NASA Astronaut Douglas Wheelcock captured this image of Hurricane Earl on Monday. Click the image for a slideshow of hurricanes as seen from space. (NASA)
A slightly weakened but still powerful Hurricane Earl continues on its path drawing nearer to the United States East Coast. In recent days, astronauts aboard the International Space Station have been afforded stunning views of the storm from their 220 mile high perch.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Earl’s forecast path will bring it dangerous close to the East Coast from South Carolina through Maine. The center of the storm is expected to remain at sea however the centers “cone of uncertainty” includes much of the coast.
Astronaut Douglas Wheelcock is the commander of the Expedition 24 crew now on board the space station. The West Point graduate and Army colonel previously logged hundreds of hours aboard the Space Shuttle and is in the third month of a six-month stay commanding the ISS.
Like other recent visitors to the space station, Wheelcock is keeping the public up to date with the crew’s activities via Twitter. As the user ‘Astro_Wheels’, Wheelcock has used the messaging service to report on repairs to the station and ongoing experiments and now has posted extraordinary photos of Hurricane Earl.
The two images of the powerful hurricane span roughly 17 hours. The first, taken over the central Atlantic on Monday shows Earl when it was a Category 2 storm with loose, rotating bands. The second, taken this morning, shows how much more organized – and powerful – the storm has become.
The slideshow below contains the images taken by Colonel Wheelcock as well as images of previous hurricanes taken by International Space Station and Space Shuttle crews and NASA satellites.
As temperatures start to drop, September reminds us that summer is at an end and fall is now here. Sunshine is predominant though as the month actually has the highest percentage of sun out of any month. Sunny days and clear, cool nights are the standard weather pattern for the month.
However that isn’t to say the weather can’t be a lot more “interesting.” Extremes can occur during September ranging from heat to cold to yes, even snow.
August 31, 2010 - Hurricane Earl passes to the north of Puerto Rico. The major hurricane is a threat to the United States from the mid-Atlantic to New England.
Hurricane Earl continues its slow trek toward the west-northwest after pummeling parts of the Caribbean yesterday. Today it looks like most areas will be spared the worst of the storm but a forecasted turn to the north may put parts of the East Coast at risk.
The eye of Earl is currently 146 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico and the storm is packing 135 mph winds making it a Category 4 hurricane. A bit more strengthening is expected over the next 24 hours as the storm continues to encounter warm waters and favorable conditions.
Of particular concern is the path that Earl may take. It is expected to gradually turn north and eventually to the northeast. Within its forecast cone is a vast area stretching from South Carolina to Maine. With many large population centers within the possibility for landfall, the potential for a major disaster are great.
August 22 to September 4 - This week in Denver weather history
Certainly this time of year we start to see temperatures drop and the conditions moderate. This is usually one of Denver’s most pleasant times of years when the heat of summer fades and the snow and cold of winter is still far away. That however wasn’t the case when the most notable event in Denver weather history this week occurred. It was in 1961 on the 3rd of September that Denver received its earliest measurable snowfall – 4.2 inches!
19-30
In 1875…grasshoppers appeared in great numbers at 10:00 am on the 19th. Thousands landed on the ground. The streets were literally covered with them. Swarms of grasshoppers were seen on each day. All gardens in the city were devastated…and in the countryside the grasshoppers were very destructive to ripened grain. On the 30th the grasshoppers were so numerous as to almost darken the sun.
29
In 1876…after the passage of a gentle rain shower to the east during the late evening hours…the moon shone brightly and a remarkably bright lunar rainbow appeared.
In 1910…an apparent cold front produced sustained northeast winds to 40 mph.
In 1946…the high temperature warmed to only 55 degrees…the record low maximum for the month.
In 1989…a spectacular lightning display knocked out power to 300 blocks in southeast Denver. One bolt started a fire in a lumber yard in the northeast part of the city…and the attic of a home in the same area was set ablaze by a lightning bolt.
In 1996…3/4 inch diameter hail was measured in Parker.
In 2000…lightning struck two homes in Thornton. The extent of damage was unknown.
In 2002…two small tornadoes caused damage in southeast metro Denver. The first tornado…associated with a multi-vortex storm…touched down briefly near E-470 and South Jordan Road. Some fences were damaged…and a few trees were blown down. A few of the homes also sustained minor roof damage. Damage from this storm totaled 100 thousand dollars. The second tornado associated with the storm touched down in a subdivision that was under construction at Gartrell and Arapahoe roads. Four large condominiums under construction were destroyed. The most heavily damaged portions of the structures were still in the framing stages. Adjacent sections where enclosed walls were in place were not destroyed. A man suffered 4 broken ribs and several cuts and bruises when the trailer he sought shelter in was flipped three times and torn apart by the twister. Damage from this storm totaled 6 million dollars. A severe thunderstorm produced 1 inch diameter hail near Evergreen.
