A pretty good looking three-day period in store for us. Slightly above normal temps will be in place for two of the three days and Saturday will be quite mild.

For today, sunny skies will be above throughout. Highs will be in the mid to upper 40s and the afternoon will bring some breezy winds. Tonight, skies remain mostly clear and lows will be in the mid-20s.

Saturday will be the warmest day of the period aided by downslope flow. Looks for highs in the mid to upper 50s under sunny to mostly sunny skies. Overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, winds will be breezy with mostly clear skies and lows in the mid-20s.

Sunday wraps things up nicely with a good bit of blue above and highs in the mid-40s.

Have a great weekend.

A day ahead for us that could best be described as “seasonal.” Temps will be right near average for the date with mostly clear skies.

We start out with some cloud cover but that will ease and we will enjoy mostly sunny skies for the majority of the day. Winds will be light initially then become a bit breezy in the afternoon but not near as bad as we saw yesterday. Temperatures will top out right near the average high for today’s date of 43 degrees.

Tonight, mostly clear skies will be above with lows around 20 degrees.

Hello, 2020! We begin the new year with a mild day and temps well above normal. A good bit of cloud cover and some breezy winds will also be featured today.

The day starts with mostly clear skies but clouds will be increasing leading to mostly sunny conditions for most of the day. Winds will be light initially then be picking up and becoming breezy and out of the west. The downslope flow will help drive temperatures to the mid-50s.

Tonight, partly clear skies will be above and overnight lows will drop to the mid-20s.

Where the buffalo roam. December 1, 2019. (Patrick Martin)

The month of December can offer everything from bone dry conditions to bone chilling cold and monstrous snowstorms.  The weather and wildlife all afford an abundance of photo opportunities as our December photo slideshow shows.

Leaves have fallen from trees now and the landscape can sometimes look quite stark.  However it only takes a quick shot of snow to change that picture greatly.  Throw in gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, plenty of wildlife big and small, kids playing and much more and the month can be quite colorful and eventful.

• Slideshow updated December 31, 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.

← Older photos

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!

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A fine looking day as we close out 2019 and prepare to welcome in 2020. We’ll see lots of blue sky above today with temperatures right near normal.

Sunny skies start us off and will be with us through the daytime hours. After sunset a few clouds will arrive. Temperatures today will top out in the low to mid-40s, right near the average high for the date of 43 degrees.

Tonight, mostly clear skies will be above with lows in the low 20s.

We will see some, slight improvement in temperatures today however it will remain colder than normal.

The day starts off with clear skies and lots of blue will remain above throughout the day. Winds will be light and out of the southwest through the morning then add a northerly component in the afternoon. High temperatures today will top out in the mid-30s, a good bit below the average high for the date of 43 degrees.

Tonight, skies remain clear and that will give us another, very cold night. Lows will be dropping to around 10 degrees.

Warmer weather does lie ahead. See the extended weather forecast here.

The end of the year and beginning of the next can be an eventful period in terms of weather in the Denver metro area. Looking back at this week in Denver weather history there are certainly periods of cold and snow but perhaps most notable are the number of damaging wind events.

From the National Weather Service:

25-31

In 1980…temperatures were unusually warm during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. High temperatures for the week ranged from the mid-50’s to the mid-70’s. Four temperature records were set. Record highs occurred on the 26th with 68 degrees…the 27th with 75 degrees…and the 30th with 71 degrees. A record high minimum temperature of 41 degrees occurred on the 27th.

27-29

In 1983…a second surge of bitter cold air in less than a week was less intense. Record breaking low temperatures of 12 degrees below zero on the 28th and 15 degrees below zero on the 29th were accompanied by 3.7 inches of snowfall and northeast winds gusting to 23 mph.

28-29

In 1906…a trace of snow fell on both days…which along with a trace of snow on the 5th…was the only snow of the month…ranking the month the second least snowiest December on record.

In 1970…wind gusts to 87 mph were recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. Winds gusted to only 46 mph in downtown Boulder. Damage was minor.

