A nice bump in temperatures today with a healthy dose of sun. We’ll see highs a good bit above normal today but tonight a cold front will usher in colder readings for Friday.

Today starts out with clear skies and there will be few clouds through the morning. The afternoon will bring some coverage but nothing intrusive. Winds will be relatively light and out of the south this morning shifting to come out of the east in the afternoon.

Temperatures start out on the chilly side then will climb toward a high right near the 80 degree mark.

Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy with lows in the mid-40s.

Overnight tonight not long before dawn tomorrow, a cold front will push through. That will bring some breezy winds and colder air with high temperatures tomorrow expected to only be in the mid to upper 50s. The weekend however will recover nicely with above normal temps.

Wednesday warms up with seasonal temperatures and lots of sun. A very, pleasant early fall day ahead for Thornton. We’ll see lots of those gorgeous, blue skies above with temperatures right close to average for this time of year.

The day starts out with a few clouds but those will soon disappear leaving sunny skies for the majority of the day. Winds will be light and out of the southeast, overall conditions calm and dry.

The average high temperature for today’s date is 74 degrees and we should come within a couple of degrees of that.

Tonight, skies will be mostly clear with an overnight low in the mid to upper 40s.

A second reinforcing cold front moved through this morning and that is going to bring a swing in temperatures. In fact, Thornton will be seeing its first day with below normal temperatures in more than two weeks.

The day starts out with some cloud cover but much of that will clear leaving mostly sunny skies for most of the day. Winds will be just slightly breezy and out of the northeast but nothing too intrusive.

As for temperatures, we should see a high in the mid-60s. Average for today’s date is 75 degrees and this will be the first time since September 7th we haven’t had a high above normal.

Tonight, skies will be partly clear and temperatures a bit chilly with lows in the low 40s.

The promised change in the hot weather of the past couple of weeks is here. The first of two cold fronts has arrived and a second comes through tonight.

For today, we will see some cloud cover above throughout the day with some clearing mid-day then more clouds later in the afternoon.

The colder air that has been ushered in will keep temperatures closer to normal with our high expected to reach the upper 70s.

The afternoon brings just a slight chance for a shower. If any do develop, they are not expected to amount to much.

Tonight, partly clear skies will be above with lows in the mid-40s. The second front will push through after dark and that will bring some breezy winds as we get close to midnight and lasting into the pre-dawn hours tomorrow.

Looking ahead, even cooler weather is expected for much of the rest of the week. Check out the extended weather forecast here.

September 23 to September 29: This week in Denver weather history

While typically the last week of September is calm, that isn’t always the case. In our look back at this week in Denver weather history we see damaging wind, dangerous lightning and September’s biggest snowfall on record in the Mile High City.

From the National Weather Service:

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In 1873…north to northwest winds blowing almost a gale spread clouds of dust and sand into the city during the afternoon and evening. From the roof of the weather observer’s building…houses a few hundred yards away were not visible and not even the sky could be seen through the clouds of sand. The wind reached sustained speeds of 35 mph…but only 28 mph was registered for any one hour.

In 1977…wind gusts from 50 to 80 mph were reported along the foothills. A northwest wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

23-24

In 2000…the first snowstorm of the season brought heavy snow to areas in and near the foothills. While the heaviest snow fell north of metro Denver…6 inches were measured in Boulder…4 inches at both Castle Rock and Morrison…but only 0.2 inch at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport where most of the precipitation fell as rain. At Denver International Airport where drizzle and rain fell on the 23rd… Snowfall during the early morning of the 24th was estimated at 2.1 inches due to melting. The foothills west of Denver received more snow with 10 inches measured at conifer…9 inches 11 miles southwest of Morrison… 8 inches atop Crow Hill…7 inches at Chief Hosa…and 5 inches at Ralston Reservoir.

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In 1901…northwest winds were sustained to 50 mph with gusts as high as 57 mph in the city.

In 1932…thunderstorm rainfall of only 0.11 inch was the only measurable precipitation for the month that year in the city.

In 1986…a very strong wind storm roared across metro Denver. Boulder was hit hardest. Winds peaked to 131 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. This is thought to be the highest wind gust ever recorded in Boulder during September. A wind gust to 118 mph was clocked on Davidson Mesa and to 92 mph near Niwot. Gusts of 70 to 80 mph were common over all of Boulder where an estimated 70 to 90 large trees were uprooted. About a dozen of them hit cars. Two walls of a building under construction were toppled and solar panels were blown off a house. Traffic lights and power lines were downed. Damage to power equipment alone was estimated at 100 thousand dollars. Wind gusts to 87 mph at Jefferson County Airport damaged two planes. A woman was seriously injured in Boulder. She suffered a fractured skull when struck by a falling tree limb. Trees were also downed in Louisville and Lafayette. West wind gusts to 45 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

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

Fall officially begins tomorrow at 7:54pm and we have some darn nice weather to welcome the change of seasons. Friday will be cooler than we have seen of late, but near normal, then the weekend rebounds with above normal temps.

Sunny skies with only a few clouds here and there will be above Friday. Conditions will be calm other than some breezy winds in the late afternoon and evening. Highs today will top out in the mid to upper 70s, right near the average high of 76 for the date. Tonight, skies will be clear and temperatures on the cool-side with lows in the upper 40s.

Saturday sees the mercury rebound with highs in the mid-80s. Clear skies will be above and conditions calm and dry. Saturday night into Sunday morning, skies will be mostly clear with lows dipping to the lower 50s.

Sunday will be the warmest day of the three day period with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Lots of sun will be above and again conditions will be dry.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Rocky Mountain National Park is a prime spot for viewing the fall foliage. (Tony’s Takes)

This time of year many folks start thinking about heading to the hills west of Denver in search of gold – fall foliage gold.

