Finally! Our winter thus far had been quite dry so seeing some precipitation in January was a very welcome change. Temperatures were just a bit above normal.

Overall, the month was short on any sort of real weather drama with no major storms or particularly notable temperature extremes.  However, a series of storm systems did give us a bit of a roller coaster of weather with five different snow events over the month.

• January 2019 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow

January started out with a very cold New Year’s Day but soon saw warmer temperatures arrive. Our first snow came on the 11^th and 12^th. This was followed by some smaller events and finally our biggest snowfall of the month on the 28^th.

Thornton’s average temperature for the month came in at 31.3 degrees. This was a bit warmer than Denver’s long term overage for January of 30.7 degrees. Out at DIA where Denver’s official readings are taken, it was a bit warmer with an average of 32.0 degrees.

Our mercury readings ranged from a low of 2.2 degrees on the 1st and the 2nd to a high of 61.1 degrees a few days later on the 4th.  Denver’s lowest reading was 5 degrees below zero on the first and its warmest of 62 degrees came on the 4th.

In terms of precipitation, Denver averages 0.41 inches of liquid precipitation during January. Thornton easily bested that with an even 1 inch in our bucket. Denver was above average as well with 0.75 inches.

Snowfall in Thornton saw above normal levels with a total for the month of 10.9 inches. Denver, as usual, lagged with 6.2 inches of the white stuff. The 30 year average for Denver for January is 7.0 inches.

Click here to view Thornton’s January 2019 climate report.

Thornton, Colorado’s January 2019 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)

Thornton, Colorado’s January 2019 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
1026 AM MST FRI FEB 1 2019

...................................

...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2019...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2019

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              76   01/27/1888
 LOW              -29   01/09/1875
HIGHEST            62   01/04        76     -14       68  01/09
LOWEST             -5   01/01       -29      24       -4  01/16
AVG. MAXIMUM     44.6              44.0     0.6     49.2
AVG. MINIMUM     19.5              17.4     2.1     20.1
MEAN             32.0              30.7     1.3     34.7
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      6               5.5     0.5        3
DAYS MIN <= 32     29              29.4    -0.4       28
DAYS MIN <= 0       1               1.7    -0.7        2

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         2.35   1883
 MINIMUM         0.01   1933
                        1934
                        1952
TOTALS           0.75              0.41    0.34     0.54
DAILY AVG.       0.02              0.01    0.01     0.02
DAYS >= .01         6               4.1     1.9        5
DAYS >= .10         2               0.9     1.1        2
DAYS >= .50         0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.0     0.0        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.45   01/11 TO 01/11           01/21 TO 01/21

OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS            6.2               7.0
RECORD           24.3  1992

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1016              1063     -47      932
 SINCE 7/1       3388              3531    -143     3082
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1          0                 0       0        0

FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/08/1962
 LATEST       06/08/2007
EARLIEST                        10/07
LATEST                          05/05
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.9
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   4/214
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    40/290    DATE  01/07
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    54/350    DATE  01/22

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           10
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             17
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          4

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     58


-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

One more unseasonably warm day on Monday continues the warm streak of this past weekend. It will be our warmest day of the week too as things look to cool down for the balance and bring a chance for snow.

Mostly sunny skies start us of today with a slow, steady increase in cloud cover through the day. It will not become too intrusive though.

Winds will be light initially then become just a bit breezy in the afternoon. Temperatures will top out in the mid to upper 50s, a good bit above the average high for the date of 45 degrees.

Tonight, mostly cloudy skies will be above with lows dropping to the mid-20s.

A couple of systems will be impacting the state this week cooling us down. Most notably will be a mid-week storm system that brings our next chance for snow. Get more details in the extended weather forecast here.

We’ll be starting off the new month quite nicely with temps well above normal. It will be calm and dry for the most part although Sunday will bring some wind.

For Friday, skies will be clear with nary a cloud to be seen. Temperatures will top out in the mid-50s. Tonight, skies remain clear with lows dipping to the mid-20s.

Saturday continues our warming trend with highs in the mid to upper 50s. The morning will be clear then we expect to see a few clouds in the afternoon. Saturday night, clouds increase with lows dipping to around 30 degrees.

