Forecasts

Mild temperatures Monday in Thornton but with breezy winds, chance for a shower

Another day with well above normal temperatures but cooler than the last couple. We also introduce some stronger wind and a chance for showers this afternoon and overnight.

Sunny skies start us off then from mid-afternoon cloud cover will slowly increase. As a low pressure system closes in, winds will pick up in the afternoon and become pretty blustery. High temperatures will top out in the mid-70s. Late afternoon brings just a chance to see a rain shower.

This evening, chances for showers increase, even more so after midnight. At this time we are expecting, at most, light rain. Winds will remain breezy after dark. Lows will dip to the mid-40s.

Forecasts

Very mild conditions, some wind for Thornton’s weekend

Our first weekend filled with springlike weekend is here. We will enjoy temps a good bit above normal with lots of sun but also, unfortunately, a bit of wind.

Friday gets things started in fine fashion with sunny skies above. High temperatures will be in the mid to upper 70s. Winds will be slightly breezy this afternoon. Tonight, cloud cover increases and lows will dip to the mid-40s.

Saturday, we start out with some clouds then will see most of the day with mostly sunny skies. Highs will top out in the mid-70s. Winds will be breezy most of the day. Saturday night, skies will be mostly clear and lows will be in the mid-40s.

Sunday looks to be the warmest day of the period. Mercury readings will quite possibly climb and give us our first 80 degree day of the year. Sunny skies will be above and some breezy winds will be seen in the afternoon.

Get out and enjoy it and have a great weekend!

Weather History

April 7 to April 13: This Week in Denver Weather History

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This Week in Denver Weather History

While the calendar may say spring, wintry weather can and often does appear and many times it has a big impact. We clearly see this in our look back at this week in weather history where wind and snow make many appearances.

From the National Weather Service:

4-7

In 1909…post-frontal rain changed to heavy snow on the afternoon of the 4th and continued through mid-morning of the 7th. Total snowfall was 18.7 inches…but most of the snow…14.0 inches…fell from 6:00 pm on the 4th to 6:00 pm on the 5th. North to northeast winds were sustained to 32 mph on the 4th and to 30 mph on the 7th. Total precipitation from the storm was 1.78 inches.

5-7

In 1916…rain changed to snow behind a cold front on the 5th and totaled 4.5 inches in the city. A thunderstorm produced snow on the 6th. North winds were sustained to 35 mph with gusts to 38 mph on the 7th.

6-7

In 1872…rain changed to snow overnight. Snow with high north winds continued all day on the 7th. Precipitation (rain and melted snow) totaled 0.50 inch. Due to problems on the lines…the morning weather report was not sent by telegraph until 3:10 pm and the midnight report was not sent at all.

In 1957…heavy snowfall totaled 6.6 inches at Stapleton Airport where north winds gusted to 46 mph. This was the second heavy snow event in less than 4 days.

In 1969…winds gusting as high as 50 to 60 mph caused only light damage along the eastern foothills. The strong winds contributed to the spread of a forest fire near Boulder. Sustained winds of 25 mph with gusts to 53 mph were recorded in Boulder. Southwest winds gusted to 38 mph on the 6th and 44 mph on the 7th at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1980…high winds howled along the foothills each day. A wind gust to 72 mph was recorded in Lakewood. The strong winds blew a camper top off a pickup truck in Denver. At Stapleton International Airport…west winds gusted to 41 mph on both days.

In 1998…a spring storm brought a mix of snow and thunder to metro Denver…the foothills…and Palmer Divide. Conifer and Elizabeth both measured 4 inches of new snow. On the 6th…only 0.1 inch of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport where thunder was heard on both days. Precipitation totaled 0.60 inch at Denver International Airport where west winds gusted to 43 mph on the 6th.

6-8

In 1973…a major spring snow storm dumped 11.6 inches of snowfall over metro Denver. North wind gusts of 30 to 35 mph produced some blowing snow. Most of the heavy wet snow… 10.1 inches…fell on the 7th when temperatures remained in the 20’s. Snow accumulated on the ground to a maximum depth of 9 inches. Low temperature of 5 degrees on the 8th was a new record minimum for the date and the lowest for so late in the season.

