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ThorntonWeather.com Website News & Change Log

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Web Site Change LogOur website is constantly changing as new features are added and old ones are updated. Check here to learn what new features have been added lately.  If you have a suggestion for a new feature or changes you would like to see, please contact us and let us know!

12/24/13

Not directly weather-related but added live video feeds provided by NASA.  Both are available from the Almanac > Astronomy & Space menu on the left.

  • NASA TV live feed – This is NASA’s television channel providing coverage of what the space agency is doing.
  • ISS live feed – Live video from the International Space Station.  Live video of specific tasks being performed by the astronauts is shown or oftentimes live video from the station’s exterior cameras.

9/14/13

  • The map on our Northeastern Colorado River Heights and Flood Status page was not working due to changes in the feed from the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service.  The page has now been updated and incorporates an interactive map.  It also displays river heights and flood status for locations across northeastern Colorado.  You can find the page in the Almanac menu at the left.

9/11/13

  • We noticed our Record Weather Event page that is fed from data from the National Weather Service was not working properly.  This was due to some changes by the NWS.  We have fixed this now and you can always check to see what recent record-breaking weather we have experienced by selecting the Denver / Boulder office from the drop down on the page.  The page itself is under the Almanac / National Weather Service menu on the left.

9/1/13

  • Some much-needed behind the scenes work.  The computer that powers all of our weather equipment – the station software, radar, lightning detector, website, etc – was on its last leg.  It served us well for 5 years and it was time to go.  This weekend we replaced the computer with a brand new one with far more computing power.  The upgrade will allow us to continue to bring you the best local weather information and news in Thornton.

8/12/13

  • Due to changes in the way the U.S. Geological Survey formats its data, we updated our earthquake pages.  The new pages now use a Google map to display recent temblors.  We also have two earthquake pages now: One for quakes within a 500 mile radius of Denver, and one for all earthquakes globally.  You can find the pages in the Almanac menu on the left.

7/14/13

  • Changes to our Live Weather Gauges page. Gauges are a bit bigger and easier to read, we added a wind rose, the scrolling text display now shows the forecast and at the bottom you can select different units of measure.

6/27/13

  • We changed our west facing webcam orientation pointing it a bit more vertical.  This will allow a better view of the skies above while still maintaining perspective of nearby trees.

9/2/12

  • We’ve updated our monthly tables for Denver’s “Normals, Means & Extremes” and “”Top 10″ Precipitation & Temp”.  You can find them under the Almanac menu on the left then go to Climatology & Records.  You can also click here.
  • Some time ago we added a WeatherNation TV page that allows you to view broadcasts from the network live on our site.  Now we have added a National & International Video News page with the latest from NDN’s providers including CBS, AP and many more.  It is available under Area Information to the left and then select Video News.

7/3/12

  • The National Weather Service changed their forecast pages and that necessitated changes of our page as well.  While the basics are the same, we took the opportunity to do a bit of an upgrade.  The page will automatically display the forecast for Thornton as always but now there is a dropdown menu that allows you to easily grab the forecast from more than a dozen other cities across Colorado.  Click here to check it out or select ‘NWS 5 day forecast’ from the Forecasts menu on the left.

6/13/12

  • We already have a number of ways to view current weather conditions locally and from across the globe – see the Live Conditions menu at the left.  One new page we added expands on that and provides conditions from Denver area METAR stations.  METARs are permanent weather stations, oftentimes located at airports, that report current conditions in a standardized format (click here for details).  Our METAR page reads data from locations like Denver International Airport, Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, Buckley Air Force Base and a number of other locations and provides their reported weather conditions in an easy to view format.  You can access it from the Live Conditions menu on the left or by clicking here.

6/12/12

  • Our Lightning Detection Center pages are among our most popular during severe weather season.  We have just added a new page that uses StormVue NGX to display lightning activity.  Using Flash, the display gives you the ability to zoom in and out, set alarms, choose what type of strikes to display and much more.  You can check it out here or find it in the Lightning menu to the left.

6/10/12

For anyone that reads our news section or views or Facebook page, you are well aware of our fondness for satellite imagery.  The ‘eyes in the sky’ can provide an amazing view of weather and disasters.  We have added two new pages that allow you to view some of the most amazing imagery:

Continue reading ThorntonWeather.com Website News & Change Log →

Local News, National Weather, Weather Education, Weather History

Will the weather determine the next president?

