Somewhat of a mixed bag of weather for Thornton today. While we will see mercury readings well above normal, blustery winds are going to make it less than ideal outside.

Partly clear skies will be above throughout the day today. High temperatures will reach the mid-70s. It will initially be calm but winds will pick up later this morning and increase in speed, peaking in the late afternoon and evening. A Red Flag Warning will be in effect due to the elevated fire danger.

Tonight, winds will slowly ease after 6:00pm. Skies will be partly clear with lows in the upper 30s.

Keep an eye on the temp and wind speeds here.

A fine way to start out the workweek. If you like your spring days with lots of sun and mild temperatures, this one’s for you.

Sunny skies start us off and will be with us this morning. Some high level clouds will be seen in the afternoon but nothing intrusive. Overall, conditions will be calm and dry. Look for highs in the mid-70s.

Tonight, cloud cover will increase and lows will dip to the low 40s.

As we enter the latter half of April the weather history calendar starts to reflect shift in the type of weather events we see. There are still plenty of significant snowfall events. However spring severe weather starts to appear with greater frequency including heavy rain, hail and even tornadoes.

From the National Weather Service:

13-17

In 2001…a huge dust storm over southern and Inner Mongolia during April 3rd through the 6th lifted desert dust into the jet stream. This dust cloud moved over metro Denver on the 13th and persisted through the 17th. The cloud created widespread haze…giving the sky a milkish cast due to the scattering of incoming solar radiation.

15-16

In 1900…heavy rainfall totaled 2.33 inches. A trace of snow was mixed with the rain at times.

In 1950…thunderstorms and heavy rain behind a cold front produced 2.13 inches of rain in 24 hours at Stapleton Airport.

In 2003…a fast moving pacific storm system moved across Colorado allowing strong winds to develop over the eastern foothills and metro Denver. Northwest winds gusted to 59 mph at Denver International Airport late in the evening of the 15th.

In 2016…1.22 inches of precipitation was measured at Denver International Airport which was the greatest daily amount for the month.

In 2020…a potent storm system dropped out of the northern Rockies and produced moderate to heavy snow over portions of the Front Range mountains…foothills and adjacent plains. The heaviest snow fell in and near the foothills north of I-70. In the mountains and foothills…storm totals included: 30 inches near Jamestown…27 inches near Nederland…22 inches near Allenspark…21 inches near St Mary`s Glacier…18 inches in Estes Park…16 inches near Crescent Village and Deer Ridge…15.5 inches near Aspen Springs…and 15 inches near Pinecliffe. In Boulder…16.9 inches of snow helped to establish a new seasonal snowfall record of 151.2 inches. The previous seasonal snowfall record in Boulder was 142.9 inches in 1908-1909. Along the I-25 corridor…storm totals included: 14.5 inches in Niwot…13.5 inches in Frederick…13 inches in Broomfield… 12 inches in Lafayette and near Longmont…10.5 inches in Arvada…10 inches in Erie…Louisville…and Westminster…7 inches in Brighton…6.5 inches in Edgewater and Northglenn…and 5.5 inches in Greeley. Snowfall totaled 1.9 inches at Denver International Airport. In 2021…a storm system produced bands of heavy snow in and near the Front Range Foothills. Storm totals included: 13.8 inches at St. Mary`s Glacier…12.9 inches at Aspen Park…10 inches in Genesee…9.5 inches at Ken Caryl…9 inches in Crescent Village…8.5 inches in Arvada and Westminster…8 inches at Evergreen and Sedalia…with 3 to 7 inches elsewhere. At Denver International Airport… 5.7 inches inches of snowfall was observed.

In 2021…a storm system produced bands of heavy snow in and near the Front Range Foothills. Storm totals included: 13.8 inches at St. Mary`s Glacier…12.9 inches at Aspen Park…10 inches in Genesee…9.5 inches at Ken Caryl…9 inches in Crescent Village…8.5 inches in Arvada and Westminster…8 inches at Evergreen and Sedalia…with 3 to 7 inches elsewhere. At Denver International Airport… 5.7 inches inches of snowfall was observed.

