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Thornton Weather

Winter storm arrives in Thornton, snow expected throughout the day

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Old Man Winter arrives in Thornton. December 23, 2009. View more images from the weather in the slideshow by clicking on the picture. Image courtesy Shannon Vermilye.
Old Man Winter arrives in Thornton. December 23, 2009. Image courtesy Shannon Vermilye. Click on the picture to view our slideshow of more photos of the weather.

Update, 1:45pm – A white Christmas with snow the ground is an obvious certainty at this point. Most areas around the Denver metro area have received from 3 to 4 inches of snow with higher amounts in the foothills and in Larimer and Weld counties.

The snow continues to fall and will do so throughout the afternoon although we may see a bit of a lull for a short while. Metro area freeways are mainly wet at this point but that could change this evening and tonight when temperatures start to drop.

This evening we will see the winds pick up setting up the potentially for blowing snow conditions that will cause some problems on the roads. Another round of heavier snow is expected to begin this evening and through tonight leading to additional accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. The snow will taper off in the early morning tomorrow and we will end the storm in the neighborhood of 4 to 8 inches total snow accumulation.

A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for the Front Range extending north beyond the Wyoming border and northeast and east to the Fort Morgan and Limon areas. Further east on the plains a Winter Storm Warning is in effect along the I-70 and I-76 corridors. Travel is likely to become hazardous through Nebraska and Kansas tonight.

Temperatures are the other major part of this storm system. High temperatures will remain quite cold and well below seasonal normals. Overnight lows for the next few nights will dip into the single digits.

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As always, stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com for truly local weather for Thornton. 

Original story, 8:25am – Old Man Winter was a couple days late but he has arrived in the Mile High City overnight. As expected he has brought with him plenty of cold and a bit of snow just in time to give Denver a white Christmas.

Overnight last night most areas across the metro area reported 1 to 2 inches of snow. Areas to the north like Greeley and Fort Collins have received a bit more in the neighborhood of 3 to 5 inches thanks to a decent snow band moving through those areas.

That snow band to the north will begin to move to the south and arrive over Denver this morning increasing our snow totals. We are expecting 1 to 3 inches additional daytime accumulation today and another 1 to 3 overnight Wednesday. This puts us on target for snow totals for the event of 3 to 8 inches.

Temperatures will remain very cold today with the high only reaching the mid 20’s. Tonight winds will pick up and blowing snow could become problematic, particularly in areas east of I-25. Overnight lows will plummet into the single digits.

A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for the Front Range and mountain areas east of the Continental Divide. When the winds pick up this evening they will lead to blowing and drifting snow and likely impact road travel so caution is advised.

Thursday temperatures remain cold and in the teens. We won’t see much more accumulation but windy conditions will cause what snow has already fallen to blow around, particularly in open areas.

Christmas Day we will see a return of some sun but temperatures remain in the low 20’s. Some of the latest models did introduce a slight chance for flurries so we will keep an eye on that.

Beyond the holiday, warming will gradually continue and the general weather pattern will be dry. Temperatures though are expected to remain a bit chilly and below seasonal norms.

Thornton Weather

Get ready – Old Man Winter to arrive in Thornton tonight

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Current weather advisories for northeastern Colorado. Click the image for the latest.
Current weather advisories for northeastern Colorado. Click the image for the latest.

Update, 5:30pm – The snow is still coming, it is just a little bit slower than originally anticipated.  A Winter Weather Advisory will go into effect at 8:00pm for the Front Range and a Winter Storm Warning will go into effect for the eastern plains. 

Snow will develop later this evening and we still expect to see 2 to 4 inches of snow by morning.  The snow will continue through Wednesday and when it ends we will have between 4 and 8 inches total accumulation. 

As discussed before (see below), the eastern plains are where the brunt of this storm is really going to hit.  Travel on I-70 from Limon through Kansas and I-76 from Sterling through Nebraska is likely to become hazardous later in the day tomorrow.