In 2006…while metro Denver residents were still digging out from the heavy snowfall and blizzard that occurred on December 20-21…the second major winter storm in a week buried the city and the eastern foothills again in more deep snow. Heavy snowfall ranged from 1 to 2 1/2 feet in the foothills and from 6 to 18 inches across the city. Another slow moving storm system centered over the Texas panhandle produced deep upslope flow over the high plains and against the Front Range mountains. The storm produced blizzard conditions over the plains mainly south of Interstate 76. Interstate 70 as well as other roads and highways was closed from Denver to the Kansas line due to snow and blizzard conditions. Greyhound was forced to cancel all bus trips from Denver. The heaviest snow fell in and near the foothills and south of Denver over the palmer divide…where north winds sustained at speeds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph piled the snow into drifts 4 to 14 feet deep. In the city…the heavy snowfall persisted for a total of 29 hours. Snowfall totals across metro Denver included: 17.5 inches at Ken Caryl; 15 inches 3 miles south-southeast of Morrison; 14 inches in Boulder and lone tree; 12 inches in Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch; 11 inches in Wheat Ridge; 10.5 inches in Littleton; 10 inches in Arvada…Broomfield…and Louviers; and 8.5 inches in Lakewood and Thornton. Officially…snowfall totaled 8.0 inches at Denver Stapleton. North winds sustained to 25 mph with gusts to 32 mph produced some blowing snow at Denver International Airport. In the city…this second storm increased the total snowfall for the month to 29.4 inches…making the month the third snowiest on record. In the foothills the snow fell at a rate of 3 to 4 inches an hour at times. Total snowfall in the foothills included: 30 inches near Genesee; 29.5 inches 12 miles northwest of Golden; 25 inches in Evergreen and near Bergen Park; 24 inches near Conifer; 23.5 inches 3 miles southwest of Golden and near Gold Hill; 23 inches near Jamestown; 22.5 inches in Rollinsville; 19.5 inches in Aspen Springs; 19 inches near Blackhawk; 18.5 inches at Nederland; 16 inches in Indian Hills…at Intercanyon…and in Eldora; 15.5 inches at Echo Lake; and 12 inches near Ralston Reservoir. The total cost of snow removal just at Denver International Airport from this storm and the previous storm was in tens of millions of dollars. The airport estimated up to 6.7 million dollars in extra costs for contractors…overtime…equipment…de-icing chemicals…and other expenses. The two storms cost the airport 4.6 million dollars in loss concession revenues. United Airlines reported lost revenue of over 25 million dollars from the two storms…while Frontier Airlines lost an estimated 12.1 million dollars.

29

In 1997…high winds persisted mainly in and near the foothills. Strong cross winds gusting between 60 and 70 mph blew a rental truck off the roadway in northern Jefferson County near the Coal Creek Canyon road. West winds gusted to 33 mph at Denver International Airport.

In 2005…high winds were recorded across metro Denver. Peak wind gusts included 75 mph near Chatfield Reservoir and 64 mph at Denver International Airport. No damage was reported.

29-30

In 1898…heavy snowfall totaled 6.2 inches in downtown Denver. Northeast winds were sustained to 35 mph with gusts to 40 mph on the 29th.

In 1912…strong winds buffeted Boulder…causing hundreds of dollars damage. The winds were described as one of the most terrific in the history of the city.

In 1923…a cold wave caused temperatures to plunge 58 degrees in 24 hours. The temperature was 54 degrees at 2:00 pm on the 29th and only 4 degrees below zero at the same time on the 30th. The low temperature of 14 degrees on the 29th was the high temperature on the 30th. The low temperature on the 30th dipped to 10 degrees below zero. Light snowfall totaled only 0.7 inch. Northeast winds were sustained to 23 mph on the 29th.

In 2008…very strong Chinook winds blasted areas in and near the foothills of Boulder and Jefferson counties. The wind blew down trees and power poles…downed electrical lines and fences…and damaged homes and vehicles. Scattered power outages were reported along the Front Range. In metropolitan Denver alone…24000 Xcel customers were affected by the outages. Four planed were damaged at the Vance Brand Municipal Airport in Longmont…one was heavily damaged. Insurance companies estimated up to 7 million dollars in damage. Peak wind gusts included 87 mph at the national wind technology center…86 mph…2 miles north of Longmont; 77 mph at Erie…and 75 mph at Lafayette. On the 30th…a peak wind gust to 47 mph was recorded at Denver International Airport. .

