Thornton Weather, Weather History

June 21 to June 27 – This week in Denver weather history

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June 21 to June 27 - This week in Denver weather history
June 21 to June 27 - This week in Denver weather history

A typical week during the spring and summer for Denver – tornadoes, hail, damaging winds and more.

19-21

In 1875…smoke from several large forest fires in the mountains was visible from the city on each of these days.
20-21 in 1897…high winds raked the city overnight.  Southeast winds were sustained to 60 mph with gusts as high as 72 mph on the 20th.  Southeast winds were sustained to 57 mph with gusts to 60 mph on the 21st.
 
In 2007…a brief hot spell produced two temperature records. The high temperature of 97 degrees was tied on the 20th. A new record high temperature of 99 degrees was established on the 21st.

21   

In 1927…north winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 44 mph.
 
In 1984…lightning struck and killed two children standing near a tree in a backyard in Lakewood.  Strong thunderstorm downbursts caused a wind gust to 58 mph in Northglenn and knocked down two power poles near Brighton.
 
In 1988…lightning struck a home in Denver…causing about ten thousand dollars damage.  Lightning damaged 3 homes in Littleton…and also hit a house in greenwood village that had been struck by lightning 7 years previously.
 
In 1991…thunderstorms produced widespread hail across metro Denver.  Hail as large as 2 1/2 inches fell at several locations across southwest metro Denver.  One storm spotter reported hail 8 inches deep near the intersection of I-25 and C-470.  Heavy rain with the storms caused some street flooding.  In Commerce City…several cars were under water… And in Westminster a police officer reported water up to the doors of his car.  Damage to homes and automobiles totaled 55 million dollars.
 
In 1992…a tornado touched down briefly near Bennett. Another tornado was briefly on the ground near Strasburg.
 
In 1994…heavy thunderstorm rains caused flooding in metro Denver.  Several vehicles were stalled in the high water on I-25.  Lightning struck an underground natural gas line in Aurora…causing a fire.  Widespread power outages were also observed.
 
In 1996…three homes were struck by lightning in Parker. The lightning struck the garage of the first home…which started a small fire that burned some siding and spread into the attic.  A second home sustained damage to the attic when a small fire was started.  The third home received only minor damage.  Lightning also sparked two small grass fires in the area.  A man in Lakewood received minor injuries when he was struck by lightning while working on a ladder.  A funnel cloud was sighted in Castle Rock.  Strong thunderstorm winds downed a large tree near crossroads mall in Boulder.  A small tornado (f0) briefly touched down near Lafayette.  No damage was reported.
 
In 1997…one inch diameter hail was measured in Boulder.
 
In 2002…a thunderstorm wind gust to 62 mph was recorded at Denver International Airport.
 
In 2005…severe thunderstorms produced hail to 1 inch in diameter in Broomfield along with 3/4 inch hail near Arvada.
 
In 2006…a man riding a motorcycle was struck and killed by lightning on U.S. Highway 36 between church ranch Blvd. And Sheridan Blvd. In Westminster.  After the biker was struck…he and his motorcycle crashed into the center concrete median of the highway.  The lightning bolt left a crater in the highway asphalt that measured 18 inches long…8 inches wide and 4 inches deep.

Continue reading June 21 to June 27 – This week in Denver weather history →

Thornton Weather

Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel talks tornado sirens

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Something you will not see in Thornton - Tornado sirens.
Something you will not see in Thornton - tornado sirens.

In yesterday’s Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel, the paper wrote about tornado sirens and warning systems in the north metro area – or rather the lack thereof.  Appropriately titled “Sound of silence”, the article points out that Thornton is not alone in their lack of any sort of severe weather warning system. 

Westminster, Northglenn, Federal Heights and Adams County leave citizens to fend for themselves as well.  Brighton and Commerce City have siren systems to protect residents of their cities.

Emergency managers cited a number of reasons including the ever-present cost consideration and the fact that severe weather season in Colorado is relatively shortlived.  It is the opinion of ThorntonWeather.com that these thoughts are all extremely shortsighted and cities are risking their citizens’ lives. 

One of the more interesting sections of the article reflects that:

Mike Reddy, captain of emergency management for the Westminster Fire Department, said Mother Nature often provides enough warning for those people who are caught outside during severe weather.

“To me it’s like lightning. If you are out playing golf and there is lightning, it’s best to go inside where it’s safe,” Reddy said. “Tornado sirens are a very expensive investment that it turns out are used three weeks out of the year.