Original story, 4:14pm – ust in time to potentially snarl holiday travel, a winter storm is bearing down on Thornton and will have far-reaching impacts across the Great Plains. A variety of winter weather advisories and warnings have been issued stretching from Colorado through Kansas north through the Midwest to the Canadian border.

For Colorado, the storm has already begun to affect the southwestern part of the state where snow began falling earlier today. The Colorado Department of Transportation says that chain laws are in effect on US 160 and US 550. As the storm moves further into the state, similar restrictions can be expected.

In Denver, and for much of the Front Range, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 8:00pm tonight through 5:00am Thursday. Snow will begin to develop this evening and continue throughout the day Wednesday before easing late Wednesday afternoon. Look for us to have 2 to 4 inches in the Denver area. By the time the storm is done, we are looking at 4 to 8 inches of total accumulation and with winds blowing from 10 to 20 mph, blowing and drifting snow is likely.

The real threat from this storm will be in areas east and northeast of Denver. The eastern plains of Colorado are forecast to receive 5 to 10 inches and the wide-open expanses and wind could lead to blizzard-like conditions. Travel on I-70 east of Limon through Kansas and I-76 northeast of Sterling through Nebraska will become difficult and possibly dangerous. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for these areas.

This storm certainly won’t come anywhere near the level of the record-setting Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982 however, it will virtually ensure that we have a white Christmas with snow on the ground. Temperatures will be bitterly cold Wednesday through Friday and it may be Sunday before we see them rebound to above freezing.

If you haven’t done so, be sure to follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook!  They are great ways to stay up to date with the latest weather news, forecasts and conditions!

As always, stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com for truly local weather for Thornton. 

Thornton Weather, Weather History

Three years ago today – The seventh biggest snowstorm in Denver history

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The Blizzard of 2006 buried all of Denver under a heavy blanket of snow that measured more than 2 feet in many areas. More images from the storm can be found at the Denver Weather Examiner - click on the image to go there. (ThorntonWeather.com)
The Blizzard of 2006 buried all of Denver under a heavy blanket of snow that measured more than 2 feet in many areas. More images from the storm can be found at the Denver Weather Examiner - click on the image to go there. (ThorntonWeather.com)

Leading up to the Christmas holidays of 2006 the weather was nothing extraordinary in the Mile High City – until the 20th of the month. Temperatures at the middle of the month had entered into the 60’s and Denver residents were enjoying the warmth.

A few short days later, that all changed in a big way. A slow moving low pressure system coupled with upslope flow and copious amounts of moisture provided the perfect setup for a historical winter storm whose effects would be felt for months. Snow began falling on the morning of the 20th and by the early afternoon blizzard conditions began to set in and it was obvious we were in for one heck of a storm.

Businesses shut down early on the afternoon of the 20th in order to allow their employees extra time to make it home safe but by then a foot or more of snow had fallen across the Front Range. The governor called out the Colorado National Guard to help rescue stranded motorists who were in turn transported to area Red Cross shelters to wait out the storm.

Every major interstate and highway in and out of Denver was shut down and RTD suspended all service in the city for the first time since 2003. Mail service on the 21st was canceled entirely as even the mail carriers couldn’t make their way to their appointed rounds. Most area businesses were forced to shut down on the 21st as employees couldn’t even make it out of their housing developments to get to work. 

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!For much more about the storm and to see photos of the aftermath, check out the story on the Denver Weather Examiner.

Colorado Weather

Massive winter storm as seen by NASA satellite

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Old Man Winter has steadily made his presence felt in recent days. California was the first to get struck this past weekend and as the storm moved west, few states have been spared. Widespread high wind events, Arctic cold and snow have marked the storms as they crossed the central United States.

Today the same system that gave us Arctic temperatures in Denver has moved to the east. As it does, Nebraska, Iowa and states along the Great Lakes are feeling its effects.

NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites moved over the western half of the nation and captured amazing imagery showing how widespread the winter weather was.

