Another year in the books for us and as we look back on our overall weather for 2016, we see overall temperatures were warmer than normal while precipitation fell a good bit short of normal. The year did seem to lack any major drama in terms of severe weather or winter storms which is likely a good thing.
We started out with above normal temperatures for the first quarter of the year. March, as usual, was our snowiest month and also became our wettest month of the year. April followed with some snow and a good bit of rain to be our second wettest and May the third.
May also saw much cooler than normal temperatures with the biggest departure from normal. From there, drier conditions reigned through November with each month registering below normal precipitation.
October and November saw our biggest deviations from normal temperatures as high pressure dominated and we saw extraordinarily warm conditions. This changed in December as Arctic air infiltrated the region leading to well below normal temperatures.
Overall, Thornton’s annual temperature came in at 51.6 degrees. This was 1.1 degrees above Denver’s 30 year average (1981 to 2010) of 50.5 degrees. We saw readings ranging from a high of 100.4 degrees down to a low of 10.7 degrees below zero. Fifty days saw 90 degrees or higher while at the opposite end we saw 169 days with readings at or below freezing.
Out at DIA where the Mile High City’s official measurements are kept, it was warmer with an annual average of 52.3 degrees. For Denver, that ranks as the 14th warmest year in its 145 year temperature history.
In terms of precipitation, Denver averages 14.3 inches per calendar year. Both Thornton and Denver fell well short of that mark with 12.98 inches and 11.85 inches respectively. For Denver, that is the 37th driest year on record.
Thornton saw a very respectable 68.1 inches for the calendar year. At the airport Denver saw less with 61.6 inches. Both were well above the annual average of 53.8 inches.
Click here to view Thornton’s 2016 climate summary report.
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
1010 AM MST SUN JAN 1 2017
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 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 105 06/26/2012 06/25/2012
07/20/2005 08/08/1878
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 102 07/10/2016 98 08/15
LOWEST -15 12/17/2016 -10 01/04
AVG. MAXIMUM 66.7 64.7 2.0 65.4
AVG. MINIMUM 38.0 36.3 1.7 38.6
MEAN 52.3 50.5 1.8 52.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 55 39.6 15.4 48
DAYS MAX <= 32 14 20.0 -6.0 29
DAYS MIN <= 32 138 156.9 -18.9 126
DAYS MIN <= 0 4 5.8 -1.8 7 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 23.31 1967 MINIMUM 7.29 2008 TOTALS 11.85 14.30 -2.45 18.31 DAILY AVG. 0.03 0.03 0.00 0.05 DAYS >= .01 71 79.7 -8.7 107
DAYS >= .10 32 34.9 -2.9 49
DAYS >= .50 5 7.6 -2.6 10
DAYS >= 1.00 2 2.3 -0.3 2
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.38 2016 5/26 TO 5/27
1.22 2016 4/15 TO 4/16
0.77 2016 3/23 TO 3/23
SNOWFALL RECORDS JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER TOTALS
MAXIMUM MINIMUM
115.9 1913 18.9 1887
112.0 1959 21.5 1888
99.2 1929 21.8 1890
24 HR TOTAL 23.6 12/24/1982 TO 12/24/1982
TOTALS 61.6 53.8 7.8 64.4
LIQUID EQUIV 6.16 5.40 0.76 6.44
SINCE 7/1 11.4 22.5 -11.1 22.6
LIQUID 7/1 1.14 2.20 -1.06 2.26
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= TRACE 37 33.3 3.7 51
DAYS >= 1.0 13 16.3 -3.3 25
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 10 03/24 9 02/23
24 HR TOTAL 13.1 03/23
11.8 04/16
6.9 02/01
STORM TOTAL 13.1 03/23
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 5415 6059 -644 5479
SINCE 7/1 2042 2468 -426 5575
COOLING TOTAL 878 769 109 877
SINCE 1/1 878 769 109 877
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.0
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/194
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 54/340 DATE 07/24
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 74/340 DATE 07/24
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 94
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 210
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 62
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 50
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 3 RAIN 13
LIGHT RAIN 72 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 4
HEAVY SNOW 5 SNOW 17
LIGHT SNOW 39 SLEET 0
FOG 80 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 26
HAZE 33
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
..........2016 CLIMATE YEAR IN REVIEW...........
