Updated 4/10 @ 3:50pm – Another pretty typical spring snowstorm has come and gone. In a span of a bit more than 24 hours we go from sunny, 60 degree temperatures to rain with thunderstorms to snow and near blizzard conditions. You have to love Colorado weather! Here in Thornton we measured 2.8″ of very wet snow. Some of the other area totals:
Denver – 2.5 inches
Fort Morgan – 2.4 inches
Greely – 4.0 inches
Greenwood Village – 6.0 inches
Highlands Ranch – 4.0 inches
Parker – 6.7 inches
Wheat Ridge – 1.0 inches
A chance of snow showers remains in the forecast through Friday night but the weekend is looking great with at or above normal temperatures.
Updated 4/10 @ 6:00am – Definitely a wet one out there! The rain started around 8:00pm in Thornton last night and we saw 0.2″ of rain before midnight. After tapering off, the snow started falling before 4:00am and it is coming down pretty good now but thanks to the warm ground, not much is sticking to the roads although they are very wet. The Snow & Blowing Snow Advisory remains in effect until 6:00pm tonight primarily because of the winds we are seeing. Northeastern Colorado is going to bear the brunt of the storm so if you are heading that way on I-76, be prepared. In Thornton we will probably only see an inch or two of snow during the day today.
April 08, 2008 @ 17:08 – Winter Storm Watch Issued – A Big One Coming?
A big one or a big dud – that is the question. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for most of northeastern Colorado and much of the mountain areas which goes into effect Wednesday night. The weather patterns are very dynamic right now and it is tough to say exactly what is going to happen; as always, a lot depends on what track the storm takes. Travel will almost certainly be impacted but it is a matter of where that impact will occur that is the question.
At the current time the earliest we would expect precipitation along the Front Range is mid-day Wednesday. Assuming the upslope conditions setup as it looks like they will, things will start with a rain and snow mix and then turn to all snow by Thursday morning. Snow totals from 3 to 8 inches are currently projected. As the storm approaches we will know more about how this will all set up.
Remember – A winter storm watch means there is a potential for a hazardous winter weather event in and close to the watch area. Significant snow accumulations may occur that could impact travel. Stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com, the National Weather Service or your local news media for the latest updates and possible warning concerning this potential winter storm.
After having showers on and off Monday, Tuesday shapes up to be the nicest day of the week. It will be mostly sunny with slightly below normal temperatures today. We then return to an unstable pattern for the rest of the work week beginning Wednesday. Showers will be present the better part of Wednesday, changing to a rain / snow mix into Wednesday night. By Thursday we will see mostly sporadic snow showers. Actual amounts of precipitation vary widely between the models – some calling for 0.1″ to 0.5″ of precipitation, others 0.5″ to 1″. We’ll know more as we move through the week and everything sets up.
The storm that moved through the Front Range yesterday really didn’t yield much for Thornton with a mere 0.03″ of precipitation. Areas farther south in the metro area saw quite a bit more; our sister station in Arvada had 0.16″ by contrast. We did also see a little bit of cloud to cloud lightning picked up on 
I just read about this new book Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers. Most notably I saw some of the pictures in the book – absolutely incredible. See below. From Amazon’s description: 
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. 
For the next few days residents of the Denver area will be able to get a glimpse of the space station over the southern skies. Tonight it will be visible starting at 7:56pm in the south-southwest sky, about 10 degrees above the horizon. That is pretty low but come Friday and Sunday the angles are a bit higher. Be sure to check it out!
Last night / this morning we had a bit of a surprise as the forecasted snow that was only supposed to amount to 1/2 inch quickly turned into 3.7 inches on the ground early this morning. Yesterday afternoon and early evening we started observing some upslope conditions with strong winds from the northeast and begain wondering if the passing front could bring more than forecast. The snow started falling in earnest around 8:00pm, tapered off around 9:30 then at 12:30 this morning more started falling. All in all a pleasant surprise.