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Weather – The true determining factor of who will be president?
Weather – The true determining factor of who will be president?

We oftentimes hear about how weather can affect voter turnout but is there truly a link?  If there is, who does it benefit – Republicans or Democrats?  Studies seem to indicate that what might be thought of as an urban myth is indeed true.

In 2005, political science researchers Brad Gomez, Thomas Hansford and George Krause completed the first comprehensive study on the correlation between weather and voter turnout.  Their paper, “The Republicans Should Pray for Rain:  Weather, Turnout, and Voting in U.S. Presidential Elections” confirmed the conventional wisdom that weather does affect voter turnout, bad weather benefits Republicans and most interestingly, two presidential elections in the last 60 years may have had different results had the weather been different.

Looking back at presidential elections from 1948 to 2008, the study takes into account the weather in 3,000 U.S. counties.  They in turn looked at key areas of the nation and how weather, good and bad, affected voter turnout.  In the end, the study determined that precipitation is the key weather condition to affect voter turnout.

Continue reading Will the weather determine the next president? →

Weather History

The weather and the ‘date which will live in infamy’

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December 7, 1941. From left, the USS USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee, both damaged and USS Arizona, sunk. The weather played a key part in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
December 7, 1941. From left, the USS USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee, both damaged and USS Arizona, sunk. The weather played a key part in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The weather that morning was beautiful over Pearl Harbor as one might expect in paradise.  The USS Tennessee reported winds at 11 to 16 miles an hour and slight wind ripples on the water of the bay.  The USS Oklahoma reported clear skies with “intermittent moving fleecy clouds.”  Little did the men making those weather reports know that hell was about to rain down on them.

69 years ago today, the United States was forced into World War II with the brutal surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.  Over 2,300 servicemen lost their lives on that fateful day, a “date which will live in infamy.” Relatively unknown in the stories of that fateful day is how the weather played a key and prominent role.

On December 4th, a Japanese intelligence officer at their embassy in Washington D.C. was listening to Radio Tokyo as he had been for the last two weeks.  The weather report:  “Higashi no kaze ame”, or “east wind, rain.”  That seemingly innocent phrase was in actuality code to Japanese diplomats to destroy all of their cryptographic equipment, books and top secret documents as an attack was imminent.  A weather report sounded the alarm that war was coming.
 
On Oahu, December and January are actually the cloudiest months and this was a concern for the Japanese in the planning of their attack.  Timing was of the essence as winter in the Pacific can be brutal and if they were forced to wait till late December, success would be in doubt.  The clouds would be good for hiding the planes on their approach to the islands but if they couldn’t see their targets, the attack could not be successful.

220 miles north of Oahu and heading east into a steady wind, the Japanese fleet launched its planes at 6:10am.  The wind provided the extra lift for the bomb-laden planes and low clouds at 5,000 feet helped to provide cover for the fleet and its planes.  The question remained however – would there be clouds over the target?

As the planes headed toward Pearl, U.S. code breakers intercepted a message from Tokyo to Japanese diplomats telling them to break off talks with the United States.  At 7:33am, Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall, believed this could be the harbinger of an attack and he sends a warning to Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short, commander of U.S. Army forces in Hawaii.  Atmospheric static however prevents the message from being sent by radio and Marshall’s message is sent via commercial telegraph instead. Short’s headquarters receives the message at 11:45am and he did not see it until 3:00pm – more than eight hours after the attack had started.

Flying between 9,000 and 14,000 feet, the clouds provided the cover that the Japanese planes needed.  Using a Honolulu radio station to guide them, the planes neared the north coast at 7:30am and heard the radio announcer report, “clouds, mostly over the mountains.  Visibility good.”  That is exactly what they wanted to hear.  Their approach over the mountains of the island was concealed by the clouds and as they neared Pearl Harbor, those clear skies reported by the USS Oklahoma and Tennessee provided the bombers the visibility they needed to hit their targets.  At 7:55am, metal rain began to fall on our soldiers, sailors and airmen.

