Tag Archives: record temperatures

Thornton Weather

Denver breaks 104 year old cold temperature record as Arctic chill sets in

Leave a comment

Record setting cold temperatures arrive in DenverThe Arctic blast of cold air that has settled in across much of the nation’s midsection arrived in Colorado Friday night and allowed the Mile High City to set two low temperature records. Two more records may be set today and tonight before we start to warm up on Sunday.

Friday night the cold front moved in and temperatures plummeted 23 degrees in five hours. Before midnight the mercury read 18 degrees thus shattering the old low temperature record for October 9th of 25 degrees. That record dated to 1970.  Thornton was a touch warmer than the official station at DIA as we recorded a low of 19.7 yesterday.

This morning the low temperature at Denver International Airport has dropped to 17 degrees. That sets a new record low temperature for October 10th as well. The previous record low of 25 degrees was set more than a century ago in 1905.  At ThorntonWeather.com we have been a bit chillier having recorded a low of 16.3 degrees this morning. 

The forecast for today and tonight also portends the potential to set two more cold temperature records.

  • The record low maximum temperature for today is 34 degrees, set in 2005. With temperatures today forecast to struggle to get above freezing, that could be the third record set.
  • Lastly, a fourth record is possible and indeed, quite likely. The record low temperature for the 11th of October (Sunday) is 22 degrees set in 1946. Current forecasts put the overnight low Saturday night / Sunday morning as possibly hitting down the mid to upper teens thus setting up the potential to break that record.

That would be four record setting cold temperature records in a 48 hour span!

Related – Examiner.com:

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

A new record low maximum temperature set & snow comes to the mountains

1 Comment
Denver has record setting cool temperatures and snow arrives in the Rocky Mountains. Image courtesy Victor Lewis.
Denver has record setting cool temperatures and snow arrives in the Rocky Mountains. Image courtesy Victor Lewis.

While some parts of the nation experience record setting heat, on Thursday Denver had the opposite problem. The high temperature as measured at Denver International Airport reached a mere 64 degrees. This was two degrees below the previous record low maximum temperature of 66 degrees for this date set in 1925 and previous years. That is also an amazing 24 degrees below the normal temperature for this time of year!

Here in Thornton, we were even cooler than the official temperature on Thursday as the mercury climbed to a mere 61.3 degrees! 

The unseasonably cold weather has also brought an unusual sight to the Colorado mountains in July – snow! Some northern parts of the Rocky Mountains in the state above 12,000 feet received a couple inches of snow.

Climatology, Thornton Weather

Denver officially breaks high temperature record for this date

Leave a comment
Denver set a temperature record for today, May 19.
Denver set a temperature record for today, May 19.

It’s official.  At 1:24pm today the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 90 degrees setting a new record high temperature for May 19.  This breaks the previous record high for this date of 89 degrees set in 2006. 

Wtih some cloud cover moving in and a chance for thunderstorms in the forecast, it appears that is as high as the mercury will climb today. 

But is it truly a record?

One does have to wonder though, is it truly fair to call this a record?  When the National Weather Service moved Denver’s official monitoring station from Stapleton to Denver International Airport, some say the city’s climate records were forever altered.  For more information and analysis of the controversy, check out this story:  Do Denver weather and climate records have an asterisk attached?

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Four weather records broken in recent days

Leave a comment
Sunny skies on Wednesday, March 4th helped Denver break a 137 year old high temperature record.
Sunny skies on Wednesday, March 4th helped Denver break a 137 year old high temperature record.

Denver officially broke the high temperature record on Wednesday, March 4th.  At 12:40pm the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 76 degrees, breaking the old record of 74 degrees set in 1872.  

This marks the 4th weather record we have broken in just the week. In addition to Wednesday’s mark, we have had:

We are very dry right now and could really use some significant precipitation as snowfall totals are less than half of what they normally are by this time of year.  Is there hope?  We remember back to 2003 when we were in a similar dry condition and two major storms helped to turn things around.  Click here to read about that on Examiner.com.

Are these really records and is it fair to compare these measurements with historical data?  Check out our Examiner.com investigation to see why some say these records should have an asterisk attached to them. 

Climatology, Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Do Denver weather and climate records have an asterisk attached?

Leave a comment
The old Stapleton International Airport site and Denver International Airport are separated by 12 miles. Is it accurate tto compare weather between the two locations?
The old Stapleton International Airport site and Denver International Airport are separated by 12 miles. Is it accurate to compare weather between the two locations?