15-17

In 1922…heavy snowfall totaled 9.0 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow…6.0 inches…fell on the 16th. This was the third major snow storm in a week. Northwest winds were sustained to 43 mph with gusts to 47 mph on the 15th.

In 2016…a powerful spring snowstorm brought heavy…wet snow to areas in and near the Front Range Foothills and Palmer Divide. Storm totals generally ranged from 2 to 4 feet in the foothills with 1 to 2 feet in the mountain west of Denver and along the Palmer Divide. Along the I-25 Corridor storm totals ranged from 6 to 20 inches…with highest amounts across the western and southern suburbs. Some of those totals included: 16 inches in Aurora and Superior…15 inches at the National Weather Service Office in Boulder… 14.5 inches in Broomfield…13.5 inches in Westminster… officially 12.1 inches at Denver International Airport…12 inches in Louisville…11.5 inches in Arvada…11 inches near Englewood…and 10.5 inches near Wheat Ridge. At Denver International Airport…there were 852 flight cancellations… most of which occurred on the 16th. The heavy wet snowfall broke trees limbs and caused scattered power outages. Over five thousand customers were without power on the 16th…and over two thousand on the 17th. Xcel Energy brought in extra crews from surrounding states to help restore power and minimize outage times through the storm. Numerous but mostly temporary road closures from 1 to 5 hours occurred throughout the storm. This included portions of I-70 east and west of Denver…Highway 103 from Idaho Springs to Evergreen and Highway 119 through Black Hawk.

16

In 1960…a wind storm struck all of metro Denver. Estimated wind gusts up to 80 mph were registered in Boulder. At Stapleton Airport sustained west-northwest winds over 50 mph with gusts as high as 70 mph produced some blowing dust. The high winds damaged buildings…power and telephone lines…and signs. Five people were injured in metro Denver as a result of the wind storm. Blowing dust reduced visibility at times. The winds were strong and gusty for most of the day.

16-17

In 1944…heavy snowfall totaled 7.5 inches in downtown Denver. Northwest winds were sustained to 18 mph on the 16th.

16-18

In 2009…a potent spring storm brought heavy snow to locations in and near the Front Range foothills. A deep easterly upslope produced nearly 5 feet of snow in parts of the foothills. The heavy snow resulted in the closure of Interstate 70…from Golden west to Vail…for approximately 16 hours. The heavy snow snapped power lines in Evergreen and Nederland. The ensuing outages affected 14200 residents. In the Front Range foothills…storm totals included: 56 inches…3 miles south of Rollinsville; 54 inches…3 miles southeast of Pinecliffe…43 inches at Aspen Springs…42 inches at Evergreen…38 inches near conifer; 37 inches at St. Mary’s glacier…and 34 inches near Nederland. Along the urban corridor and Palmer Divide…the heaviest snow occurred above 5500 feet on the 17th. Storm totals included: 22 inches…8.5 miles southwest of Franktown; 18 inches…10 miles south-southeast of Buckley Air Force Base; 17 inches near Cherry Creek and 7 miles south of Sedalia… 16 inches…6.5 miles southwest of Castle Rock; 15 inches near Beverly Hills; 12 inches near Highlands Ranch and Lafayette…with 11 inches in Broomfield. Elsewhere storm totals ranged from 4 to 10 inches. Officially…only 2.6 inches of snow was observed at Denver International Airport. The 24-hr precipitation for the day however was 1.16 inches… Which established a new record for April 17th.

17

In 1889…northwest winds were sustained to 48 mph.

In 1899…apparent post-frontal north winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts as high as 48 mph.

In 1935…light dust moved over the city behind an apparent dry cold front…which produced northeast winds to 19 mph with gusts to 20 mph.

In 1978…winds estimated to 70 mph occurred in Morrison. Northwest winds gusted to 49 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 2000…strong pre-frontal winds and widely scattered thunderstorms caused high winds to develop across northern metro Denver and portions of the northeast plains. Peak wind gusts included 75 mph at Louisville. South winds gusted to only 28 mph at Denver International Airport.