A severe winter storm blustered its way across the United States on December 7 and 8, 2009. The storm dumped heavy snow from California to the Great Plains, and fierce winds added to the hazardous conditions. The storm was predicted to continue eastward in midweek, and blizzard warnings were in effect for Great Lakes states as of December 9.

This image shows the blanket of snow laid down by the storm across the West, along with the thick swirl of storm clouds over the Great Plains from North Dakota to Oklahoma. The image is made from a combination of images captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors on NASA’s Terra (most of the left side of the image) and Aqua (most of the right side) satellites on December 8.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, based on individual images from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Winter weather moves out but the bitter cold remains

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It certainly could have been a lot worse. The Mile High City escaped relatively unscathed with only minor accumulations of snow from the storm that is now moving to the east. Its lingering effects will continue to be felt overnight however.

Some blue skies are starting to be seen which is a welcome sight and the Winter Weather Advisory that was in effect has been cancelled. Temperatures however remain in the single digits across the Front Range and are below zero in the high country according to the Rocky Mountain Weather Network. With the slight breezes wind chills are easily dipping near the zero degree mark.

Overnight tonight, the mercury will continue to drop and likely enter negative numbers. The only consolation we have is that we do gradually begin to warm up tomorrow and may very well start hitting normal temperatures by Saturday.

The winter storm system that impacted Colorado struck Arizona and California before arriving here and as it travels east it will cover a widespread swath of the nation. Check out the story from the Natural Disasters Examiner for more information. Also be sure to look at the slideshow below of the winter weather.

Colorado Weather, National Weather

Winter storms stretching 1,700 miles pounds the nation

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A massive winter storm covering nearly 1,700 miles has brought Arctic cold, record snowfall and blizzard conditions to a large swatch of the nation. From southwestern Utah, across the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains to northeastern Michigan winter weather warnings have been issued as Old Man Winter arrives two weeks early.

Starting in California, parts of the Sierra Nevada saw up to four feet of snow. In Arizona the storm brought high winds to the Phoenix area which downed power lines leaving 250,000 people without power. Flagstaff, Arizona and Reno, Nevada were covered in blankets of snow.

In Colorado, the entire state was feeling the effects of the storm. The southwestern part of the state was experiencing blizzard conditions while the Denver area, spared significant snowfall, suffered through single digit temperatures and wind chills dipping to 10 degrees below zero.

As if often the case, winter storm can turn deadly and this system has not been an exception. Two people were killed in New Mexico due to traffic accidents on dangerously slick roads and the state’s road crews were struggling to keep up with falling snow.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!For all the details including a photo slideshow of the winter weather and details on the impact of travel, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Thornton Weather

Winter Weather Advisory in effect on Sunday as cold and snow settle in

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A view from Thornton as of mid-morning on Sunday. Broncos fans should be thankful that they dont have to go to a game at Invesco Field at Mile High with wind chills dipping to zero degrees!
A view from Thornton as of mid-morning on Sunday. Broncos fans should be thankful that they don't have to go to a game at Invesco Field at Mile High with wind chills dipping to zero degrees!

Updated, 12/6/09, 10:40am – The Winter Weather Advisory has been canceled.  Light snow will continue to fall through the afternoon but it is just too cold and dry to generate a bunch of snow.

Updated, 12/6/09, 10:30am – It is COLD out there! Temperatures in Thornton right now are around 14 degrees but with the breeze wind chills are approaching zero. 

The snow arrived in the Mile High City in the early morning hours and has been falling since then in varying degrees of intensity. Most roads around Denver are snowpacked and likely are pretty slick under the snow given the cold temperatures. The City of Thornton is on accident alert so if you must drive, please be careful.

Generally, we are looking at 3 to 5 inches of snow for today with flurries continuing throughout the day and into tonight. Areas close to the foothills and in the mountains will see more in the range of 6 to 8 inches. A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 8:00pm tonight.

