Following our most recent snow, we clear out and dry up today. The sun will stage a return although temperatures will be cooler than normal.

Clear skies start us off today with some fog in low-lying areas, particularly along the South Platte. Once the fog is gone, sunny skies will be with us this morning then a few clouds arrive in the afternoon. Winds will be generally light, conditions calm. High temperatures today will top out around the 40 degree mark.

Tonight, cloud cover increases ahead of our next storm system that arrives tomorrow morning. Overnight lows will be in the upper teens.

As for tomorrow’s storm, it looks somewhat similar to yesterday’s with snow starting in the pre-dawn hours and running for much of the morning. Accumulations should be lighter though, an inch or two expected in Thornton as of now.

A brief break from the calm weather of recent days. Mother Nature is delivering us a shot of snow and cold but the sun will be returning soon after.

For today, snow began around 4:00am and will continue through the morning before tapering off in the afternoon. It should be pretty much done by about 2:00pm.

Total accumulations will be on the order of 2 to 4 inches, maybe more if we get under a heavy band. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 5:00pm. Clearly your morning commute is going to be impacted so please leave early and drive slow.

Cloudy skies will be above throughout much of the day with just a chance we see some sun before sunset as the system moves out. High temperatures today will top out right around the freezing mark.

Tonight, the snow will be all done and skies will begin to clear. Overnight lows will drop to the low teens.

Looking ahead, we will see a return to dry conditions through the weekend. Next chance for snow comes next Tuesday.

We are set to enjoy one more day with temperatures at or a bit above average. Tonight, a cold front arrives that will usher in cold and snow for tomorrow.

Today starts off with clear skies for the first few hours of daylight. After that, cloud cover will increase as the front approaches. Winds will be a bit breezy this afternoon but otherwise calm conditions will be seen. High temperatures today will top out close to 50 degrees.

Tonight, cloud cover will continue to increase with the front arriving after midnight. Overnight lows will be in the low 20s.

As for the snow, some light snowfall will be possible after midnight with only light accumulations before dawn tomorrow. Snow will pick up the pace in the morning then only flurries expected after noon.

Overall accumulations for Thornton look to be in the 2 to 4 inch range. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued and will be in effect tomorrow from 5:00am to 5:00pm. More on our Winter Weather Briefing Page here.

When Denver’s weather turns severe it can turn deadly and damaging.  As we look back at this week in Denver weather history we see a time when extreme cold claimed a life and many occasions where wind wreaked havoc and caused damage.

15-23

In 1962…a protracted cold spell kept metro Denver in the deep freeze for more than a week.  From the 15th thru the 23rd…low temperatures were zero or below for 9 consecutive days…but a daily record low was set only on the 22nd when the temperature dipped to 14 degrees below zero.  A record low maximum for the date was also set on the 22nd when the temperature climbed to only 11 degrees.  The coldest high temperature was 3 degrees above zero on the 21st…which did not break the record.  The protracted cold was broken for only a few hours on the afternoon of the 20th when Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 38 degrees before another surge of cold arctic air plunged temperatures back into the deep freeze that evening.  The severe cold caused much damage to water systems.  A woman was frozen to death at Morrison.  There were other deaths attributable to the weather…including traffic deaths and heart attacks from overexertion.

18-24

In 2005…a week of mid-winter unseasonably warm weather pushed high temperatures into the 60’s or more on all but one day.  During the period…the highest temperature of 70 degrees on the 20th was a new record maximum for the date.  Low temperatures remained above freezing on 4 of the days.

22-23

In 1982…wind gusts up to 101 mph were clocked at Wondervu. Wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph were common along the Front Range foothills from Boulder north.

22-26

In 1948…the longest period of snowfall on record (92 hours and 3 minutes) occurred in downtown Denver where a total of 13.6 inches of snow fell.  At Stapleton Airport…19.0 inches of snow fell…making it the heaviest snow in January and the 5th heaviest snow of record at that time.  North winds were sustained to a velocity of 23 mph on the 25th…but generally the winds were light throughout the storm.  The snow disrupted traffic…but street clearing was begun soon after it became apparent that the snow would be heavy.  Over the 5 days…temperatures ranged from a high of 48 degrees on the 22nd to a low of 1 degree on the 26th.  Most readings were in the teens and 20’s during the storm.

23

In 1872…a brisk northerly wind set in about noon…blew almost a gale about 6:00 pm…and continued brisk until night.  A light snow commenced during the late afternoon and continued all night.

In 1886…northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph in the city around sunrise.  A cold wave accompanied the strong winds.

In 1897…a vigorous cold front produced northeast winds sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 50 mph.  Temperatures plunged from a high of 59 degrees to a low of 11 degrees in the evening.  The very cold temperatures persisted through the 28th.

