Well, that was fun! Things happened fast and a Snow Squall Warning was issued for an hour or so. In that time Thornton received a fast-hitting 2.3 inches of wet snow. We welcome the precipitation and it was certainly fun to see.
The video below shows four hours in 10 seconds – from partly sunny skies to driving snow and then back again.
From rain to blizzard. This is time lapse video from our east-facing webcam showing Saturday AM to this morning. 48 hours in 2 minutes.
Thornton ended up with 20.6 inches. Our anemometer (wind sensor) froze up early yesterday morning so unfortunately no wind was recorded during the height of the event but I sure wasn’t going to climb on the roof to get it unstuck. 😉
Well, that was fun, eh? Well, probably not for those stuck in traffic when the snowstorm hit this morning.
The storm over-performed big time, far exceeding forecasts. Upslope flow pushed the system against the mountains and kept it in place over the Front Range.
Our east webcam captures it all in a time lapse.
Snow begins at about 3:00am and continued through much of the morning. By the end of the day though, blue skies returned and the snow was melting. We recorded 4.2 inches here but know many spots, particularly to the west, got more.
Mother Nature played a somewhat cruel trick on the Colorado Front Range. The week started with mild temperatures and a definite feeling of spring in the air. She closed out the week with a significant snowstorm and plenty of cold.
The long-expected storm arrived on the evening of Friday the 15th with rain. Overnight into the early morning of the 16th, the rain continued, heavy at times. In the early morning hours, as temperatures dropped, the rain changed to snow and would continue virtually non-stop through the morning of the 17th.
Thornton’s snowfall totals were certainly at the lower end of what was reported in the Denver metro area. We saw 7.3 inches, much of which melted as fast as it fell. Other locations not far to the west and south were pushing a foot and locations in the foothills and Palmer Divide saw nearly two feet.
The time lapse video begins at midnight on the morning of the 16th and continues through noon on the 17th.
It is hard to believe so much snow can fall over such a short period of time. Over just more than 12 hours Thornton received 21.7 inches – our biggest snowstorm since 2006. Our east facing webcam captured all the action from start to finish.
The video below starts at midnight on the 23rd with dry conditions. By about 2:00am rain falls but that quickly transitions to snow.
It is after daybreak that the storm gets started in earnest and the heavy snowfall almost entirely obscures the view at points. As is typical in Colorado, by mid-afternoon, we actually start to see some blue skies.
The video covers 19 hours in about 39 seconds. There are a few ‘hiccups’ in the video that you might notice. These were when we had brief power outages.
To say the storm that pounded the Colorado Front Range was a big one does not do it justice. In less than 24 hours Thornton would see blizzard conditions and our second heaviest snowfall of the previous 10 years.
Light rain began in the early morning hours but that soon transitioned to snow. The white stuff would continue to fall into the evening. Strong winds helped whip the snow and create blizzard conditions grinding the Colorado Front Range to a halt.
Thornton would tally 20.1 inches of snow, one of the heftier totals from the area.
The video below begins at midnight and runs through 7:00pm.
With a significant spring storm set to impact our area tonight through tomorrow, a similar storm 10 years ago today provides a reminder of the potential for damage.
From May 9 to May 10, 2003, heavy, wet snow fell on the Denver area, much of it focused over northern suburbs like Thornton. Power lines were downed and trees took a beating.
Here in Thornton we received 7 inches as did Broomfield and DIA.
The National Weather Service ‘day in history’ noted:
“In 2003…a late spring snowstorm hammered the mountains… Eastern foothills…and urban corridor. The heaviest snowfall occurred north of Interstate 70. The heavy wet snow caused damage to trees throughout metro Denver and downed power lines. About 40 thousand people along the urban corridor were without power. Storm total snowfall amounts included: 11.5 inches in Louisville… 8 inches in Boulder and Broomfield; 7 inches in Thornton…Broomfield…at Denver International Airport… And at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport; and 6 inches 4 miles east of Denver. Snowfall ranged from 4 to 9 inches across extreme southern weld County. In the foothills…15 inches of snow fell near Jamestown…9 inches at Rollinsville and Rawah…with 8 inches at Chief Hosa and atop Lookout Mountain. The snow was accompanied by thunder on the afternoon of the 9th at Denver International Airport where west winds gusted to 25 mph on the 9th and north winds gusted to 22 mph on the 10th.”
The image to the right and the photos and video were taken in the ThorntonWeather.com backyard as the storm started to come to an end.
The stage is set for Thornton to receive its most significant snowfall of the season thus far. Up in the high country snowfall will be measured in feet.
Here at lower elevations current forecasts are calling for 5 to 10 inches between Thursday and Friday afternoon. Many variables are in play that could affect the total that is eventually realized but this is certainly our best shot at a heavy snow thus far in the snow season.
We will be monitoring monitoring the storm very closely and posting regularly to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can follow along in real time below. We are also on Google+ here.
For comprehensive look at the storm, please monitor our Winter Weather Briefing page.
A powerful winter storm system struck parts of the Middle East on Friday to the delight of some residents but causing havoc in other locations where snow is a rarity.
In Cairo, Egypt snow fell, reportedly for the first time in 112 years, covering parts of the city in a light blanket of white.
Parts of Israel saw heavy snow totaling up to three feet. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told The Times of Israel, “We’re facing a rare storm the likes of which we’ve never seen.”
The local meteorological agency said it was the worst snowstorm seen since at least 1953.
Read the rest of this story with video and photos on Examiner.com
Mother Nature delivered a potent blast of wintry weather for Tax Day catching forecasters and residents off guard. The mid-April snowstorm brought a hefty shot of snow and cold temperatures to Denver and northeastern Colorado.
Two days before the event models pointed to significant snowfall for Tax Day. Soon however those same models shifted their target to the north and the metro area was only expected to receive light snow.
The heavy snow moved further south than anticipated however and by mid-afternoon on Monday, April 15 the storm was getting started in earnest. Snowfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour were seen from then through midnight.
The video below captures 24 hours of the event from 6:00am on April 15 to 6:00am to April 16. Only light snow is seen through about 2:00pm on the 15th before things really start to pick up.