As we discussed in our morning forecast, it is simply too cold and dry to generate a great deal of snow. The real story with the system is the bitter cold. Most stations on the Rocky Mountain Weather Network are reporting temperatures in the teens with wind chills near zero making it pretty miserable to be outside no matter where along the Front Range you are.

As always, stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com for truly local weather for Thornton.  If you haven’t done so, be sure to follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook!  They are great ways to stay up to date with the latest weather news, forecasts and conditions!

Updated, 12/6/09, 6:05am – While being a bit slower to generate than originally thought, the snow has begun to fall along the Front Range and will continue for much of the day, particularly this morning. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued and will remain in effect until 8:00pm this evening.

The Denver metro area can expect 3 to 5 inches of snow accumulation from the system, most of which will be light and fluffy thanks to a lack of moisture and the cold temperatures. Here in Thornton we will probably be at the lighter end of that range.  We may see some periods of heavy snow before it begins to taper off this afternoon. A weak upslope will limit the highest accumulations to areas along the foothills and in the mountains.

Continue reading Winter Weather Advisory in effect on Sunday as cold and snow settle in →

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Thornton begins digging out from early winter storm

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This image from the ThorntonWeather.com webcam was captured at the height of the storm.
This image from the ThorntonWeather.com webcam was captured at the height of the storm.

A two-day storm that saw areas around Denver measuring snow in terms of feet has moved out of the area and onto the plains. The lingering effects of the storm will be felt Friday in terms of slick roads in Denver and blizzard conditions to the east.

The early winter storm, while not entirely unusual, was the first major snow storm of the season and put Coloradoans to the test. Mercifully, the snow never fell at a particularly heavy rate and while it lingered for a long time, it allowed road crews and residents time to stay on top of the snowfall. Most schoolchildren were pleased to have received at least one snow day from the storm and many were the recipients of two unplanned days off.

At Denver International Airport, initial success at holding the storm’s effects at bay on Wednesday began to whither under the white onslaught on Thursday as winds picked up and the storm shifted east. Hundreds of flights were canceled from the airport’s major carriers including United Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines.

At the height of the storm’s effects, the airport was reduced to two operating runways from the usual six and delays of up to four hours were occurring. All airlines anticipate being able to operate a normal flight schedule today.

How much snow did the Denver area receive? Here are some of the snowfall totals:

Aurora: 16 inches
Boulder: 18.8 inches
Broomfield: 20 inches
Centennial: 17 inches
Coal Creek Canyon: 46 inches
Denver International Airport: 12 inches (as of 6:00am Thursday)
Evergreen: 30 inches
Highlands Ranch: 24.5 inches
Littleton: 28.5 inches
Longmont: 12.4 inches
Parker: 14.5 inches
Thornton: 14.1 inches
Click here for a complete listing of storm reports.

The storm did push Denver into the record books and the ‘top 10 snowiest Octobers’ list. The National Weather Service will publish the official snow total from DIA for yesterday but even without the snow from yesterday, October 2009 makes the list. As of 6:00am on Thursday, DIA had recorded 14.5 inches for the month (12 inches from this storm). That makes it number 7 on the top 10 list for snowiest Octobers on record since 1882. Once today’s measurement is released, it is possible it will climb further.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!For the rest of the storm recap, the latest photos and much more, please visit the story on the Denver Weather Examiner.

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Incredible time lapse video – Thornton’s October 2009 snowstorm

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From the evening of October 27, 2009 through October 29, 2009, the Denver metro area was struck by a major, early winter snowstorm. The mountains and foothills to the immediate west of Denver were measuring the snowfall in feet while in the city more than a foot of snow fell in less than 72 hours.  Here in Thornton we recorded 14.1 inches of snow during the event.

This time lapse video below was captured by our east facing webcam. It begins early Tuesday morning (October 27th) and runs through midnight on Thursday, October 29th. As it starts, you can see the first day started out nice enough but by evening the wind was blowing and rain was falling. That soon changed to snow and the snowstorm was in full force for two days.