In 2006…severe thunderstorms produced large hail in the foothills west of Denver. Hail to 1 inch in diameter fell near Blackhawk. Hail as large as 7/8 inch was measured near Idaho Springs…along with 3/4 inch hail near Nederland and Conifer.
Fire tornadoes, sometimes called fire whirls or fire devils, are formed when heated air from a fire rises and rotates. This vertical column of air can pull fire into it turning it into an amazing display of nature’s fury. Watch video of one in Brazil below.
Dry conditions, abundant fuel and strong winds create dangerous wildfire conditions. When in the right combination, a rare event – a fire tornado – can occur and one was captured on video in Brazil yesterday.
Coloradoans are not strangers to the dangers of wildfires. A relatively wet winter and summer has allowed us to escape relatively unscathed so far this year. Other parts of the globe however have not been so lucky.
Brazil as well has seen extensive wildfire activity in the last few weeks due to a drought. The brush fires have been fueled by the dry brush and they have devastated open land and destroyed homes.
Videographers filming near the city of Aracatuba in the Brazilian state of Sao Paolo captured a fire tornado yesterday as it tore through a Brazilian field. The rare event results when hot air on the surface rises and is twisted by winds thus pulling the fire vertically.
August 22 to August 28 - This week in Denver weather history
Lightning is a very real danger here in Colorado. The outdoor-centric lifestyle we lead oftentimes puts us in situations when we are better off heading for cover. The dangers of not properly taking shelter when lightning is in the area are highlighted by a number of events in our look back at this week in Denver weather history.
In 1875…grasshoppers appeared in great numbers at 10:00 am on the 19th. Thousands landed on the ground. The streets were literally covered with them. Swarms of grasshoppers were seen on each day. All gardens in the city were devastated…and in the countryside the grasshoppers were very destructive to ripened grain. On the 30th the grasshoppers were so numerous as to almost darken the sun.
22
In 1898…an apparent thunderstorm produced southwest sustained winds to 40 mph with gusts to 43 mph.
In 1903…a late afternoon thunderstorm produced rain…hail… And east winds sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 44 mph.
In 1904…the lowest recorded temperature in August…40 degrees…occurred. The same temperature also occurred on three consecutive days…August 24…25…and 26 in 1910.
In 1965…heavy rain and hail caused some damage from flooding over northern Douglas County from Castle Rock to Franktown.
In 1981…thunderstorms moved across metro Denver. At least 5 funnel cloud sightings were reported. Funnel clouds were seen at 96th Ave. And Sheridan Blvd. and at 92nd Ave. and Federal Blvd. In Westminster and 7 miles north of Stapleton International Airport. Lightning injured two people in Boulder. A quarter inch of rain fell in just 5 minutes in Brighton. Up to 3/4 inch of rain doused Parker in 30 minutes.
In 1983…3/4 inch diameter hail was reported at Kittredge… Along with 0.60 inch of rain in 25 minutes.
In 1984…a thunderstorm dumped 4 inches of rain on Brighton in 90 minutes…causing extensive street flooding in the downtown area.
In 1987…over an inch of rain fell in 24 hours throughout most of metro Denver. A public library suffered water damage to the ceiling…carpet…and a few books. Rainfall was 0.76 inch at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1990…lightning knocked out power to about 2500 homes in Lakewood for about an hour.
In 1991…National Weather Service personnel at Stapleton International Airport sighted an apparent tornado briefly on the ground 3 miles west-northwest of the airport. No damage was reported.
In 1995…lightning struck 3 electrical power substations in Louisville. Residences of more than 4500 people were without power from 30 minutes to more than an hour.
In 1996…between 1 and 3 inches of rain fell across metro Denver. As a result…several low lying areas were flooded. A bicyclist was swept into a fast moving creek when he tried to cross a flooded bike path. The man was washed downstream about 15 feet before getting snagged by a tree stump. He and a man who tried to rescue him received minor injuries. The heavy rain caused numerous power outages…false fire alarms…and traffic accidents. In Lakewood…telephone service to around 60 thousand residents was knocked out when a switching center was flooded. Funnel clouds were sighted near Chatfield Reservoir and Highlands Ranch.
In 2000…lightning sparked a blaze which gutted a 10-unit apartment building in Highlands Ranch. Twenty-eight people were left homeless. Damage was estimated at 2 million dollars.