Where to go?  Below are five of ThorntonWeather.com’s favorite ones near Denver – plus a few further out and some bonus ideas.  After that, we will tell you where you can find a great website that provides regular updates on viewing conditions.

• Images from recent years’ seasons:
  • September 2015 photo slideshow
  • October 2015 photo slideshow
  • October 2016 photo slideshow
  • October 2017 photo slideshow

I-70 Corridor – If you’re looking for the easiest route, then this one is for you.  Simply head west on I-70 about 110 miles to Avon.  Between Vail and Avon, both sides of I-70 are lined beautifully with aspen.

Rocky Mountain National Park – One of the most popular summer destinations in the state is of course also a prime spot to view aspen in all their glory.  Once in the park head toward Bear Lake.  Glacier Gorge Junction provides a beautiful spot and you of course also get to enjoy all the splendor that Rocky Mountain National Park has to offer.  Extend your viewing by taking Trail Ridge Road all the way through to the west side of the park and the Grand Lake and Granby area.

Peak to Peak Highway – This little road trip can be a dual purpose trip – gambling and fall foliage viewing!  Take U.S. 6 through Clear Creek Canyon and then 119 through Blackhawk and Central City.  You can of course stop there if your wallet is fat enough and donate some money to the casinos.  From there continue on 119 toward Nederland.  Take highway 72 toward Ward and Allenspark.  There you will find more golden aspen than you can imagine, all with the Continental Divide nearby.

Colorado Fall Foliage – Average Date of Peak Aspen Colors. Click for larger view. (ThorntonWeather.com)

Poudre Valley Canyon –  Heading north on I-25 take Colorado 14 west and into Poudre Canyon and Roosevelt National Forest.  As you continue west you will come very near timberline as you come to Cameron Pass.  Amazing views abound!

Guanella Pass – This is a nice, relatively short drive from Denver.  From C470 take 85 through Bailey and Conifer, a nice drive unto itself.  When you come to the town of Grant, take the Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway north to Georgetown.  The air is pretty thin along the way as you climb in excess of 11,500 views through the Pike and Arapahoe National Forests.

A couple other possibilities further from the Front Range:

Leadville / Aspen – From Denver take I-70 west to Copper Mountain and then Colorado 91 south over Freemont Pass to Leadville. Along the way there are plenty of viewing opportunities and Leadville is a nice little town to make a stop. From here you can take Highway 24 north back through Minturn and Vail. To extend the drive, take Highway 24 south to Colorado 82 and head toward Aspen. You can stop by the Maroon Bells in White River National Forest to view some of the most photographed mountains in Colorado.

Cottonwood Pass – From Denver take Highway 285 to Buena Vista. Head west on Main Street for seven miles then west on County Road 344 / Colorado 82. From there you start the climb up Cottonwood Pass with absolutely stunning views from the top. If you are up for it, you can continue down the west side of the pass into the Taylor Park area. Be forewarned though that the western half of the pass is unpaved and twisty.  Editor’s note: The west side of Cottonwood Pass is closed until sometime this fall so that it can be paved.

Honorable mentions worth considering:

• Boreas Pass between Breckenridge and Como (County Road 10)
• Kenosha Pass on Highway 285 between Bailey and Fairplay
• Independence Pass (Colorado 82 between Aspen and Twin Lakes)
• Colorado 103 from Evergreen to Echo Lake. Throw in a drive up Mount Evans for a bonus.

If you do head out, be sure to send us your pictures for inclusion in our monthly photo slideshows!

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

For more information:

• Colorado.com: Colorado Fall Foliage Drives
• Colorado State Parks: 7 Ways to Enjoy Fall Colors
• Colorado State Forest Service Aspen Fall Colors

The heat finally breaks as Thornton cools down quite a bit Thursday. Yesterday we never did get quite as hot as expected and put an end to that ridiculous 90+ degree streak with some nice rain. Today, we dry out and remain cooler (but still warmer than normal).

The day will start out with a good bit of cloud cover but we will see clearing throughout the day leading to mostly sunny skies for the afternoon.

Temperatures today will top out in the low 80s. Average for the date is 77 degrees so we will still be warmer than normal but that is far better than the recent heat.

Tonight, skies will be mostly clear and lows could dip to the upper 40s.

Finally a break! Today will still be quite warm but an approaching cold front that arrives later will offer cooler weather and a chance for showers.

The day starts out with mostly sunny skies but by mid-morning we will see a gradual increase in mid and upper level clouds.

Highs today will top out near the 90 degree mark in the early to mid-afternoon but, a cold front will then arrive and cool things down somewhat quickly through the evening.

Some scattered showers / thunderstorms will be possible from mid-afternoon into tonight with the best chances coming from about 6:00pm to 10:00pm. We don’t expect a lot of precipitation but we could finally see something that counts in the rain bucket.

Tonight, a few showers may linger overnight into the pre-dawn hours tomorrow. Overnight lows will be in the mid to upper 50s.

Looking ahead, cooler weather is expected through the weekend. See the extended forecast here.

Yup, yet another forecast where we could pretty much cut and paste the previous day’s forecast. Lots of sun will be above today (again) and temperatures will climb toward record highs (again).

We start out under sunny skies and then, much like yesterday, the afternoon will offer up a few clouds but nothing that will lead to precipitation.

The record high temperature in Denver for today’s date is 93 degrees and we are going to be pushing close to that mark. Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy with lows in the mid to upper 50s.

On the plus side, tomorrow we do expect to start to see things change. While Wednesday will also be unseasonably warm, it will be cooler than today and thanks to increased moisture and a cold front, we may see some precipitation.