Thornton Weather

Early winter storm arrives in Colorado – Snow to continue

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Live CDOT webcam image from 120th & I-25 looking south.
Live CDOT webcam image from 120th & I-25 looking south.

Update, 6:10pm: As the storm starts to move to the east, blizzard conditions on the plains east of Denver are causing problems. I-70 remains closed from Airpark Road to Burlington and I-76 is closed from Lochbuie to Fort Morgan. Storm reports indicate blizzard conditions prevail with limited visibility and drifting snow. A Blizzard Warning is in effect for much of the northeastern Colorado plains and will remain so until 6:00am Friday.

Closer to town, things are finally starting to ease up along the Front Range and in the metro area. Gusty winds and cold temperatures will keep wind chills down into the teens and make it uncomfortable to be outside. Drifting snow on roadways is possible thanks to those gusty winds from the north. Additional light snow can be expected, mainly in areas to the west and south.

The Winter Storm Warning for the metro area was allowed to expire at 6:00pm as planned. However, roads are likely to get slick as temperatures drop overnight so please use caution.

Update, 12:38pm:  October 2009 enters the record books as the 7th snowiest October on record in Denver. The National Weather Service reported that as of 6:00am today, the official station at Denver International Airport had recorded 14.5 inches of snow fall for this month. 10.6 inches of that had fallen in the previous 24 hours. With the early measurement and the fact the snow is expected to continue throughout the day, it is possible the month will climb further up the charts (see below).

It is also notable that Denver will likely finish the month as one of the coldest Octobers on record. Thus far the average temperature for October 2009 has been 43.9 degrees. Were the month to end today, that would place it in a tie for the third coldest October on record. 

DENVER’S 10 SNOWIEST OCTOBERS
(1882-2008)

31.2   1969
22.7   1906
22.1   1997
17.8   1923
16.4   1897
16.2   1929
14.5   2009
14.0   1889
13.8   1905
13.6   1908
13.1   1984
DENVER’S 10 COLDEST OCTOBERS
  (1873-2008)

 39.0   1969
 43.3   1925
 43.9   2002, 2009 *
 44.3   1923
 44.8   1984
 45.9   1970
 46.3   1877
 46.4   1913, 1919
 46.6   1905
 46.7   1873

* As of October 28, 2009

Update, 10:35am: The snow keeps falling! Light snow will continue across the urban corridor for the rest of the morning with 1 to 4 inches additional accumulation possible. Some areas south may see heavier snow rates, particularly to the south and east.

Blizzard-like conditions are possible in open areas where there is a good bit of wind blowing. Travel to the east is best avoided at this time due to low visibility and icy conditions. Chain laws are actually in effect on I-76 at Wiggins due to hazardous conditions. I-25 remains closed from Wellington to the Wyoming border.

At Denver International Airport, flight delays continue to mount. Delays of 3 to 4 hours are being experienced for arrivals and departures as DIA ground crews struggle to keep up with the falling snow. Frontier Airlines reports that additional cancelations are possible.

Storm spotters have reported amounts as high as 44 inches in Coal Creek Canyon and snowfall reaching near 3 feet is being seen in many places in the foothills. Closer to town, west and south are reporting up to 18 inches while central Denver is reporting close to one foot.  ThorntonWeather.com has recorded 14.1″ so far! Click here for the latest storm reports from across the area.

ThorntonWeather.com is of course your source for local information on the storm as it develops.  We will also be updating the Denver Weather Examiner site as things develop.  Here are some quick links to pages you may find handy:

Why do we link to Examiner.com?  Click here to find out.

Update, 6:35am, Thursday, October 29, 2009: Thornton and a large portion of Colorado continue to be hammered by a two-day long storm that has dumped more than two feet of snow in the adjacent foothills and a foot across much of the metro area. At ThorntonWeather.com we have recorded 13.2 inches of snow thus far for the event.  While the early winter storm has created its share of problems, the relatively slow snowfall rate has allowed it to be manageable by most standards.

Continue reading Early winter storm arrives in Colorado – Snow to continue →