollinsville. The strong northwest winds of 50 to 70 mph whipped newly fallen snow over higher areas into billowy clouds several hundred feet high that could be seen from most locations across metro Denver.
 
In 1996…another round of high winds developed over portions of the Front Range foothills during the morning hours. Several wind gusts from 70 to 100 mph were reported at Wondervu southwest of Boulder.  West-northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at Denver International Airport.
 
In 2005…a trained weather observer in Georgetown recorded a wind gust to 94 mph.  No damage was reported.
 
In 2007…a winter storm brought heavy snow to portions of the urban corridor and adjacent plains.  Storm totals generally ranged from 3 to 7 inches.  Locally heavier bands produced up to 10 inches of snow.  In the urban corridor…storm totals included:  10 inches…10 miles south-southeast of Buckley AFB and at Castle Pines; 9.5 inches…4 miles south-southeast of Aurora and Kassler; 7.5 inches…2 miles southeast of Highlands Ranch; 7 inches in Aurora and Sedalia; 6.5 inches in Arvada…4 miles east of Denver and Lafayette; 6 inches in Castle Rock and Thornton.  A measurement of 5.4 inches was taken at the former Stapleton International Airport.  The official total for the month was 20.9 inches; making it the 6th snowiest December on record.

Continue reading December 27 to January 2 – This week in Denver weather history →

National Weather

White Christmas brings joy and misery

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Two thirds of the contiguous United States had a white Christmas. (NOAA)
Two thirds of the contiguous United States had a white Christmas. (NOAA)

Christmas 2009 may have granted some people’s wishes for a white Christmas but for millions it equated to misery. A series of snowstorms blanketed two thirds of the nation in snow and snarled holiday plans for many.

From Texas to North Dakota and Nevada to Minnesota the breadth of the storms was tremendous. Holiday travelers were forced to spend their Christmas in airports and shelters while those already at home devoted their holiday to digging out from the heavy snowfall.

Dallas, Texas experienced its first white Christmas in 80 years. The three inches of snow that fell Christmas Eve was a record for the date and lasted long enough for residents to wake up to a cover of white early Christmas morning.

Oklahoma bore a big hit from the storms as 14 inches of snow was recorded in Oklahoma City on Christmas Eve, easily eclipsing the previous record for the date of 2.5 inches. Blizzard conditions forced Governor Brad Henry to order every interstate and highway in the state closed Christmas Eve due to the dangerous conditions. Will Rogers World Airport shut down for a period and was finally able to clear one runway Christmas Day.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!For a complete look at the havoc wreaked by the snowstorms and some of the photos from across the nation, please view the complete story at the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.