With all the media coverage and alternative approaches, there are more effective ways for people to be notified.”

Reddy added that the information he gets from dispatch about severe weather can be found on the local news channel or Internet.

Do tornadoes strike in the Denver area? 177 have been recorded in the metro area alone since 1950. They have occurred as early as April 10th and as late as October 14th.
Do tornadoes strike in the Denver area? 177 have been recorded in the metro area alone since 1950. They have occurred as early as April 10th and as late as October 14th. Map courtesy TornadoPaths.org.

Captain Reddy may wish to familiarize himself with the history of tornadoes in Colorado.  Since 1950, tornadoes have been recorded as early as April 10th and as late as October 14th – in the Denver metro area alone.  Further, through yesterday, 177 twisters have been recorded in the metro area during that same time frame so despite what some may say, they are not rare. 

If a warning system saved your life or the lives of your family, wouldn’t it be worth it?

We recently wrote an article on Examiner.com detailing the current state of emergency warning system across the metro area.  While we had similar results in our talks with various cities that the Sentinel did, we also found that many communities are taking advantage of lower-cost, high tech solutions that incorporate notifying residents of emergencies using email and text messaging.  These types of systems have the added benefit of having multiple uses and can be used to notify residents about other significant events including Amber Alerts, wildfires, chemical spills, civil disasters and terrorist attacks.

We recognize that siren systems are expensive and limited in their reach.  However, we applaud those communities that are taking steps using other methods and implore Thornton and other north metro area municipalities to do the same. 

What do you think?  Should north metro communities invest in emergency alert systems to protect their citizens?  Leave a comment below with your thoughts!

For more information:

Severe Weather, Thornton Weather

Severe weather strikes Thornton again

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Ominous clouds tinged by green appeared over Thornton on Sunday.
Ominous clouds tinged by green appeared over Thornton on Sunday. More images of the severe weather are posted below.

What had been a relatively quiet Sunday was shattered by severe storms moving across the Denver metro area and Thornton on Sunday.  A deluge of rain coupled with hail and funnel clouds sent Thornton residents scrambling for cover and caused a rain delay for the Colorado Rockies when a funnel cloud was spotted near Coors Field.  Hail up to 1 1/2 inches fell in parts of Thornton. 

  • New photos added – Funnel cloud near Coors Field.  See below.

A Tornado Warning was issued for a large swath of the metro area including Thornton.  The warning has since expired but a  Tornado Watch remains in effect for Thornton until 9:00pm Sunday evening so residents should remain aware.

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Thornton Weather, Weather Education

June 14 to June 20 – This week in Denver weather history

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June 14 to June 20 - This week in Denver weather history
June 14 to June 20 - This week in Denver weather history

With severe weather season in full swing, we see a very eventful week in Denver weather history.  Wildfires, amazing hail storms, tornadoes, floods and more all make an appearence on the historical calendar.

11-14

In 1999…damage from several hailstorms in and near metro Denver totaled 35 million dollars.  About 17.5 million dollars was from automobile claims with another 17.5 million in homeowner claims.  The areas hardest hit by the storms included Castle Rock…Commerce City…evergreen… And Golden.

12-17

In 2000…two large wildfires developed in the Front Range foothills as careless campers and very dry conditions proved to be a dangerous combination.  Strong winds gusting in excess of 60 mph on the 13th fanned the flames… Spreading both wildfires out of control.  Winds gusted to 78 mph atop Niwot Ridge near the continental divide west of Boulder.  The Hi Meadows Wildfire…about 35 miles southwest of Denver…consumed nearly 11 thousand acres and 80 structures…mostly high priced homes.  The Bobcat Wildfire…located about 12 miles southwest of Fort Collins… Consumed nearly 11 thousand acres and 22 structures.  Late on the 16th…a strong cold front moved south over the great plains into northeastern Colorado.  Low level upslope conditions developed in the wake of the front…producing 2 to 4 inches of snowfall overnight at elevations above 8 thousand feet.  Firefighters were able to contain both fires shortly thereafter.

13-14

In 2006…the high temperature of 99 degrees on the 13th equaled the record maximum temperature for the date first set in 1994.  The high temperature of 102 degrees on the 14th was a new record maximum temperature for the date.

14   

In 1877…an evening thunderstorm produced lightning which struck several houses and killed a cow in the bottom land of the South Platte River
 
In 1886…hail as large as 3/4 inch in diameter fell in the city.  Precipitation was only 0.10 inch.
 