THE YEAR OF 2016 IN DENVER, THE FRONT RANGE AND NORTHERN COLORADO,
WAS A TRANSITION FROM STRONG EL NINO CONDITIONS OVER TO WEAK LA NINA
AND INTO THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT WHICH IS ENSO NEUTRAL. AS EL NINO
CONDITIONS WEAKENED FROM MID-WINTER THROUGH LATE SPRING 2016,
TEMPERATURES CAME IN WARMER THAN AVERAGE FOR JANUARY THROUGH MARCH
ALONG WITH NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE THREE
MONTHS. DENVER`S WETTEST MONTH OF 2016 ARRIVED IN APRIL WITH 2.56
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION ALONG WITH 18.4 INCHES OF SNOW. TEMPERATURES
FOR THEN COOLED TO NEAR AVERAGE FOR APRIL AHEAD OF ABOVE AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION AND FURTHER COOLING INTO MAY. MAY WAS THE SECOND
WETTEST MONTH OF 2016 AND ALSO HAD THE COLDEST MONTHLY DEPARTURE
FROM AVERAGE FOR THE YEAR AT 2.7 DEGREES BELOW DENVER`S MONTHLY MAY
NORMAL.
WITH WATER TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS RAPIDLY CHANGING IN THE EQUATORIAL
PACIFIC REGION IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2016, NORTHERN COLORADO AND THE
HIGH PLAINS STATES TRANSITIONED INTO A DIFFERENT PATTERN AS WELL.
THE FIVE MONTHS OF JUNE THROUGH OCTOBER ALL REGISTERED PRECIPITATION
TOTALS BELOW THEIR MONTHLY AVERAGE. AUGUST RECEIVED A MERE 0.22
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION IN DENVER WHICH WAS 1.47 INCHES BELOW
AVERAGE AND WAS THE LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF NORMAL OF ALL MONTHS OF
2016 AT 13 PERCENT.
AS A LARGE AND STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE PERSISTED ACROSS THE
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES FROM MID SUMMER INTO MID FALL,
TEMPERATURES REFLECTED THIS WITH OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER LANDING WELL
ABOVE THEIR MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. BOTH OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER
IN DENVER CAME IN WITH MONTHLY TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES OF 6.9 AND 6.8
DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE RESPECTIVELY. PRECIPITATION ALSO HELD BELOW
NORMAL FOR THESE TWO MONTHS AS WELL WITH 0.26 INCHES IN OCTOBER AND
0.52 INCHES IN NOVEMBER. HOWEVER, WITH TWO MOIST AND WINTER-LIKE
PACIFIC DISTURBANCES IN MID NOVEMBER, THE DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL IN
NOVEMBER WAS ONLY -0.09 OR 85 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
AS METEOROLOGISTS OBSERVED THE DEVELOPING NORTHERN HEMISPHERIC
PATTERN FROM LATE NOVEMBER INTO EARLY DECEMBER, IT WAS CLEAR THAT A
CHANGE FOR THE COLDER WAS COMING TO MUCH OF THE UNITED STATES,
INCLUDING DENVER. IN EARLY DECEMBER, WINDS ALOFT BROADLY EXTENDED
LONGITUDINALLY FROM THE ARCTIC REGION NORTH OF SIBERIA, ACROSS THE
NORTH POLE REGION AND INTO SOUTHERN CANADA. FRIGID ARCTIC AIR WAS
BROUGHT SOUTHWARD INTO CANADA AND ACROSS MUCH OF THE CENTRAL UNITED
STATES AS A RESULT. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER PATTERN OF
PERSISTENT NORTHERLY WINDS ALOFT ACROSS NORTHERN LATITUDES WHICH
USHERED IN ANOTHER PERIOD OF COLD AND SNOWFALL AHEAD OF THE
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY. THESE TWO SYSTEMS WERE ENOUGH TO BRING DECEMBER`S
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE DOWN TO -2.2 BELOW NORMAL ALONG WITH
ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL.
WHEN 2016 ENDED, THE AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE FOR DENVER FINALIZED
AT 52.3 DEGREES, WHICH IS 1.8 DEGREES ABOVE THE 1981-2010 ANNUAL
AVERAGE OF 50.5 DEGREES. THIS RANKS AS 14TH WARMEST IN DENVER`S 145
YEAR TEMPERATURE HISTORY. THE WARMEST YEAR IN DENVER`S WEATHER
HISTORY WAS IN 1934 WITH AN AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE OF 54.8
DEGREES. THE COLDEST YEAR WAS 1912 WITH AN ANNUAL AVERAGE OF 47.6
DEGREES.
FOR THE PRECIPITATION CATEGORY, 2016 IN DENVER WAS ON THE DRY SIDE
OF THE 1981-2010 ANNUAL AVERAGE. THE YEAR ENDED WITH 11.85 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION WHICH WAS 2.45 INCHES BELOW THE ANNUAL NORMAL OF 14.30
INCHES, OR 83 PERCENT OF NORMAL. THE ANNUAL TOTAL OF 11.85 INCHES
RANKS AS 37TH DRIEST IN DENVER`S 145 YEAR WEATHER HISTORY. THE
WETTEST YEAR IN DENVER`S WEATHER HISTORY WAS IN 1967 WHEN 23.31
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL. DENVER`S DRIEST YEAR OCCURRED IN 2002
WHEN ONLY 7.48 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED.