Another day with below normal temperatures as we just can’t shake the chill. Today, we will throw in some breezy winds as well making it feel even colder.

The day starts off with some areas of fog and partly clear skies. Cloud cover will decrease through the morning leaving us with mostly sunny skies by late morning.

Temperatures will top out in the mid to upper 30s today, again below the average for the date of 45 degrees. By late morning / early afternoon, winds will be picking up with gusts to 25mph or so until sunset when they will ease.

Tonight, mostly clear skies will be above with lows to around 15 degrees.

We will see improvement on the very cold temps of recent days this weekend. However, cold air will linger and a quick-moving system Saturday night reinforces the cold a bit.

For Friday, clear skies get us started then we should see some mid-day clouds that will clear off in the later afternoon. Temperatures will top out around 30 degrees by about noon then start their way down. Overnight lows tonight will drop into the single digits.

Saturday will be the warmest day of the period with highs climbing to the low 40s. Cloud cover will increase in the morning as a fast-moving disturbance works through. Saturday evening through the pre-dawn hours Sunday may bring us a quick shot of snow. At this time, it looks like little, if any, accumulation will be seen.

Sunday will be calm but chilly temps are going to linger. Sunny to mostly sunny skies will be above with highs in the mid-30s. Have a great weekend!

Thornton is seeing its coldest temperatures of the season this morning in the wake of our most recent snowstorm. With the aid of partly sunny skies we will see some warming but temps will remain well below normal.

Partly clear skies start us off and we will see varying levels of clouds today. Toward the end of the day, it will begin to clear off in earnest.

Temperatures start out in below zero territory and will slowly warm toward a mid-afternoon high only around 20 degrees.

Tonight, mostly clear skies will lead to another very cold night with lows dropping to around zero, perhaps below.

Our live weather gauges will let you keep an eye on the mercury.

Our latest storm is working its way into the area now. With it we are going to see snow and cold impact travel by the end of the day lasting overnight.

The day starts with cloudy skies and some areas of fog. We won’t be seeing that blue sky today. Temperatures start out cold and are only going to go down after sunrise. Wind chills will be in the single digits this afternoon and below zero overnight.

A few flurries may be seen this morning but things look to really get started by mid to late morning continuing into tonight. This is likely going to mean a mess for the afternoon rush hour and overnight travel will be tough.

Here in Thornton, we’re looking at a good chance of receiving 2 to 4 inches. Should we see banding like we did with last week’s storm, those totals could get bumped a couple of inches.

Tonight, snow will come to an end after midnight. Temperatures will be very cold with lows dropping to around zero. It seems likely tomorrow morning’s commute could be a slow one as well.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from noon today to 5:00am tomorrow. Please be careful out there!

February in Colorado typically brings to an end an extended period when average temperatures are at their lowest. Winter begins to loosen its grip and temperatures get warmer but precipitation is not a particularly common event during the month.

Thus far our snow season has been relatively dismal with the seasonal total in Thornton more than 10 inches below average.  In the high country, the snowpack is not faring much better.  February is only our sixth snowiest month so we may not see much snowfall for the balance of the month.

Temperatures however do usually see a nice rebound during the month. Average high temperatures climb from an average of 44 degrees at the start to 50 degrees by the end of February.

For the complete February preview including a look at historical averages and extremes as well as a look at what long range forecasts are predicting, click here. 

February 3 to February 9: This week in Denver weather history

Denver’s February weather is usually relatively uneventful although that isn’t always the case as we can see from our look back at this week in Denver weather history. From extreme cold to major snowstorms and damaging winds, this period has seen some historically significant events.

From the National Weather Service:

30-7

In 1985…a cold front on the 29th produced a protracted cold spell as arctic air remained entrenched across metro Denver. While the only daily temperature record set was a low maximum reading of 2 degrees on February 3rd…minimum temperatures plunged well below zero on 9 consecutive days. The coldest readings were 15 degrees below zero on January 31st and 14 degrees below zero on February 5th.
31-8

In 1963…warm weather that began with the strong Chinook winds on the 31st and 1st continued through the 8th. Maximum temperatures through the period ranged from 52 degrees on the 2nd to 76 degrees on the 5th…which was a new record high for that date.

31-12

In 1899…a protracted cold spell lasted almost two weeks. Low temperatures plunged below zero on all days but February 9th with a reading of 6 degrees. The coldest low temperature of 22 degrees below zero on February 6th was a record low for the date. Low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero occurred on both February 11th and 12th… But only the 11th remains as the record minimum for the date. High temperature of only 5 degrees below zero on February 11th was a record low maximum for the date. High temperatures climbed to only zero degrees on both February 2nd and 3rd…but were not records. Intermittent light snow or flurries fell during the period. The most snowfall…2.0 inches…occurred on February 2nd.