In 1887…south winds were sustained to 41 mph.
 
In 1900…a thunderstorm produced northwest winds to 51 mph with gusts to 61 mph…but only a trace of rain.
 
In 1923…a severe thunderstorm pelted the city with hail. The stones ranged in diameter from 0.2 to 0.8 inch. Gardens and greenhouses suffered considerable damage. Rainfall was only 0.14 inch downtown.
 
In 1960…one workman was killed and 4 others injured in Lakewood when a partly built apartment building collapsed in strong winds.  Microburst wind gusts to 54 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.
 
In 1967…tornadoes touched down briefly 3 miles west of Franktown and 4 miles northeast of Parker.  No damage was reported.  Numerous funnel clouds were reported over south metro Denver…one 5 miles south of Denver…one 2 to 3 miles north of Castle Rock…and two near Littleton.
 
In 1968…a microburst wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1972…1 3/4 inch hail was reported in Wheat Ridge.
 
In 1976…high winds…unusually strong for this late in the season…raked metro Denver.  Wind gusts estimated to 100 mph tore 24 boats from their moorings and damaged a total of 47 boats at Boulder reservoir.  Wind gusts to 82 mph were recorded in Boulder.  The strong winds toppled the wind mast at a radio station in Boulder.  An automobile was smashed by a fallen tree in Boulder.  Other damage in Boulder was minor…but power outages occurred when tree limbs fell on power lines.  At Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield…wind gusts to 78 mph were recorded with 87 mph gusts clocked at rocky flats nuclear plant south of Boulder.  Wind gusts to 66 mph were observed in Littleton… And northwest winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport.  The strong winds collapsed a barn near Arvada.  Several horses received minor injuries. Thirty trees were uprooted or broken in Denver.  Four major power outages occurred from west Denver and Lakewood to the foothills.
 
In 1982…the worst hailstorm in 17 years struck Commerce City.  The storm left 4 to 8 inches of hail on the ground. A few of the stones were as large as golf balls.  Many vehicles were dented…and some windshields were shattered. Roofs of homes were damaged.   Total damage was estimated at over one million dollars.  Hail to 1 inch in diameter also fell in Littleton.  Only 1/4 inch hail was measured at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1988…lightning ripped a small hole in the roof of a home in the southern part of Boulder.  There were some power outages in the area.
 
In 1992…an off duty national weather service employee reported hail to 1 inch diameter in Westminster.
 
In 1997…one inch diameter hail fell in Bennett…and 3/4 inch hail was measured in Littleton.
 
In 1999…hail as large as 1 1/2 inches in diameter hit Aurora. Lightning sparked two small fires at separate residences near the hiwan country club in evergreen.
 
In 2004…lightning sparked two small fires near Jamestown. One was in geer canyon and the other 7.5 miles up sunshine canyon.  Both were quickly contained and caused no damage to structures in the area.

Continue reading June 14 to June 20 – This week in Denver weather history →

Severe Weather, Thornton Weather

Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel covers the recent severe weather

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This funnel cloud was seen on Tuesday from the Thornton Civic Center (looking north). Image courtesy Lisa Wilson, the City of Thornton.
This funnel cloud was seen on Tuesday, June 9, from the Thornton Civic Center (looking north). Image courtesy Lisa Wilson, the City of Thornton.

MetroNorth Newspapers in the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel covered the recent bout of severe weather in the most recent edition of Thornton’s hometown newspaper. In part, the article says:

As a former producer for 9News, Todd Barnes has chased a few tornadoes in his time. On Sunday, however, the storm found him.

Barnes, communications manager for the City of Thornton, was shopping at Costco in the Larkridge development near 162nd Avenue and Interstate 25 when he witnessed the funnel cloud form. The tornado touched down at 1:17 p.m. one mile north of Broomfield, near the northwestern edge of Thornton.

“There’s nothing like watching a tornado touch down,” Barnes said Monday. “It’s incredible.”

Another funnel cloud was spotted over the city at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. It appeared only briefly, high in the sky at a nearly 90-degree angle, before disappearing, according to witnesses. A tornado did touch down outside Firestone shortly after 5 p.m., but no serious damage was reported.

Click here for the complete story on MetroNorth’s website or click here to view a PDF.