In 1934…the date marked the last day of the longest period of consecutive days without measurable precipitation in the city.  The 52 day period began on December 3…1933.

In 1988…one of the strongest windstorms in several years pounded the Front Range foothills from Colorado Springs north to the Wyoming border.  The highest wind gust at lower elevations was 105 mph recorded at Table Mesa in Boulder.  Other sections of Boulder recorded wind gusts of 80 to 90 mph.  In Boulder…the high winds broke windows and damaged power lines and transformers.  Power outages were widespread and traffic lights were downed.  The winds blew down a partially constructed viaduct in east Boulder.  Nine unanchored concrete girders…each weighing 45 tons…were blown off their supports.  Cars were blown off I-70 near Morrison…and a tractor trailer and a mobile home were knocked over.  In Lakewood…an electric company crewman was burned while replacing a power line.  Wind gusts to 92 mph were clocked at Jefferson County Airport in Broomfield before the site anemometer was blown down by the wind. The strong winds spread over all the metro area with a northwest wind gust to 52 mph recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1992…high winds buffeted the eastern foothills.  A wind gust to 63 mph was recorded at Rocky Flats northwest of Denver.  West winds gusted to 40 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 2002…low level upslope flow combined with an upper level jet stream created bands of heavy snow over portions of the Front Range foothills and metro Denver.  The areas hardest hit were the foothills of Jefferson and Douglas counties and the I-25 corridor from the southern suburbs of Denver to around Castle Rock.  Snow totals included: 9 inches at Intercanyon…Roxborough state park…and near Sedalia; 8.5 inches atop Crow Hill and near tiny town; 8 inches at Ken Caryl and near Castle Rock; 7 inches in Lakewood; 6.5 inches at Littleton; and 6 inches in Castle Rock.  Only 3.6 inches of snow were measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

23-24

In 1921…heavy snowfall in downtown Denver totaled 8.0 inches overnight.  Northwest winds were sustained to 22 mph with gusts to 25 mph on the 24th.

24

In 1887…west winds sustained to 44 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 56 degrees in the city.

In 1890…northwest winds sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 60 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 63 degrees.

In 1900…west winds were sustained to 44 mph with an extreme velocity of 46 mph.  The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 57 degrees.

In 1934…a trace of snowfall resulted in precipitation of 0.01 inch in downtown Denver.  This was the only measurable amount of precipitation for the month…making the month one of the driest January’s on record.

In 1956…west-northwest winds gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton Airport.  Strong and gusty winds persisted throughout the day.

In 1972…a west wind gust to 92 mph was recorded in Boulder at the National Bureau of Standards…while in downtown Boulder a wind gust to only 66 mph was measured.  In Denver…a car was demolished when the wind blew a traffic light pole onto it…and a wooden wall at a construction site was blown over damaging two cars.  Northwest winds gusted to 55 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1982…strong winds were again reported along the eastern foothills.  While the most damage occurred in the Fort Collins area…Boulder did not entirely escape.  Nine planes were damaged at the Boulder airport along with 4 mobile homes and many cars in the Boulder area.  A school in central city was damaged.  A water tank in Parker collapsed.  The strongest wind gust recorded was 140 mph at Wondervu.  Wind gusts reached 92 mph in Boulder. Northwest wind gusts to 61 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1992…for the third day…high winds raked the eastern foothills.  Winds gusted to 105 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.  Several tractor trailers were overturned along State Highway 93…between Boulder and Golden.  Traffic lights and signs were knocked down in Boulder.  Other wind reports included:  86 mph at Rocky Flats…100 mph on Fritz Peak near Rollinsville…and 93 mph in north Boulder.  West winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

» Click here to read the rest of January 23 to January 29: This week in Denver weather history

This weekend looks to be much like the last one. We will start things off with colder temperatures and some light snow but then the majority of the three day period looks to be quite nice.

For today, a weak cold front has moved in offering unsettled conditions. We will have some early fog and then a bit of snow will be possible, mainly after noon. Accumulations, if any, will be light. Highs today will be in the mid-30s. Tonight, snow will end and skies will begin to clear. Overnight lows will be in the upper teens.

Saturday looks to be a nice, but somewhat cool day. Sunny skies will be above and highs will climb to the low to mid-40s. Overall conditions will be calm. Saturday night lows dip to the low 20s under mostly clear skies.

Sunday will be the warmest day of the period with highs in the low 50s. Sunny skies will be above and conditions should be calm.

Have a great weekend!

Some ice lingers on the roads early this morning and temperatures are on the cold side. Conditions will be improving though with a good bit of sun on tap and temps rebounding a bit.

Certainly, if you venture out early this morning, do be careful. Less traveled roads, sidewalks and overpasses will have some lingering ice on them.