7

In 1906…north winds were sustained to 48 mph in the city.

In 1958…strong south winds blew most of the day across metro Denver. A wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.

In 1962…strong gusty winds associated with a cold front caused considerable damage to power lines…signs… Buildings…and trees across metro Denver. In Boulder…an outdoor movie screen…valued at 10 thousand dollars…was wrecked. In Denver…a youth was injured when a car was blown off a jack…pinning him underneath. Wind gusts to 61 mph were recorded at Stapleton Airport where visibility was reduced to 1/2 mile in blowing dust. Snowfall totaled 2.6 inches at Stapleton Airport.

In 1971…wind gusts to 69 mph were recorded at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder. In downtown Boulder…winds peaked to 54 mph. West winds gusted to 31 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1989…high winds occurred in the foothills west of Denver. At Nederland west of Boulder…high winds damaged roofs… Toppled trees…and caused power outages. Winds estimated as high as 90 mph in Georgetown overturned campers and even semi-trailers on I-70 and damaged road signs. Three trailer homes were blown off their foundations and a 50-foot tree toppled onto the roof of a home…causing considerable damage. Winds reached 94 mph at Rollinsville southwest of Boulder. Northwest winds gusted to 43 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

7-9

In 1913…heavy snowfall totaled 10.9 inches in downtown Denver behind a cold front. Most of the snow fell on the 8th. Northeast winds were sustained to 35 mph with gusts to 38 mph on the 9th.

In 1935…moderate dust blew into the city around 9:00 pm on the 7th and persisted until early afternoon on the 9th. Southeast winds were sustained to around 20 mph on the 7th and 8th. Winds shifting to the west at sustained speeds to 20 mph cleared the dust from the air on the 9th.

7-12

In 1959…snow falling over a 5-day period totaled 20 to 30 inches just east of the mountains…while over the plains blizzard conditions closed schools and blocked highways. The second big storm in two weeks dumped 16.4 inches of snowfall on Stapleton Airport with the most…11.6 inches… Occurring on the 8th. East winds gusted to 37 mph on the 9th. Temperatures dipped into the single digits on the mornings of the 7th and 12th when 7 degrees were registered. Low temperature records for the dates were set on the 9th…10th…and 12th. The cold temperatures caused streets to glaze with ice…resulting in the death of a pedestrian who was struck by a car in Denver. Three people died from heart attacks while shoveling the heavy… Wet snow.

Continue reading April 7 to April 13: This Week in Denver Weather History →

Forecasts

Mild temperatures, lots of sun for Thornton’s Thursday

Today is the first of a string of four mild days. Temperatures will be a bit above normal with dry conditions and blue skies above.

Initially we have a few clouds this morning but those will soon dissipate leaving us with sunny skies. Conditions will be calm and dry with only some slightly breezy winds in the afternoon being of note. High temperatures will top out in the mid-60s.

Tonight, skies will remain clear and conditions calm. Lows will dip to the mid-30s.

Forecasts

Wednesday in Thornton cools a bit, offers just a chance for a sprinkle of rain

A cold front passing to our north will serve up a bit of a change in our weather today. It won’t be particularly dramatic though, just some cooler temps, more clouds, and some breezy winds.

Partly sunny skies will be above throughout the day today. Winds will initially be calm then become breezy in the afternoon and into the evening. High temperatures will top out around the 60 degree mark. The afternoon brings a chance to see some rain, however, if any does fall, it isn’t expected to amount to much.

Tonight, winds will gradually ease and skies will begin to clear late tonight. Overnight lows will be in the low to mid-30s.

Forecasts

Sunny skies, temperatures a bit above normal for Thornton’s Tuesday

A fine spring day ahead for us. We will enjoy high temperatures at or a bit above normal for the date and lots of sun above.

Sunny skies start us off and will be with us until the evening. Overall conditions will be calm and dry. High temperatures will top out in the low 60s.

This evening, some clouds will arrive with partly cloudy skies above overnight. Lows will dip to the mid-30s.