Related stories from ThorntonWeather.com:

Do you subscribe to the Sentinel? Why not? There is no other source of truly local news available to Thornton and Northglenn residents and MetroNorth News and the Sentinel do an outstanding job of providing the depth of news and information area residents really need. If you haven’t read the Sentinel, pick up a copy and check it out. They do have a website but it isn’t particularly noteworthy and doesn’t have the same information you get in the print version. Subscriptions for the paper are very inexpensive and I would highly recommend it to everyone who lives in the area. Check it out and support Thornton’s hometown newspaper!

Severe Weather, Thornton Weather

City of Thornton addresses residents’ concerns about tornadoes

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On June 3, 1981 a tornado struck Thornton in what is the worst twister to have struck the Denver metro area. Despite this, Thornton does not have any sort of emergency alert system to warn citizens of tornadoes or other civil disasters. Image courtesy the City of Thornton archives.
On June 3, 1981 a tornado struck Thornton in what is the worst twister to have struck the Denver metro area. Despite this, Thornton does not have any sort of emergency alert system to warn citizens of tornadoes or other civil disasters. Image courtesy the City of Thornton archives.

As we have discussed before, the City of Thornton is lacking any type of system to alert citizens of severe weather like we have seen recently. In the last week, parts of Thornton have been under Tornado Warnings as funnel clouds circled in the sky and citizens are understandably concerned.

We at ThorntonWeather.com continually remind people that the Denver metro area is at the far western edge of Tornado Alley and funnel clouds, tornadoes, hail and other types of severe weather are not unusual at all. It was 28 years ago last Wednesday in fact that the costliest tornado to ever hit the Denver metro area struck Thornton. Accounts vary but 53 people were injured, at least 25 homes were destroyed and hundreds more damaged.

The danger is real – tornadoes can and do strike in the Thornton area. In some ways it is surprising that the city did not implement some sort of system in the wake of the tornado in 1981. Many municipalities in the metro area do have warning sirens including Denver, Aurora, Englewood, Commerce City and Brighton.

Thornton Mayor Erik Hansen has told ThorntonWeather.com that the city will look at ways to inform citizens when severe weather is imminent. This may take the form of utilizing the reverse 911 system or as we suggested to him, a possible new text alert system that would deliver alerts to citizen’s mobile phones. It is our firm belief that some sort of system to be used not only for severe weather but for other civil disasters is a wise and prudent investment for the city to take.

The Denver area is at the western edge of Tornado Alley and as we have seen historically and in recent days, the danger is real. Click image for larger view. Image courtesy NOAA.
The Denver area is at the western edge of Tornado Alley and as we have seen historically and in recent days, the danger is real. Click image for larger view. Image courtesy NOAA.

This week the city posted some tornado safety tips on its website that are worth reviewing. You may also wish to review our Severe Weather 101 series which provides more in depth information on the entire array of spring and summer severe weather (links below).

We will continue our conversations with the city about how they can improve communication with Thornton residents about severe weather and keep you updated as appropriate. If you are so inclined, contact your city council representatives and let them know you want to see Thornton implement an emergency alert system.

ThorntonWeather.com Severe Weather 101 Series

Severe Weather, Thornton Weather

Severe weather returns as funnel clouds spotted over Thornton, tornado near Firestone

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This funnel cloud was seen on Tuesday from the Thornton Civic Center (looking north). Image courtesy the City of Thornton.
This funnel cloud was seen on Tuesday from the Thornton Civic Center (looking north). Image courtesy the City of Thornton.

Severe weather has returned to the Denver metro area and the Front Range Tuesday afternoon.  At approximately 4:50pm and for nearly one half hour afterwards trained spotters reported numerous funnel clouds over the Northglenn, Thornton, and Broomfield areas.  No tornadoes touched down however.

At 5:11pm local law enforcement reported a tornado four miles northwest of Firestone moving at 20mph.  This area remains under a Tornado Warning until 5:00pm. 

If you are in an area under a Tornado Warning, do not try to outrun the storm or chase it in your vehicle.  Immediately seek shelter in a building.  If no structure is available, seek shelter in a ditch or low spot.  If in your home or other building go to an interior hallway or ideally the basement.

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Thornton Weather

Tornado in Aurora rated an EF1

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The tornado that struck Aurora, Colorado has been rated an EF1 with 100 mph winds by the National Weather Service. Image courtesy Sean Strachan. Follow the link below to go to Examiner.com for more images.
The tornado that struck Aurora, Colorado has been rated an EF1 with 100 mph winds by the National Weather Service. Image courtesy Sean Strachan. Follow the link below to go to Examiner.com for more images.

