The March Blizzard of 2009 is winding down and it gives us a chance to look at all that happened in the last 36 hours or so. One of the neat things to look at is the 24 hour time lapse video from yesterday. Check out the video from our two webcams:
East Webcam Time Lapse – 3/26/09
West Webcam Time Lapse – 3/26/09
As we have experienced in the last 24 hours or so, high winds in Colorado can cause conditions to deteriorate rapidly. They present a very real danger to life and property, especially when coupled with other winter conditions like snow. Why does it seem like we get so much wind in the winter? What causes this? How can you prepare and protect yourself and your property?
In this third in a series on Winter Weather Preparedness from the National Weather Service, ThorntonWeather.com helps you understand why we receive so much wind and how to prepare for it.
| Part 1 | Winter travel safety |
| Part 2 | Watches…warnings…and advisories |
| Part 3 | High winds |
| Part 4 | Wind chill temperatures and hypothermia |
| Part 5 | Avalanche safety |
| Review | Winter Weather Preparedness Week review |
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
ISSUED BY NWS PUEBLO CO
600 AM MDT WED OCT 22 2008
HIGH WINDS ARE A MAJOR THREAT IN COLORADO DURING THE WINTER
Governor Bill Ritter has proclaimed this week through October 25th as winter weather preparedness week in Colorado. This is an excellent time for all individuals, families, businesses, schools, and radio and television stations to review their winter weather preparedness plans.
Two main causes of high winds in Colorado during the cold season are the air pressure difference between strong low pressure and cold high pressure systems, and Chinook winds developing along the front range and mountains in the eastern half of the state.
Continue reading High winds a major threat in Colorado during the winter
We all are familiar with the crawls on the TV screen or the announcements on the radio for winter weather advisories such as Winter Storm Watch, Blizzard Warning, Freeze Warning and more. But, how many of us really know what those mean? There is very specific criteria the National Weather Service follows in issuing these watches and warnings and there are important differences between all of them.
In this second in a series on Winter Weather Preparedness from the National Weather Service, ThorntonWeather.com helps you understand what all of these mean so you can be better prepared.
| Part 1 | Winter travel safety |
| Part 2 | Watches…warnings…and advisories |
| Part 3 | High winds |
| Part 4 | Wind chill temperatures and hypothermia |
| Part 5 | Avalanche safety |
| Review | Winter Weather Preparedness Week review |
From the National Weather Service:
What does that warning mean?
The National Weather Service will inform you about critical weather with outlooks, watches, warnings and advisories. Do you know what they mean? Now is the time to find out during this Colorado winter preparedness week.
This list has the watch, warning and advisory criteria for Colorado east of the continental divide. Save this list throughout the winter.
ThorntonWeather.com presents the first in a series from the National Weather Service (NWS) on Winter Weather Preparedness. Before hitting the road, Coloradoans need to ensure that they and their vehicles are prepared should inclement weather strike.
Today’s message from the NWS and ThorntonWeather.com highlights the importance of having a proper emergency kit in your vehicle and should the worst-case scenario occur where you get stuck, what you should do to survive.
| Part 1 | Winter travel safety |
| Part 2 | Watches…warnings…and advisories |
| Part 3 | High winds |
| Part 4 | Wind chill temperatures and hypothermia |
| Part 5 | Avalanche safety |
| Review | Winter Weather Preparedness Week review |
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 600 AM MDT Mon Oct 20 2008
Winter Travel Safety
Winter Weather Preparedness Week continues through Saturday, October 25 as proclaimed by Governor Bill Ritter. Before winter weather arrives in earnest it is highly recommended that you prepare your car or truck for winter travel.
Continue reading Winter travel safety – Ensure you and your vehicle are ready
Snow and wind seem to dominate a look back at Denver weather history for this week. Perhaps most notably, the October blizzard of 1997 occurred this week in history, one of the deadliest storms in Colorado history.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
645 PM MDT SAT OCT 18 2008
…THIS WEEK IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY…
17-19 IN 1908…A MOIST…HEAVY…WET SNOWFALL TOTALED 13.0 INCHES IN
DOWNTOWN DENVER OVER THE 3 DAYS. RAIN FROM EARLY MORNING
ON THE 17TH CHANGED TO SNOW BY LATE AFTERNOON AND CONTINUED
THROUGH THE LATE MORNING OF THE 19TH. DUE TO TEMPERATURES
IN THE 30`S AND MELTING…THE MOST SNOW ON THE GROUND WAS
ONLY 5.0 INCHES AT 6:00 PM ON THE 18TH. NORTHWEST TO
NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED BETWEEN 12 AND 20 MPH DURING
THE STORM. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.82 INCHES.
18-23 IN 2003…AN EXTENDED WARM SPELL RESULTED IN 5 NEW TEMPERATURE
RECORDS. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 84 DEGREES ON THE 18TH
EQUALED THE RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE. HIGH TEMPERATURES
OF 86 DEGREES ON THE 19TH…83 DEGREES ON THE 21ST…AND 84
DEGREES ON THE 22ND WERE RECORD HIGHS FOR THE DATES. LOW
TEMPERATURE OF 49 DEGREES ON THE 23RD WAS A RECORD HIGH
MINIMUM FOR THE DATE. LOW TEMPERATURES DURING THE PERIOD
WERE IN THE 40`S AND LOWER 50`S.
Continue reading This week in Denver weather history – October 19 to October 25
Looking back into the Denver weather history books shows Denver can receive just about any kind of weather this time of year. From heavy snow to gale force winds to 80 plus degree temperatures, it can all happen this week.
10-12 IN 1969…THE SECOND HEAVY SNOWSTORM IN LESS THAN A WEEK
DUMPED NEARLY A FOOT OF SNOW ACROSS METRO DENVER AND
PLUNGED THE AREA INTO EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES FOR SO
EARLY IN THE SEASON. SNOWFALL TOTALED 11.0 INCHES AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTH WINDS GUSTING TO
26 MPH PRODUCED DRIFTS UP TO 2 FEET DEEP. TEMPERATURES
DIPPED FROM A HIGH OF 52 DEGREES ON THE 10TH TO A RECORD
LOW FOR THE DATE OF 10 DEGREES ON THE 12TH. THERE WAS
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER AND TELEPHONE LINES
FROM HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND ICING. TRAVEL WAS
RESTRICTED OR BLOCKED BY DRIFTING SNOW IN BOTH THE
MOUNTAINS AND ON THE PLAINS EAST OF DENVER.
Continue reading October 12th to the 18th – This week in Denver weather history
As part of a special “Best of” series on Examiner.com, I recently penned an article about what was one of the most significant storms in Denver history – the 1982 Christmas Eve blizzard. It is republished here as I thought everyone might like to check it out:
* You are viewing an old article – Our story on the Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982 has been updated! Click here to view the new version which includes some great photos.
Looking back through history, Denver and Colorado have had some extraordinary weather stories. When looking to pick a “best” or most significant weather event, reaching far back into the history books one might choose the Georgetown blizzard of 1913 which dumped an astonishing 86 inches of snow or perhaps the Big Thompson Flood of 1976 which claimed 145 lives. More recently, there were the holiday storms of 2006 or the Windsor tornadoes from 2007. But, there is one storm that historically stands out not only because of its severity in terms of the weather but also because of the long lasting impact it caused in Denver and Colorado which is still being felt today – the Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982. For those of you that didn’t live in Colorado then or are too young to remember, a trip through the history books shows why this storm was so significant. Those that do remember it have memories that will last a lifetime.
Continue reading The Christmas Eve blizzard of 1982 – The best of Denver storms