The day will start off with some cloud cover but it will quickly ease and there will be plenty of blue above by mid-morning. Temperatures will top out around the 40 degree mark, cooler than average but an improvement over yesterday. Overall conditions will be calm and dry.

Tonight, cloud cover will be increasing as our next storm system works its way closer. Overnight lows will be around 20 degrees.

A bit of a break from the relatively mild weather of recent days for Thornton. Today temps drop considerably and we may see some freezing drizzle and light snow.

Cloudy skies will be with us throughout the daytime hours today. High temperatures will stay below freezing. Some breezy winds will be seen in the afternoon.

Some freezing drizzle will be possible this morning then potentially some light snow. There isn’t a lot of moisture so any precipitation will be light. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 8:00pm as should we get the drizzle, roads could become very slick quickly.

Tonight, any precipitation will end before midnight, then skies will begin to clear. Overnight lows will be into the teens.

Our look back at this week in Denver weather history carries with it one overriding condition – wind.  In January it is not uncommon for us to experience Chinook winds which are a blessing and a curse.  These winds bring warm temperatures which are welcome in our coldest month of the year.  However they also can run at extraordinary speeds and at their worst cause a great deal of damage.

13-16

In 1888…a cold air mass settled over the city and caused temperatures to plunge well below zero on four consecutive days…but only one temperature record was set.  Minimum temperatures dipped to 4 degrees below zero on the 13th… 19 degrees below zero on the 14th…20 degrees below zero on the 15th…and 11 degrees below zero on the 16th.  The maximum temperature of only 4 degrees below zero on the 14th was a record low maximum for the date.  North winds were sustained to 30 mph on the 13th.

14-21

In 1930…a protracted cold spell occurred when low temperatures plunged below zero on 8 consecutive days.  The coldest low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero on the 17th and 19 degrees below zero on the 16th were record minimums for the dates.  High temperatures during the period ranged from 18 on the 18th to zero on the 20th.  Two degrees on the 15th was a record low maximum temperature for the date.

15-16

In 1967…a major windstorm struck Boulder.  The storm was described at the time as the worst single windstorm in the history of Boulder in terms of damage.  Winds reached 125 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and at Boulder airport.  Winds gusted to 84 mph downtown.  Damage totaled a half million dollars in Boulder where some minor injuries were reported.  At the Boulder municipal airport… 14 light airplanes were severely damaged.  The second floor of a warehouse was blown down…damaging two nearby moving vans.  A mobile home was blown over south of Boulder… Injuring one woman.  The roof of a department store was blown in.  There was widespread damage to houses…autos… And power lines from wind and flying debris.  Strong winds also occurred in Denver and Golden…but damage was only minor.  At Stapleton International Airport…west winds gusted to 43 mph on the 15th and to 45 mph on the 16th.

In 1981…heavy snow of 6 to 10 inches accumulated across metro Denver.  Snowfall totaled only 1.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport where east winds gusted to 21 mph on the 15th.

In 1991…a Pacific storm system moved across metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 3 to 7 inches with 3 inches in Aurora… Denver…and Castle Rock…4 inches in Arvada…and 7 inches at South Platte station just southwest of Denver. Snowfall totaled only 2.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 21 mph on the 16th.

In 2001…heavy snow fell across the Front Range foothills and urban corridor.  The combination of careless driving and snowpacked highways resulted in 3 multi-vehicle accidents involving 30 vehicles…along I-25 in Douglas County.  Eleven people were injured and one was killed. Snow amounts included:  11 inches in Evergreen; 10 inches at Eldorado Springs and Genesee; 8 inches at Broomfield… Ken Caryl Ranch…and Thornton; and 5 to 7 inches in Arvada…Bailey…Crow Hill…Gross Reservoir…Lakewood… Louisville…Westminster…and near Loveland.  Snowfall totaled 2.7 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

15-23

In 1962…a protracted cold spell kept metro Denver in the deep freeze for more than a week.  From the 15th thru the 23rd…low temperatures were zero or below for 9 consecutive days…but a daily record low was set only on the 22nd when the temperature dipped to 14 degrees below zero.  A record low maximum for the date was also set on the 22nd when the temperature climbed to only 11 degrees.  The coldest high temperature was 3 degrees above zero on the 21st…which did not break the record.  The protracted cold was broken for only a few hours on the afternoon of the 20th when Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 38 degrees before another surge of cold arctic air plunged temperatures back into the deep freeze that evening.  The severe cold caused much damage to water systems.  A woman was frozen to death at Morrison.  There were other deaths attributable to the weather…including traffic deaths and heart attacks from overexertion.

16

In 1911…a trace of rain fell…a rare event in January.

In 1935…rainfall was 0.01 inch during the afternoon…a rare event in January.