In 2007…severe thunderstorms produced large hail…up to 1 1/4 inches in diameter…in the vicinities of Castle Rock… Elizabeth and Franktown.
Our 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!
8/22/10
What’s the weather like in Kvænangen, Norway or Rio Turbio, Argentina? How about Perth, Austrailia or Athens, Greece? Now you can find out on our Global Station Map of Affiliated Weather Networks. Much like our Rocky Mountain Weather Network, there are more than 24 other regional weather networks across the globe. At our Global Station Map page, you can view live, realtime weather from hundreds of locations and go directly to the websites of individual weather stations. Check it out here or select ‘Global Weather’ from the Live Condtions menu on the left.
The Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) is a private-public partnership with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Weather station owners like ThorntonWeather.com participate in this data sharing program to provide wide dissemination of weather data for use by citizens and professional meteorologists. We have proudly taken part in the program for nearly four years. One of the benefits of the program is the ability to compare the accuracy of data from a given station to others in the nearby area. ThorntonWeather.com’s sensor system is designed to ensure you are provided with the most accurate conditions available. You can now view just how accurate our data is by viewing CWOP’s analysis of our system on our CWOP Data Quality page. It is available from the Almanac / Station Data menu on the left or by clicking here.
5/23/10
With the advent of new advanced mobile phones like the Droid and iPhone, users of these devices are able to view more complete content than ever before. No longer are they limited to totally stripped down versions of web pages. Recognizing the proliferation of these new devices, ThorntonWeather.com has completely revamped our mobile website to provide users of advanced mobile devices a more interactive, graphical experience. You can read more about ThorntonWeather.com Mobile here or just point your mobile browser to http://m.thorntonweather.com to view it first hand.
3/27/10
We all love the beautiful, clear vistas that living at the base of the Rocky Mountains can bring. However, those mountains also serve to hold in pollution and dust obscuring those views and creating unhealthy breathing conditions. We have created a new Air Quality Conditions & Forecast page to help you monitor Denver’s air. Fed by data from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the page gives you a look at current air quality as well as the forecast for the immediate future. You can view it from the Forecasts menu on the left.
3/21/10
We’ve added historical detail and summary charts for Thornton’s snowfall. These complement the ones we already had for temperature, wind and precipitation. They are available from the Almanac menu at the left then go to Station Data and you will see them there.
A whole new way to view the current weather and forecast - Check out the new ‘Weather Window’! You can find it from the Live Conditions menu on the left.
Did you know the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle (when in orbit) are often times easily seen from Earth? The spacecraft regularly make passes over the United States affording an opportunity to see something extraordinary. Our new Space Station & Space Shuttle Viewing Opportunities page lists when the craft will be visible in Denver / Thornton and provides viewing tips on how best to optimize your chances to see it. You can access the page from the Almanac menu on the left then go to Astronomy & Space.
Summer isn't done yet! This weekend's temperatures will be well into the 90's.
If you are tired of the summer heat you might not be too thrilled with this weekend’s forecast. But, if you are not ready for the cooler weather that will be here soon then this one is for you.
High pressure is currently sitting over the Western Slope and to the state’s southwest. This coupled with dry and stable air will drive up the thermometer.
High temperatures on Saturday will be around 94 degrees under sunny skies. Sunday follows suit with a high of 96 degrees but we will see increasing clouds later in the day.
On the calendar this weekend there are a couple of events that you might be heading to.
First up on Saturday morning at 8:00am the City of Thornton continues its community walk series. This time walkers will be taking to the Signal Ditch Trail at Cherry Wood Park (13796 Madison Street). Thanks to an early start the heat shouldn’t be a problem at all. Look for mostly clear skies at the start of the walk with a temperature of 69 degrees and 40% humidity. The mercury will be up to about 75 degrees by 9:00am. For more information about hte event, check out the City of Thornton’s website.
Next up is the Denver Broncos preseason home opener at Mile High Stadium against the Detroit Lions. For the 7:00pm kickoff it will be quite warm with partly cloudy skies and a temperature of 88 degrees. Temperatures will cool as the game progresses and be down to 82 at halftime and 78 by 10:00 when the game is about over.
For those of you wanting cooler weather, you won’t have to wait long – relief is on the way. Monday will be more seasonal with highs in the upper 80’s but on Tuesday it gets much cooler. A strong cold front moving in from the north will drop us to a high of only about 80 degrees on Tuesday.