Our nation was forever changed that day and as is often the case, the weather played a key role in this moment in history.  After the attack, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said, “We have awakened a sleeping giant and have instilled in him a terrible resolve.”  Indeed that was the case but the price was heavy as nearly 300,000 United States service members would lose their lives in the years to come.

Dallas City Hall, Veterans Day, November 11, 2004. Houston James, a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, hugs Marine Staff Sergeant Mark Graunke Jr., a member of an explosive disposal team who lost his left hand, one leg and an eye in Iraq.
Dallas City Hall, Veterans Day, November 11, 2004. Houston James, a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, hugs Marine Staff Sergeant Mark Graunke Jr., a member of an explosive disposal team who lost his left hand, one leg and an eye in Iraq.

On  personal note, I ask all of our readers to take the time today to acknowledge and remember not only those that paid the ultimate sacrifice on December 7, 1941 and in the following years, but also remember that more than 16 million men and women served in the armed forces during World War II.  Of those, a mere 2.3 million are still with us today and 1,000 World War II veterans die each and every day.  As we mourn their passing, we should also remember that which they stood for – honor, sacrifice, courage, God and country.  There had never been – and there never will be – a generation like theirs.  I thank them for their service and hope they may have the peace in heaven that they did not see while on earth.  God bless you all. 

For more information:  Please help Thornton build a memorial to honor not only World War II veterans but all veterans from all branches of service and all wars.  The owner and operator of ThorntonWeather.com is a significant contributor to the project and asks that our visitors consider donating to the project.  Please visit the Thornton Veterans Memorial website for more information.

Local News, Site News

Shop Weather Geek Stuff this holiday season and support ThorntonWeather.com

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Weather Geek Stuff is a great store with a wide array of weather related clothing and novelties. The site's merchandise was even shown on The Weather Channel.
Weather Geek Stuff is a great store with a wide array of weather related clothing and novelties. The site's merchandise was even shown on The Weather Channel.

One year ago we launched Weather Geek Stuff, an online store with a wide variety of clothing and novelties all catering to weather enthusiasts and storm chasers.  Powered by Cafe Press, there are a variety of custom logos available to adorn the merchandise. 

We have our infamous Weather Geek and Weather Diva line to our amusing weather warning signs that covers severe weather from tornadoes to hurricanes.  Kids clothing and even shirts for your dog area available.  Clocks, mugs, aprons, bags, water bottles and more can bear the weather related logos. 

By buying items from Weather Geek Stuff, you will be helping to support this ThorntonWeather.com.  All proceeds from sales of items go directly to the somewhat considerable costs for maintaining ThorntonWeather.com and updating it with the new features you have come to appreciate. 

With the holidays coming up, Weather Geek Stuff will make great gifts for the Weather Geek or Weather Diva on your shopping list! 

Weather Geek Stuff is a great place to buy weather related clothing and merchandise.

Thornton Weather

Red Flag Warning for most of Colorado highlights extreme fire danger

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The entire eastern half of Colorado is under a Red Flag Warning through Friday evening.
The entire eastern half of Colorado is under a Red Flag Warning through Friday evening.

The National Weather Service has updated the Red Flag Warning and it will now go into effect at 9:00am today and run through 9:00pm.  Further, the warning now covers the entire eastern half of the state of Colorado and in fact extends to the south and east into parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.  This of course covers the entire Denver metro area and the Front Range. 

The extension and widening of the warning should serve to really drive home how dry things are and how serious the fire conditions are.  Please be sure to take appropriate precautions as we certainly would like to avoid any wildfires.

RED FLAG WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
456 AM MST FRI FEB 6 2009

…Dry and windy conditions across the plains and lower foothills today…

Very dry air will combine with strong winds to produce increased fire danger over the foothills and plains of northeast Colorado today. Winds will gust as high as 40 mph on the plains this afternoon with gusts to 50 mph in the foothills. Minimum humidities will range from 10 to 15 percent. Conditions will improve on the plains around sunset…with warm and breezy conditions lingering in and near the foothills through the early evening hours.

…Red Flag Warning now in effect from 9 am this morning to 9 pm mst this evening for gusty winds and low humidities…

The Red Flag Warning is now in effect from 9 am this morning to 9 pm mst this evening. A Red Flag Warning is now in effect for all of the plains and foothills areas of eastern Colorado… Including fire weather zones 235…236…and 238 through 251.