February 2009 is Denver’s least snowiest February on record.  A new record high temperature is recorded on January 21, 2009.  Record low temperatures are recorded on December 14th and 15th of last year. 

These announcements are common and we all take notice when we hear them and they make for great water cooler chat topics but are these claims accurate? 

In 1995 Denver finally opened its new airport, Denver International Airport, out on the plains east of the city.  This new facility, 12 miles as the crow flies northeast of the old Stapleton International Airport, moved the airport from an urban environment to a rural one and more than 19 miles from the center of Denver.  Following that move, the National Weather Service (NWS) began taking some of its official measurements at the glistening new airport.  In doing so, some say Denver’s climate records have forever been altered and as such any weather record should have an asterisk attached to it. 

On Examiner.com we have launched a three part investigative series on this topic.  It is a fascinating read – click here to read the rest of the story.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Thornton Weather

Denver officially breaks high temperature record for March 2nd

Leave a comment
Denver officially set a new record high temperature for March 2nd.
Denver officially set a new record high temperature for March 2nd.

Updated, 5:30pm:  Denver’s official high temperature today reached 74 degrees at 3:08pm, beating the old record of 72 degrees by two.

Original post, 2:39pm:  Denver has officially broken the high temperature record for today, March 2nd.  At 1:52pm the thermometer at Denver International Airport reached 73 degrees, besting the old record of 72 degrees set way back in 1901.  Here in Thornton we were a touch warmer reaching a high of 74.1 degrees.

This afternoon there is a chance the temperature could go a degree or two higher thus further increasing the record.

Is this really a record?  Since moving Denver’s official weather recording station to DIA, many weather enthusiasts believe our weather and climate records are being unduly altered.  Examiner.com just launched an investigative feature into this problem today – check out part 1 of our series on Examiner.com:  Do Denver weather and climate records have an asterisk attached?

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather, Weather History

Denver officially breaks high temperature record for this date

Leave a comment
Denver officially broke the record high temperature for January 21st, reaching 71 degrees.
Denver officially broke the record high temperature for January 21st, reaching 71 degrees.

It’s official. As reported earlier this morning on our Examiner.com pages, we had a decent shot at breaking the all time record high temperature for this date and we have done it.  At 1:28pm today the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 71 degrees, breaking the old record of 70 degrees set in 1950.  Here in Thoronton we didn’t get quite that warm, “only” reaching a high of 69 degrees.

Thursday we will be a bit cooler and “only” reach 65 degrees – still 20 degrees above normal though.  Enjoy the next 36 hours or so though as Friday bring change – see our Examiner.com morning forecast here for details.

Get more local news and weather information on Examiner.com.

This article and many more are posted to the Denver Weather Examiner site.

  

Visit Examiner.com for more local Denver news and weather.
Thornton Weather

Record setting cold continues for Thornton and Denver

1 Comment
Erin Mooty tries to stay warm as she waits for a bus Monday. Image courtesy Darin McGregor, The Rocky.
Erin Mooty tries to stay warm as she waits for a bus Monday. Image courtesy Darin McGregor, The Rocky.

The cold continues to hang on and in the process Denver managed to set one record and tie another in the last 24 hours.  This is of course on top of the two records set before that.

Yesterday the mercury at Denver International Airport only climbed to 2 degrees.  This smashes the old record low maximum temperature for the date of 19 degrees set way back in 1914.  Following up on that, this morning DIA fell to an official low of 8 degrees below zero.  This ties the record low temperature for December 16th last set in 1897. 

Today we have good news and bad news.  The good news is that the snow we were expecting didn’t materialize on the Front Range thanks to downslope winds.  That at least saves adding to the misery of the cold.  The bad news though is that this cold is far from over.
 
Tuesday we will remain quite cold and only reach 18 degrees here in Denver.  The mountains will continue to get pounded by snow, particularly the southwestern areas where two to three feet could fall.  A number of advisories have been posted for the southwestern and central mountains so if you are heading to the hills, you may want check the conditions before you go. 

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday there is a chance we could see temperatures above freezing but it won’t be by much – maybe 33 or 34 degrees.  A chance of snow will remain in the forecast for the foreseeable future as well although there won’t be much if it does snow. 