In 1989…wind gusts to 80 mph were reported in southwest Boulder.  Winds reached 100 mph at Rollinsville in the foothills southwest of Boulder.  In Golden…the wind blew a 25-foot trailer through a fence and flipped it over. West winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport where the Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 49 degrees.

16-17

In 1886…a brief cold spell resulted in two temperature records.  High temperatures of zero degrees on the 16th and 2 degrees below zero on the 17th were both record low maximums for the dates.  Low temperatures of 8 degrees below zero on the 16th and 16 degrees below zero on the 17th were not records.

In 1930…temperatures plunging well below zero resulted in two records.  Low temperatures of 19 degrees below zero on the 16th and 20 degrees below zero on the 17th were record low temperatures for the dates.  High temperatures were 4 degrees on the 16th and 15 degrees on the 17th.  Light snowfall totaled 4.0 inches.  North winds were sustained to 18 mph on the 16th.

In 1964…high winds struck the eastern foothills.  Gale velocity winds were recorded in Boulder with gusts to 83 mph measured at Rocky Flats.  Several airplanes were damaged at the Jefferson County Airport in Broomfield. Roofs…walls…and parts of buildings were blown away at various locations.  Power poles and trees were blown over.

16-18

In 1943…light snowfall totaled 3.2 inches over the 3 days. This was the only measurable snow of the month.  North winds were sustained to 20 mph on the 16th.

In 2011…very strong winds associated with an upper level jetstream over Colorado produced blizzard conditions in the mountains above timberline. Peak wind gusts included: 99 mph atop Loveland Pass…94 mph…2 miles southwest of Mary Jane…80 mph atop Berthoud Pass and 79 mph atop Niwot Ridge. Storm totals in the ski areas west of Denver ranged from 8 to 14 inches.

17

In 1872…light snow fell during the morning and continued into the afternoon until 3:30 pm.  The sky commenced to clear a little before 2:00 pm…but snow fell thickly for at least half an hour even though the sky was perfectly clear overhead.  Melted snow totaled 0.33 inches.

In 1888…northwest winds were sustained to 46 mph in the city.

In 1905…intermittent rain…unusual in January…occurred during the day.  The rain changed to snow during the late evening…but ended before midnight.  Snowfall was 2.0 inches. Precipitation totaled 0.62 inch.  The temperature ranged from a high of 44 degrees to a low of 32 degrees.

In 1950…wind gusts to 62 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.

In 1982…one of the worst wind storms in many years hit the Front Range foothills.  The strongest winds occurred in Boulder where at 2:30 am a wind gust to 147 mph was recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research…on the mesa in southwest Boulder.  At this location 20 wind gusts over 120 mph were clocked between 1:00 am and 9:00 am.  An estimated 40 percent of all buildings in Boulder received at least minor wind damage.  About 50 homes were damaged enough to be uninhabitable.  At least 15 homes in the Table Mesa area of Boulder lost roofs.  Twenty small airplanes were destroyed at the Boulder airport.  Utility poles were snapped in two…and about one-seventh of the buildings in the area were without power.  Insured damage totaled 20 million dollars making the wind storm the most costly on record in Colorado at the time.

In 1989…high winds were recorded along the eastern foothills with gusts to 90 mph recorded at Rollinsville.  North of Denver on I-25…the wind injured two men when their tractor trailer was blown off the road and rolled.  West winds gusted to 48 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1990…an intense but localized snow storm caught many people by surprise when it dumped 3 to 6 inches of snow during a 3-hour period across portions of Boulder County. The storm swath approximately 20 to 30 miles wide stretched northeast from Boulder to just east of Longmont.  Only light snow fell over the remainder of metro Denver with 0.2 inch of snowfall measured at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 30 mph.

In 1998…strong winds in the foothills spread over the plains mainly north of metro Denver.  Winds gusted to 75 mph at Golden Gate Canyon.  West winds gusted to 34 mph at Denver International Airport.

» Click here to read the rest of January 16 to January 22: This week in Denver weather history

Enjoy today’s mild temperatures as going forward things turn colder. Tonight and tomorrow may bring freezing rain and drizzle and tomorrow will certainly be colder.

For today, partly clear skies will be above throughout. Conditions will be calm other than some breezy north winds in the afternoon. High temperatures will top out in the mid-50s.

Tonight, cloud cover will be increasing as a cold front moves in. Early morning hours tomorrow may bring some areas of freezing drizzle potentially making things slick before dawn. Overnight lows tonight drop to the low 20s.

This is a fine way to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We will enjoy a good dose of sun, calm conditions and temperatures well above normal.

The day starts with clear skies then a few clouds will begin to appear through the day but should not become too intrusive. High temperatures will top out around 60 degrees, well above the 45 degree high average for the date. Overall conditions will be calm and dry.

Tonight, cloud cover will slowly increase leading to partly clear skies. Overnight lows will be in the mid to upper 20s.