West winds of 20 to 35 mph will become widespread in and near the southern Front Range foothills this morning…and spread across the plains by afternoon. Gusts as high as 50 mph are possible in the foothills. Relative humidities will drop into the 8 to 15 percent range. The combination of the gusty winds…low humidities and dry fuels will create very high fire danger. The gusty winds will decrease and the relative humidities will increase this evening.

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or imminent. Please advise the appropriate officials and fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning.

Thornton Weather

What are the chances the weather will kill you?

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What are the odds that a weather event will be your undoing? Image courtesy WeatherGeekStuff.com.
What are the odds that a weather event will be your undoing? Image courtesy WeatherGeekStuff.com.

In an interesting piece from the National Safety Council, they outline many of the unnatural ways you could die and what the chances are that they would actually happen. The good news is that weather most likely won’t kill you. The bad news is there are lots of other ways that you have a better chance of dying from. 

Over your lifetime, the NSC calculates you have a 1 in 22 chance (YIKES!) that you will die from something other than natural causes. Motor vehicle accidents are probably the most common way with a 1 in 84 chance you will die in a crash. Hmmm. I think I will walk home – at least then my chances jump to 1 in 267! 

As for the weather and other disasters…
  • Your chances of being struck by lightning and dying? 1 in 81,949. Pretty slim odds there. You are more likely to drown in your own bath tub (1 in 11,079). 
  • What about earthquakes, the one natural disaster that scares me more than any? 1 in 103,004 chance you will die in a temblor. That’s about the same as dying from overexertion (1 in 119,098). I guess maybe I am relatively safe from those after all, especially since I don’t live in California anymore!
  • What about the chances of dying in a major storm? Not looking too good there – a 1 in 4,361 chance you will die that way. Talk about Mother Nature’s wrath!  That’s about the same chance as you dying from choking on your dinner (1 in 4,411). 
  • Flooding can be a concern in some areas of the nation. You have a 1 in 317,595 chance of dying that way. You have a better chance of dying from electrocution from a live power source than that (1 in 36,297). 
  • All in all, the statistics say that you have a 1 in 1,749 chance of dying from some force of nature, about the same odds of dying from assault with a sharp weapon (1 in 1,817). 
I suppose those aren’t too bad of odds, especially when contrasted with every day dangers such as driving a car like we mentioned above. Other every day dangers that give you a good chance of taking a dirt nap? You have a 1 in 1,456 chance of dying in an uncontrolled building fire. Heading to the hospital? You have a 1 in 1,437 chance of dying from medical / surgical complications. That mean, neighbor dog? You have a 1 in 115,489 chance that it or another dog will kill you. 
 
In the end, weather probably shouldn’t worry you too much.  Do you have a weather or natural disaster fear?  Let us know!  Leave a comment below!
This article was also posted to the Denver Weather Examiner site. Get more local news and information on Examiner.com.  Denver Weather Examiner
Local News, Site News

Announcing Weather Geek Stuff – www.weathergeekstuff.com

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Weather Geek Stuff is a new site with a wide array of weather related clothing and novelties.
Weather Geek Stuff is a new site with a wide array of weather related clothing and novelties.

As avowed “weather geeks”, we are never afraid to let folks know of our hobby – some might actually call it an obsession.  🙂   In order to let us proclaim our interest in the weather ThorntonWeather.com has launched Weather Geek Stuff – www.weathergeekstuff.com. 

Powered by Café Press, we have created a bunch of “Weather Geek” logo merchandise.  There is even “Weather Diva” logo merchandise stuff for ladies and kids can get stuff in their size as well.  We have also created some ‘warning sign’ logos that are pretty amusing that can be put on all sorts of different items.  There is even ThorntonWeather.com merchandise! Everything from t-shirts to polo shirts and from coffee mugs to clocks are available, all with a cool logos and graphics. 

By buying items from Weather Geek Stuff, you will be helping to support this website.  All proceeds from sales of items go directly to the somewhat considerable costs for maintaining ThorntonWeather.com and updating with the new features you have come to appreciate. 

With the holidays coming up, Weather Geek Stuff will make great gifts for the Weather Geek or Weather Diva on your shopping list!