In 2002…strong southwest winds in advance of a cold front gusted to 52 mph at Denver International Airport.

In 2003…severe thunderstorms produced 1 inch diameter hail 7 miles east of Brighton. Strong thunderstorm winds blew out an auto windshield near Denver International Airport where south winds gusted to 48 mph. » Click here to read the rest of April 16 to April 22: This week in Denver weather history

Our ‘false spring’ of recent days has come to an end and we now return to more typical weather for this time of year. We stand to receive some much needed precipitation to start the weekend but it will move out relatively quickly and the weekend closes out nicely.

For today, the cold front is working its way toward us this morning and will arrive soon. Cloudy skies will be above and our high temperature in the mid-40s will be seen early, then temps will drop. This morning will bring some light rain then in the afternoon it will pick up the pace.

Late afternoon into the evening and through the night will see a rain / snow mix. Total accumulations will be minimal, less than an inch. Lows tonight will be near freezing.

Saturday will remain cool with highs around the 50 degree mark under partly clear skies. Some light rain / snow may be seen in the morning before coming to an end in the afternoon. Saturday night, skies will clear and lows dip into the 20s.

Sunday will see a very nice rebound. Look for highs to return to the low to mid-60s under sunny skies.

Have a great weekend!

Along with a few days of summer-like heat, nighttime temperatures stayed quite warm for this time of year as well. In fact, they were extraordinarily warm today.

As measured at Denver International Airport, the Mile High City’s low temperature today was only 55 degrees. This sets a new record warm minimum for the date, breaking the old record of 53 degrees set inn 1932.

Thornton stayed even warmer with a low of 59 degrees soon after sunrise.

The last day of the recent ‘heat wave’ we have been enjoying. It will be cooler than the previous couple of days but still very warm and today we throw in a good bit of cloud cover and some wind.

Mostly cloudy skies will be above throughout the majority of the day. High temperatures will top out around the 80 degree mark. Winds will become breezy later this morning and pick up the pace in the afternoon.

Gusts to 30mph or so are expected. Due to the wind, low humidity and dry fuels, a Red Flag Warning will be in effect so please be careful. Tonight, skies remain mostly cloudy.

Overnight lows will dip to around 40 degrees and winds remain breezy. As a front moves in, we stand a bit of a chance to see a rain shower between midnight and dawn tomorrow.

And another high temperature record bites the dust in Denver today.

As measured at Denver International Airport, the Mile High City’s temperature topped out at 85 degrees. This easily bested the previous record high for the date of 79 degrees last set in 2018 and is the second day in a row with a record high.

Here in Thornton, we again topped Denver’s mark with a high of 87.5 degrees.

Following on yesterday’s record-setting warmth, we follow up with more today. Temperatures will again be well above normal but we do introduce some wind which will lead to increased fire danger.

Sunny skies start us off then by late morning we will see a few clouds. Mostly to partly sunny skies will be above in the afternoon. High temperatures will climb to the low to mid-80s. Breezy winds begin by late morning and will continue into the evening.

A Fire Weather Watch will be in effect from noon until 8:00pm due to the elevated fire danger.

Tonight, skies will be mostly cloudy with some breezy winds continuing. Overnight lows will be around 50 degrees.

After a long stretch of largely below normal temperatures, spring popped up in a big way today delivering summer-like temperatures that broke records.

As measured at Denver International Airport, the Mile High City’s temperature topped out at 85 degrees. This easily bested the previous record high for the date of 80 degrees last set in 1982.

Here in Thornton, we topped Denver’s mark with a high of 86.9 degrees.

More heat is on tap as we are likely to set a record high tomorrow as well.

Thornton is set to somewhat jump from spring to summer for the next couple of days. The mercury will be climbing well above normal and almost certainly be setting records.

Sunny skies will be above throughout the day today. A few clouds may make an appearance in the evening. Conditions will be calm and dry with some breezy winds in the evening.

High temperatures today look to top out in the mid-80s, well above the average high for the date of 61 degrees. This will also break Denver’s record high temperature for the date of 80 degrees last set in 1982.

Tonight, skies will be mostly clear with lows in the mid-40s.