30

In 1875…snow fell from the early morning into the early evening. While the amount of snowfall was not recorded… Precipitation from melted snow totaled 0.53 inch. Good sleighing was reported…so snowfall must have been 5 inches or more.

In 1895…northwest winds were sustained to 60 mph in the city.

In 1897…west winds sustained to 52 mph with gusts to 60 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 55 degrees.

In 1912…west winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 52 mph. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 50 degrees.

In 1928…snowfall was 0.1 inch in downtown Denver. This was the only measurable snow of the month…ranking the month the third least snowiest on record in the city.

In 1990…strong downslope winds buffeted the eastern foothills. Wind gusts to 91 mph were recorded atop Table Mesa in southwest Boulder…while a gust to 94 mph was clocked at Rollinsville. The high winds caused whiteout conditions due to blowing snow along some highways south and north of Boulder. The high winds downed power lines near the Rocky Flats plant south of Boulder.

In 1998…high winds continued to buffet areas in and near the foothills. Near Evergreen…a 100-foot-high blue spruce crashed down on the roof of a home…splitting the corrugated metal roof in half. Fortunately…the tree… Which measured 10 feet in circumference…only penetrated the home’s interior in a few places. Peak wind reports included: 90 mph at Wondervu…88 mph at the Rocky Flats test facility…83 mph near Conifer…and 82 mph atop Blue Mountain near Coal Creek Canyon. West winds gusted to 39 mph at Denver International Airport.

30-31

In 1886…heavy snow totaled 6.5 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow…4.5 inches…fell on the 31st. North winds were sustained to 18 mph.

In 1928…snowfall of 0.6 inch was the only measurable snow of the month in the city.

In 1947…post-frontal heavy snow totaled 6.3 inches over downtown Denver. Most of the snow fell on the 30th. North winds were sustained to 17 mph on the 30th.

In 1995…the foothills west of Denver received 5 to 9 inches of new snow…except for Bailey where 11 inches of snow were measured. No snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

31 » Click here to read the rest of December 29 to January 4: This Week in Denver Weather History

As a very dry December winds down, Mother Nature looks to finally bring some precipitation our way. Along with snow, cold temperatures will be featured.

For Friday, after some early fog, cloudy skies will be with us throughout the day. Highs will only be in the mid-30s. From mid-morning into the afternoon, some light snow may fall but no accumulation is expected. The evening will see things pick up and may bring some minimal accumulations overnight. Lows tonight will be in the mid-20s.

Saturday will be the coldest day of the three-day period and also offer the best chances for snow. Skies will be cloudy and high temperatures will be remaining below freezing. Snow will increase in the pre-dawn hours and continue through the daytime before easing after dark. Total accumulations of 1 to 3 inches will be possible. Overnight Saturday night into Sunday morning, skies will begin to clear with lows into the teens.

Sunday sees a return of the sun with clear skies expected. Temperatures will remain cold however with highs only around the freezing mark.

Have a great weekend!

A chance in the mild weather we have seen in recent days as today cools down quite a bit. Temperatures will be right near normal but with some of that beautiful blue above.

Mostly sunny skies will be the general rule throughout the day today. Overall conditions will be calm with winds initially out of the southeast then shifting to come from the northeast in the afternoon. High temperatures will be in the low to mid-40s, near the average high for the date of 42 degrees.

Tonight, partly cloudy skies will be above with lows in the mid-20s.

Looking ahead, we do finally see a decent chance for snow tomorrow night into Saturday although right now it appears only light accumulations will be seen. Get a look at your Friday and weekend forecast here.

Daytime hours today will again offer unseasonably warm temperatures and a good bit of sun. Don’t lose hope for that white Christmas yet though as there is hope for some by the end of the day.

Mostly sunny skies start us off and will be with us for the first part of the morning. The afternoon will see clouds increase. Temperatures today will top out in the low 50s.

A weak system arrives this afternoon and from about 4:00pm until 10:00pm we see a chance for some precipitation. Initially rain will be possible then a transition to snow after dark. Accumulations will generally be light, if any at all, but if we get some convection going, there could be a nice little shot of the white stuff.

Tonight, after any precip ends, skies will be partly cloudy with lows in the mid-20s.

The Thornton Weather family wishes you and yours a very merry Christmas!