1-3

In 1996…cold arctic air plunged temperatures below zero for more than 35 consecutive hours from late on the 1st until sunrise on the 3rd. The temperature warmed to only 1 degree below zero on the 2nd after a record low of 16 degrees below zero.

1-4

In 2011…a frigid arctic airmass settled into Front Range urban corridor. At Denver International Airport… Overnight low temperatures…from the 1st to the 3rd… Were 13 below zero…17 below zero and zero respectively. The icy temperatures caused pipes to crack and burst following the freeze. In Loveland…firefighters responded to more than a dozen water pipe breaks…most in fire sprinkler systems at businesses…apartments and assisted care facilities. At cu earth science library in Boulder…more than 1000 books and several costumes for an upcoming production were damaged. At the County courts administration building in Jefferson County…a steady stream of water from a crack on the 5th floor… Went unnoticed on the 3rd and flooded all the floors of the administration wing overnight. As a result…much of the office equipment…furniture and carpet sustained water damage. A burst sprinkler line caused minor damage at the Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton. The icy temperatures forced to closure of several school districts as well.

1-5

In 1985…the most bitter cold spell of the winter season brought sub-zero temperatures to metro Denver. Daily low temperature records were broken at Denver. The usual cold weather problems struck including stalled vehicles…jammed traffic lights…and frozen water and sewer lines. At Stapleton International Airport…the high temperature was only 2 degrees above zero on the 1st…setting a record low maximum for the date. Low temperatures reached 13 below zero on the 1st…12 below on the third…and 14 below on the 5th.

1-6

In 1989…one of the century’s worst doses of winter weather ravaged the entire state. Bitterly frigid weather moved into metro Denver on the 1st as snow buried many sections of the state. In metro Denver where 3 to 6 inches of snow fell…blowing snow and resultant poor visibilities caused a 46-car pile-up on I-25 in the middle of the city on the 4th. During the period…2 to 3 hour delays were common at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall from the storm totaled 4.3 inches and northeast winds gusted to 30 mph on the 1st. Intense cold accompanied the storm. Temperatures in Denver stayed below zero continuously for the best part of 3 days (3rd…4th…5th)…for a total of 69 hours. This is the fourth longest sub-zero period on record. Wind chill temperatures reached 50 degrees below zero. The mercury dipped to 24 degrees below zero on the 5th…setting a record for the date. This was the city’s coldest temperature in over 26 years. Low temperatures dipped below zero on 8 consecutive days (2nd-9th). High temperature of 9 degrees below zero on the 4th was a record low maximum for the date…as was the high of 5 degrees on the 5th. Extensive damage occurred when pipes and water lines froze and broke. Thousands of cars failed to start. On the 3rd…a 57-year-old woman died of hypothermia in an Arvada park. Eighteen high school students were treated for hypothermia after a 2-hour ride through Jefferson County in an unheated bus. At least 2 cases of frostbite were reported; there were undoubtedly many more.

1-9

In 1883…a protracted cold period occurred when low temperatures dipped below zero for 9 consecutive days. Low temperatures ranged from 22 degrees below zero on the 4th to 2 degrees below zero on the 1st and 6th. High temperatures ranged from 10 below zero on the 3rd to 23 on the 9th. Several temperature records were set that still stand today. Record lows of 18 below and 22 below zero occurred on the 3rd and 4th. Record low maximum readings of 2 below and 10 below zero occurred on the 2nd and 3rd. The high of only 10 below zero on the 3rd is the coldest maximum temperature ever recorded in Denver.

» Click here to read the rest of February 3 to February 9: This week in Denver weather history

A relatively nice day ahead for Thornton with cooler temperatures that recent days but with highs near normal. The big focus is on tomorrow when our next storm system arrives bringing a shot of snow.

For today, partly clear skies start us off but we will see clearing this morning leading to mostly sunny skies for most of the day. Overall conditions will be calm.

Temperatures are going to cool quite a bit as compared to the last few days with highs in the mid to upper 40s.

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

As for the coming storm, it will move in from the west tonight while a cold front comes from the north. This will bring much colder temperatures for a couple of days. Most notably, we do expect snow tomorrow. Some flurries may be possible in the morning but the bulk of it is expected to arrive in the afternoon and evening. We could see a couple of inches out of it.

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.