Temperatures today are going to be about 15 degrees above the normal temperature for the date of 72 degrees.  As the mercury climbs to the upper 80s we will see mostly sunny to sunny skies with dry conditions.  Out over the northeastern corner of the state there may be some PM thunderstorms.

For the weekend, Saturday’s weather looks to be quite pleasant for ThorntonFest.  We will see highs in the upper 70s with just a slight chance for PM thunderstorms.  Sunday continues the cool down with high temperatures of around 70 degrees and a better chance for PM thunderstorm activity.

See the image for today’s outlook and get the extended forecast here: http://www.thorntonweather.com/forecast.php

Up until yesterday the United States had been experiencing one of its quietest tornado seasons on record. That all changed when Mother Nature unleashed a withering display of tornadoes on north Texas near Dallas / Fort Worth.Hood County just…

Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com

Up until yesterday the United States had been experiencing one of its quietest tornado seasons on record. That all changed when Mother Nature unleashed a withering display of tornadoes on north Texas near Dallas / Fort Worth.  Read the rest of this story and watch amazing video of one of the twisters on Examiner.com

A tornado is seen ripping through the area near Granbury, Texas where at least six people were killed by the twister. Click the image to watch the video.

Yesterday we received just over 1/2 inch of much-needed precipitation from the passing thunderstorms.  The thunder and lightning that accompanied them certainly made for a fun show to watch.  Today it should be a bit calmer in the area.

Look for highs reaching the mid-80s with a good bit more sun above than yesterday.   Some scattered thunderstorms will develop but they won’t be near as widespread and persistent as yesterday.  Best chances for activity will be west and east with a chance for some of the storms to turn severe over the northeast corner of the state.

See the image for today’s outlook and keep an eye on the sky with our Severe Weather Briefing Page here: http://www.thorntonweather.com/severe-briefing.php

Denver’s mercury topped out at 87° tying the record high temperature for the date last set in 1996.  In Thornton we were a bit warmer reaching 89°.

Today a weak system will move through serving to cool things down but also bringing a better chance for thunderstorm activity.  Look for high temperatures today right near 80°.  Scattered storms should begin to develop in the metro area by about 2:00pm and last until the evening.  These could bring brief heavy rain, gusty winds and perhaps some small hail.

See the image for today’s outlook and monitor our Severe Weather Briefing Page as the storms develop this afternoon: http://www.thorntonweather.com/severe-briefing.php

The unseasonably warm weather this week reached record setting levels today.  At 1:55pm the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 87° tying the record high temperature for the date previously set on May 14, 1996.

Here in Thornton we were a couple of degrees warmer as the mercury climbed to 89°.  This is the warmest temperature we have recorded since September 10 of last year (91°).

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Yesterday Thornton’s high temperature topped out at 86° while Denver officially recorded 85°.  Today we are looking at temperatures a degree or two warmer that will approach the record high for the date of 87° set in 1996.

This afternoon we will see some increased cloud cover and there is a slight chance for isolated thunderstorms to develop.  Right now it looks like any storms that do pop up will be relatively benign with not a lot more than gusty winds and a bit of rain.

See the image for today’s outlook and keep an eye on the climbing mercury here: http://www.thorntonweather.com/live-weather-2.php

May 12 to May 18: This Week in Denver Weather History

The snow is gone – almost – but as our look back at this week in Denver weather history shows, it could return. That however is unlikely and more typical spring severe weather is far more common.

From the National Weather Service:

10-12

In 2011…a spring snowstorm brought heavy snow to the Front Range foothills and Palmer Divide. Storm totals included: 18 inches…4 miles south-southeast of Pinecliffe; 16 inches in Coal Creek Canyon; 15 inches…4 miles west-southwest of Eldorado Springs; 13 inches at Gold Hill…12 inches…4 miles west-southwest of Conifer and 4 miles northwest of Elizabeth; 11.5 inches…6 miles southwest of Evergreen and 4 miles east-northeast of Nederland; 11 inches…3 miles east of Jamestown and 10.5 inches…3 miles east of Franktown and 3 miles south of Golden and 10 inches…10 miles north of Elizabeth. At Denver International Airport… 1 inch of snowfall was observed.

12

In 1875…two forest fires on the eastern slope of the foothills were visible from the city.

In 1904…north winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 48 mph.

In 1950…brilliant and complete primary and secondary rainbows arching across the sky were observed from Stapleton Airport.

In 1951…a wind gust to 51 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.