From the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration: The combined global land and ocean surface temperature made this July the second warmest on record, behind 1998, and the warmest averaged January-July on record. The global average land surface temperature for July and January–July was warmest on record. The global ocean surface temperature for July was the fifth warmest, and for January–July 2010 was the second warmest on record, behind 1998.
The monthly analysis from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, which is based on records going back to 1880, is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides government, business and community leaders so they can make informed decisions.
Global temperature anomolies, July 2010. (NOAA)
Global Temperature Highlights
The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for July 2010 was the second warmest on record at 61.6°F (16.5°C), which is 1.19°F (0.66°C) above the 20th century average of 60.4°F (15.8°C). The averaged temperature for July 1998 was 61.7°F (16.5°C).
The July worldwide land surface temperature was 1.85°F (1.03°C) above the 20th century average of 57.8°F (14.3°C) — the warmest July on record. Warmer-than-average conditions dominated land areas of the globe. The most prominent warmth was in Europe, western Russia and eastern Asia. Cooler-than-average regions included central Russia, Alaska and southern South America.
According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland set a new all-time maximum temperature on July 29 when temperatures soared to 99.0°F (37.2°C), surpassing the previous record set in July 1914 by 2.3°F (1.3°C).
Western Russia was engulfed by a severe heat wave during much of July. On July 30, Moscow set a new all-time temperature record when temperatures reached 102°F (39°C), exceeding the previous record of 99.0°F (37.2°C) set four days earlier. Before 2010, the highest maximum temperature recorded in Moscow was 98.2°F (36.8°C), set nine decades ago.
According to the Beijing Climate Center, the July 2010 average temperature across China was 73.0°F (22.8°C), which is 2.5°F (1.4°C) above the 1971-2000 average and the warmest July since 1961.
The worldwide ocean surface temperature was 0.97°F (0.54°C) above the 20th century average of 61.5°F (16.4°C) and the fifth warmest July on record. The warmth was most pronounced in the Atlantic Ocean.
La Niña conditions developed during July 2010, as sea surface temperatures (SST) continued to drop across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, La Niña is expected to strengthen and last through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2010-2011.
For the year-to-date, the global combined land and ocean surface temperature of 58.1°F (14.5°C) was the warmest January-July period on record. This value is 1.22°F (0.68°C) above the 20th century average.
Global temperature anomolies, January through July, 2010. (NOAA)
Polar Sea Ice and Precipitation Highlights
Arctic sea ice covered an average of 3.2 million square miles (8.4 million square kilometers) during July. This is 16.9 percent below the 1979-2000 average extent and the second lowest July extent since records began in 1979. The record low July was set in 2007. This was the 14th consecutive July with below-average Arctic sea ice extent. July 1996 was the last year that had above-average sea ice extent.
Antarctic sea ice extent in July was above average, 4.8 percent above the 1979-2000 average—resulting in the largest July sea ice extent on record.
According to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, the continent received an average of 34.4 mm (1.35 inches) of precipitation during July 2010—this is 55 percent above the 1961-1990 average and the highest value since 1998.
Scientists, researchers and leaders in government and industry use NOAA’s monthly reports to help track trends and other changes in the world’s climate. This climate service has a wide range of practical uses, from helping farmers know what and when to plant, to guiding resource managers with critical decisions about water, energy and other vital assets.
Colorado storm chaser Roger Hill was shown on the Drudge report and that led to appearances on most major TV networks.
Roger Hill is considered quite famous among storm chasers as he has a proven, uncanny ability to place himself right where severe weather will strike. A recent headline on the Drudge Report featuring Hill has now shined the national media spotlight on him and his profession as co-owner of a storm chasing tour company.
Hill is no stranger to the media as his amazing videos and photos have been featured on the Weather Channel, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and all major news networks. For nearly a decade Hill and his company Silver Lining Tours have been showing thrill seekers what it is like to experience severe weather at closer range than what may be possible otherwise. Interest in “storm chasing tours” however has hit a fevered pitch in recent weeks.
Crews from Inside Edition and Nightline then followed by riding along with Hill and Silver Lining Tours as they crisscrossed the Great Plains on the hunt for tornadoes.
The Nightline piece aired this past Friday and gave a good idea of what it is like to be on tour with Hill (watch the video below). From the frenzied pace to the seemingly endless ingestion of fast food and of course the thrill of the tornado chase, reporter Eric Hong experienced it all.
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As temperatures start to drop, September reminds us that summer is at an end and fall is now here. Sunshine is predominant though as the month actually has the highest percentage of sun out of any month. Sunny days and clear, cool nights are the standard weather pattern for the month.
Our 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, 