An approaching trough will mix things up slightly on Sunday. We will have increased cloud cover and some breezy winds, particularly in the afternoon.

All in all, it looks to be a nice weekend and will help make short work of the lingering snow cover.

Today’s weather will be a pretty nice way to send the first month of the year into the history books. We’ll enjoy relatively mild temps with calm, dry conditions.

The day starts out with clear skies and we will enjoy nearly a cloudless view throughout the day. Winds will be relatively calm and out of the south.

As for temperatures, look for a high today in the low to mid-50s, a good bit above the average high for the date of 44 degrees.

Tonight, skies will be mostly clear with lows to the mid-20s.

We still have a little bit of ‘brrr’ in our weather today as snow cover inhibits temperatures a bit. Lots of sun will be above though and that snow will continue to melt.

Sunny skies start things off and will continue for much of the day. A few clouds arrive by mid-afternoon but nothing intrusive. Temperatures today will top out around the 40 degree mark. Overall conditions will be calm and dry.

Tonight, partly cloudy skies will be above with lows dropping to the low 20s.

Temperatures will continue to improve each day through the first half of the weekend.

Stunning lenticular clouds at sunset over the Colorado Front Range. (David Canfield)

As one of our coldest months, January can be a good month to hibernate inside and avoid the outdoors.  But, like any month in Colorado, photo opportunities abound as our monthly slideshow demonstrates.

Snow is not normally dominant in the month but when it does fall, it can create a beautiful blanket of white.  Throw in the amazing sunrises and sunsets we receive in the middle of winter as well as wildlife and a host of other subjects and the imagery can be quite beautiful and stunning.

• Slideshow updated January 29, 2019
• To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.

Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.

Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.

What is missing in the slideshow above?  Your photo!

Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured.  The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.

Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids.  Whimsical, newsy, artsy.  Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard.  You name it, we want to see and share it!

Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State.  We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.

We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.

What do you win for having your image in our slideshow?  We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes.  However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.

To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets.  Links are provided below.

So come on, get those camera’s rolling!

• Email: info@ThorntonWeather.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThorntonWeather
• Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Thorntonweather
• Twitter: @ThorntonWeather (https://twitter.com/thorntonweather)

Yesterday’s unexpectedly strong snowstorm has moved out and in its wake we will have dry and calm conditions. The cold air though will remain with temps well below normal.

Mostly sunny skies start us off today and will be with us throughout the day. Overall conditions will be calm and dry. Highs today will only top out near the freezing mark, maybe a couple degrees above.

Tonight, mostly clear skies will be above and temps will again get quite cold with lows to around 12 degrees.

After today, we should start to see a real warmup that will last through at least Saturday. Get more details in Thornton’s extended weather forecast there.

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.

We are seeing light snow this morning from our latest storm system and will receive some light accumulations. By noon though, skies will be clearing and the system will be on its way out.

Cloudy skies will be with us till mid to late morning. After that, look for things to clear and by sunset we should be mostly clear. Temperatures will be cold today with highs only around the freezing mark.

We are getting a bit more snow than expected due to some banding occurring. We’ll see it continue through about 8:00am and then it will taper off. Total accumulations of an inch or so will be possible.

Tonight, mostly clear skies will be above will lows dropping to around 10 degrees.

For the rest of your week, we will see warmer temperatures and conditions are expected to remain dry through the weekend. See the extended weather forecast for details here.

Just in time for the weekend, we sit between storm systems and will enjoy pleasant weather conditions. The next storm system does arrive Monday though.

For Friday, mostly sunny skies will be above with a bit more coverage in the afternoon. Winds will be a little bit breezy during the mid-day period. Temperatures will remain chilly with highs in the upper 30s. Tonight, mostly cloudy skies will be above with lows to around 19 degrees.

Saturday we continue to warm up with highs in the mid to upper 40s. Mostly sunny skies will be above. Saturday night into Sunday morning, partly cloudy skies will be above with lows dipping to the mid-20s.

The weekend closes out on Sunday with the warmest day of the three day period. Highs will be in the mid-50s under mostly sunny skies.

Sunday night and Monday should see our next storm system arrive. It will turn things colder and may bring some snow although right now it doesn’t look like it will amount to much. Have a great weekend!