The tornado that touched down in the Denver suburb of Aurora and caused damage to a local mall and apartment complex has been rated an EF1 by the National Weather Service.  After two days of evaluations, the service said that the twister most likely had winds of 100 mph, placing it in the middle of that rating.

The four other twisters that struck the area will be rated later this week.  Because they were short lived and struck in open areas, they mostly likely will be rated as EF0 twisters with winds from 65 mph to 85 mph. 

The other tornadoes were reported in the area of 144th and I-25, one was reported five miles south of Bennett, one five miles south of Deer Trail and one three miles north of Byers.

For all the details including photos of the damage and video, check out the complete story on Examiner.com. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Thornton Weather

Sunday storm brings funnel cloud and hail to Thornton

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A funnel cloud near Thornton on Sunday, June 7, 2009. Image courtesy John Wagner, Warrior Legacy Foundation. Click for larger image.
A funnel cloud near Thornton on Sunday, June 7, 2009. Image courtesy John Wagner, Warrior Legacy Foundation. View our slideshow below for more images.

For a brief period of time this afternoon, Thornton and western Adams County were under a Tornado Warning as a funnel cloud was spotted passing.  Thankfully the storm quickly weakened and the threat diminished.  The image at the right is courtesy John Wagner of the Warrior Legacy Foundation.  This was from approximately 136th & Washington looking northwest. 

Do you have images of the severe weather to share?  Email them to info@thorntonweather.com! 

View images from ThorntonWeather.com visitors in our slideshow below.  Also check out two videos of the twister below!

Please stay aware of the latest severe weather in Thornton.  As of this writing a Severe Thunderstorm Warning remains in effect and conditions could rapidly deteriorate again. 

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Thornton Weather, Weather History

June 7 to June 13 – This week in Denver weather history

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June 7 to June 13 - This week in Denver weather history
June 7 to June 13 - This week in Denver weather history

An extremely eventful week in weather history showing just how varied conditions can be.  We of course see typical spring weather like tornadoes and hail but also a touch of snow and this week also marks the anniversary of the start of the Hayman Fire.

2-7  

In 1921…heavy rainfall for nearly a week…on top of streams already swollen by mountain snowmelt…produced widespread flooding over the South Platte River basin…including the tributaries through the canyons to the west and southwest of Denver.  Heavy rainfall over the 6-day period totaled 3.36 inches in Boulder…4.98 inches in Morrison…4.27 inches in Castle Rock…and 2.94 inches in the city of Denver. Rainfall amounts in the foothills were estimated between 3 and 6 inches.  The narrow-gage tracks of the Colorado and southern railroad were destroyed in the Platte Canyon.  From the mouth of the canyon through the city to near Brighton… The river spread from 1/2 to nearly 1 1/2 miles wide… Flooding farm and pasture land and destroying or damaging many bridges.  In the city…many businesses along with as many as 500 homes were inundated…forcing their evacuation. Bridges were swept away.  The high waters flooded the rail yards and stock yards in lower downtown…closing three adjacent packing houses.  The heavy rains also caused flooding on Boulder creek in Boulder on the 6th.
6-7   in 2004…a brief hot spell produced 3 temperature records. High temperatures of 95 degrees on the 6th and 98 degrees on the 7th were record maximum temperatures for the dates. Low temperature of 68 degrees on the 7th was a record high minimum for the date.
 
In 2007…an unusually strong storm system brought very strong winds to the Front Range foothills and urban corridor. Peak gusts included:  92 mph at Boulder…85 mph…2 miles southwest of Boulder…83 mph…10 miles south of Boulder and 55 mph at Denver International Airport.  High winds forced the closure of Mt. Evans Road and Trail Ridge Road.  Several trees were uprooted across the urban corridor.  In Aurora… The driver of a car was injured when some building material blew off the Fitzsimmons complex.  The debris landed on the car and knocked the driver unconcious.  The wind forced the cancellation of 60 flights at Denver International Airport. Xcel reported outages in Boulder…Denver…Lakewood and Longmont.

7    

In 1904…a thunderstorm produced south winds to 40 mph with gusts to 50 mph…but only a trace of rain.
 
In 1942…heavy thunderstorm rainfall in south Denver caused flooding of shops…stalled motorists…and halted tramway service temporarily.  Lightning damaged houses…but there was no loss of life.  Precipitation totaled 0.53 inch in downtown Denver.
 
Continue reading June 7 to June 13 – This week in Denver weather history →

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