Forecasts

Less wind, temperatures near normal start Thornton’s workweek

Our latest bout with wind has come to an end and we will see conditions improve today. Temps will be near normal and we will see a good bit of blue above.

Mostly sunny skies will be with us most of the day with a bit of an increase in cloud cover in the late afternoon and evening. Conditions will be dry with some slightly breezy winds from mid-afternoon until after dark. High temperatures will top out close to the average high for the date of 61 degrees.

Tonight, cloud cover will linger but conditions will be calm. Overnight lows will dip to around freezing.

Climatology, Thornton Weather

March 2024 weather recap: Temps near normal and an abundance of moisture

Thornton, Colorado's March 2024 Temperature Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado’s March 2024 Temperature Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)

The month of March started off pretty slow with little weather drama and dry conditions. That changed as we got close to the latter half of the month with precipitation in the form of rain and snow taking over.

Through the first 12 days of the month, we had only received 0.6 inches of snow. We had seen a few days of colder temperatures but generally, mercury readings were above average.

That changed on the 13th. A powerful storm system with an unusual setup arrived. We began with a healthy dose of rain in the evening and then, overnight, the change to snow occurred. Heavy, wet snow fell on the 14th throughout the day and into the evening. Schools and many businesses closed down for the day. Thornton saw 10.8 inches of snow and a whopping 1.73 inches of liquid precipitation.

We then strung together nine days of calm, dry conditions. On the 25th, snow returned although it wasn’t anything too dramatic. Thornton saw 4.4 inches of the white stuff. The month then closed out with temperatures not far from average.

Overall, Thornton saw a monthly average temperature of 42.4 degrees. This was just above our running 18 year average of 42.0 degrees for the month of March. Mercury readings ranged from a high of 71.8 degrees on the 2nd down to 16.8 degrees pm the 26th.

For the Mile High City, where Denver’s official records are taken, they saw an average of 41.4 degrees. That was just slightly cooler than their long term March average of 41.2 degrees.

Liquid precipitation was abundant for the month with Thornton seeing 2.32 inches, most of which came with the storm on the 13th and 14th. This was well above our March average of 1.30 inches.

Denver recorded 1.65 inches in their rain bucket. This too was well above their March average of 0.86 inches.

Snowfall was above average as well. Thornton saw 15.8 inches in March 2024. This easily bested our March average of 11.3 inches.

Our at the airport, Denver saw a mere 9.2 inches. This was a bit above the Mile High City’s long term average for March of 8.8 inches.

Click here to view Thornton’s complete March 2024 climate summary report.

Thornton, Colorado's March 2024 Precipitation Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado’s March 2024 Precipitation Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Forecasts

A weekend of windy weather on tap for Thornton

If there is one weather condition virtually everyone dislikes, it is wind. Given the conditions this weekend, there won’t be many folks happy.

We start out warm today with highs in the mid-70s under mostly sunny skies. However, winds will be picking up and become quite blustery in the afternoon. A Red Flag Warning will be in effect for much of the day into the evening due to elevated fire danger. Overnight tonight, after midnight, we may see a sprinkle of rain. Lows will be around 40 degrees.

Saturday and Saturday night is when the wind will be at its worst. A cold front moves in cooling us down and we do have a chance for some light precipitation with highs in the mid-40s. Winds will be ramping up throughout the day, peaking around midnight. Speeds could reach 50+ mph so be sure you have anything loose outside picked up. A High Wind Warning will be in effect. Saturday night lows will dip to the mid-30s.

Sunday we see some recovery but continued blustery conditions. Temperatures will warm to the mid-50s under partly clear skies. Winds to 30+ mph will be seen before finally easing after dark Sunday night.

We hope you have a great weekend despite the wind!

Forecasts

Mild temperatures, pleasant conditions for Thornton’s Thursday

A fine looking spring day ahead for us. We will enjoy lots of sun, calm conditions and very pleasant temperatures today.

Sunny skies start it off and will be with us through most of the day. Late afternoon will see a few clouds. Overall conditions will be calm and dry with light winds out of the south. High temperatures will be topping out in the mid-70s.

Tonight, cloud cover will increase and winds will be a bit breezy. Overnight lows will be in the low 40s.

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