In 1984…winds gusted to 69 mph in Boulder. Northwest winds gusted to 47 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1987…a small weak tornado touched down for about 2 minutes in southeast Denver. The twister hit a car dealership…blowing about a dozen windows out of cars and shattering four skylights on the building. Some tin roofing was blown off a patio a block and a half away. The tornado also downed a power pole. Damage at the dealership was estimated at 10 thousand dollars. A man was slightly injured by lightning in northwest Aurora.

In 1995…several funnel clouds were sighted near Parker. One of the funnels produced a short-lived debris cloud on the ground in an open field. No damage was reported.

12-13

In 1907…the temperature warmed to a high of 73 degrees on the 12th…before a cold front produced a thunderstorm… Northeast winds sustained to 40 mph…and rain changing to light snow overnight. Snowfall totaled only 2 inches…but the high temperature on the 13th was only 39 degrees.

In 1961…a storm that covered metro Denver with rain and snow started as thunderstorms on the evening of the 12th. Hail to 1 1/2 inches in diameter was reported 10 miles northwest of Stapleton Airport. Rain continued overnight and changed to snow on the 13th. Snowfall totaled 6.4 inches and precipitation (rain and melted snow) 1.96 inches at Stapleton Airport where north winds gusted to 39 mph. The rain and heavy wet snow caused icing damage to utility lines. Heavy snow occurred in the foothills.

In 1982…a major storm dumped 1.50 to 3.50 inches of rain across northeast Colorado and deposited prodigious amounts of snow in the foothills. Coal Creek Canyon southwest of Boulder was buried under 46 inches of snow with 39 inches at Nederland. The heavy wet snow downed many power lines in the foothills. In Thornton…the roof of a school was damaged by water from the heavy rain. At Stapleton International Airport…1.49 inches of rain were measured over the two day period. The heavy rain ended a severe and prolonged drought.

In 2004…a winter storm produced heavy snow in excess of a foot in the foothills above 6 thousand feet while heavy rain fell across the city. The heaviest snow occurred in the high country of Boulder County. Storm total snowfall was 14.5 inches near Jamestown. Rainfall totaled 0.81 inch at Denver International Airport with 0.94 inch recorded at Denver Stapleton. A trace of snow was recorded at both locations. East winds gusted to 24 mph at Denver International Airport on the 12th.

13

In 1905…a thunderstorm produced hail during the late afternoon. Precipitation totaled 0.57 inch.

13-14

In 1912…heavy snowfall totaled 12.4 inches over the city. Most of the snow…9.9 inches…fell on the 13th…which was the greatest 24 hour snowfall in May at the time. This was the last snowfall of the season. The low temperature dipped to 27 degrees on the morning of the 14th.

In 1989…a spring storm brought heavy rain and snow to the foothills. Metro Denver was soaked with 1 to 2 inches of rain. Rainfall totaled 1.26 inches at Stapleton International Airport.

In the foothills…Echo Lake received 20 inches of snow. A 30-ton Boulder slid onto I-70 east of the Eisenhower Tunnel…closing the freeway for 2 hours.

» Click here to read the rest of May 12 to May 18: This Week in Denver Weather History

For at least the first part of this week it will almost seem like we skipped spring and jumped right into summer.  Temperatures are going to be well above normal Monday and Tuesday before moderating at least a little bit for the balance of the week.

For today look for mostly sunny skies above as the mercury climbs to a high temperature right around 87 degrees.  It will be dry here in town while in the high country there is a slight chance for thunderstorms.

Tomorrow we will see similar temperature but with a slight chance for thunderstorms in our area.  Wednesday cools down to the mid-70s and has the best chance for storms this week.  We should then return to the low 80s Thursday and Friday.

See the image for today’s outlook and get the extended forecast here: http://www.thorntonweather.com/forecast.php

The cool, wet weather of this week is gradually starting to fade.  Friday we begin a warming trend that will see us reaching the 80s at the start of the next workweek.

For today look for high temperatures to be right near the average for today’s date of 69°.  Skies will still be a bit overcast at times.  The afternoon will bring some more showers and thunderstorms but they will be more isolated with less coverage than in recent days.

Saturday is going to improve on today with temperatures a degree or two warmer but with slightly better chances for thunderstorms and showers.  Mother’s Day is looking to be near perfect with highs in the mid to upper 70s, dry conditions and mostly sunny skies.

Monday and Tuesday are going to see a return to chances for thunderstorms but with high temperatures in the low to mid-80s.

See the image for today’s outlook and get the extended forecast here: http://www.thorntonweather.com/forecast.php