Come the weekend though, the “heat wave” looks to come to an end as an upper level trough that is sitting over the Pacific coast right now moves into the area.  With it our chances of snow increase and the temperatures could drop to the low 20’s Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 

The best piece of advice?  Bundle up and stay inside if you can!  

Where’s this weather coming from?  The jet stream is currently pulling in moist air from the Pacific and sending it right over Colorado.  This in turn is pulling down cold air from the north.  The image below helps you see what is going on.

The jet stream is currently speeding over southern Colorado.

Thornton Weather

Dangerously cold temperatures set records in Denver

1 Comment
Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills have invaded the Front Range.
Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills have invaded the Front Range.

If you love the cold you must be in heaven this morning.  We are awakening to sub-zero temperatures that have now set records for two days in a row. 

Last night at 6:35pm the temperature at Denver International Airport reached a frigid -18 degrees.  This breaks the 107 year old record of -14 degrees for December 14th set way back in 1901. 

This morning the mercury dropped a bit further to -19 degrees at 2:31am.  That absolutely smashed the previous record low temperature for December 15th of -6 set in 1951.

Here in Thornton, ThorntonWeather.com also set records for low temperatures since we first went online in October 2006.  At 6:06am this morning the mercury was at a mere -14 degrees thus breaking our previous all-time cold temperature record of -13.3 degrees set on February 2, 2007.  At 4:08am we recorded a wind chill of -25.3, an all time record for us as well.  Certainly our record keeping hasn’t been going on as long as the official Denver ones but it is still pretty neat to see. 

At 7:00am, stations on the Rocky Mountain Weather Network were recording temperatures well into the negative teens.
At 7:00am, stations on the Rocky Mountain Weather Network were recording temperatures well into the negative teens.

As dawn approached, our temperature map from the Rocky Mountain Weather Network showed many stations across the Front Range reporting temps in the negative teens.  With daybreak, we won’t see much of a warm up either  as we will only reach a high of 16 degrees today.   Denver’s official record low maximum for this date set back in 1914 is 19 degrees so there is a pretty good chance that will be a third record set.  Tonight we are expecting a touch of snow, maybe an inch is about it.

When will the cold end?  Not for the foreseeable future unfortunately.  Long range forecasts going out to next Sunday do not show even one day with temperatures above freezing and there is a slight chance of snow almost every day.

This severe cold almost assures rough travel conditions as the sun isn’t helping to melt the lingering snow.  Please be safe out there and allow plenty of time to arrive at your destination.

Thornton Weather

Denver breaks 107 year old record

Leave a comment
Denver officially broke the record for the coldest temperature recorded on this date.
Denver officially broke the record for the coldest temperature recorded on this date.

Updated 12/15/08 @ 3:30am:

It’s officially cold as heck now!  The cold front has caused the mercury to plummet across the Front Range and we have officially set two new low temperature records.

At 5:52pm on Sunday, December 14th, the temperature at Denver International Airport dropped to -15 degrees.  That broke the old record of -14 degrees for this date set way back in 1901.  The mercury continued to drop and bottomed out at -18 degrees at 6:35pm.

The morning of the 15th has started with a new record low temperature as well.  At 12:00am the temperature was -13 degrees, breaking the old record for the date of -6 set in 1951.  The temperature is still dropping so that record will undoubtedly get even colder. 

It is important to note that prior to DIA opening, temperatures were measured at the old Stapleton site and prior to 1950 they were measured downtown.   That makes a 15 mile distance between where temperatures are measured now and where they were prior to March 1995.  Those 15 miles can accont for large differences in temperature so the record setting temperatures needs to be balanced with that knowledge as in some ways you are comparing apples and oranges.  Click here for a bit of history on the Denver Forecast Office.

Original posting:

We can officially say it is cold now.  The National Weather Service has reported that at 5:52pm the temperature at Denver International Airport dropped to -15 degrees.  That breaks the old record of -14 degrees for this date set way back in 1901. 

Thankfully here in Thornton we haven’t gotten that cold.  At 7:00pm Sunday night it is currently -6.2 degrees.  We will get down to -11 tonight and then only climb to 18 Monday.  Bundle up!

It is important to note that prior to DIA opening, temperatures were measured at the old Stapleton site (and before that downtown).   That makes a 15 mile distance between where temperatures are measured now and where they were prior to 1994.  Those 15 miles can accont for large differences in temperature so you have to take these new records with a grain of salt.