A beautiful sunrise starts the day on November 3, 2020. (Bill Hutchinson)

Typically November is a quiet weather month with plenty of nice, fall days but it can also turn wet with healthy doses of snow and moisture.  The wide variety of conditions can create picturesque scenes ranging from blue skies and snow-capped mountains to a wintry wonderland in the metro area.

November is the second snowiest month of the year so winter conditions are not unusual.  Typically though, these bouts of cold are short-lived and normal daytime conditions are pleasant.

Outdoor activities continue to be quite popular during the month.  The cooling temperatures do oftentimes lead to an increase in wildlife activity.

All of the above help lead to a month in which a wide variety of scenes, flora and fauna can be captured.

• Slideshow updated November 29, 2020
• 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.

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.

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As always, our look back at Denver’s weather history books is very eventful.  As we start to get closer to winter, we begin to see many more multi-day snow events that are notable and this week’s look is no different.  We see many major snow events and also of note are the damaging high wind events.

From the National Weather Service:

25-29

In 1985…dense fog with visibilities as low as 1/8 mile occurred on five consecutive days at Stapleton International Airport.  The fog was at times accompanied by light snow… Light freezing drizzle…or ice crystals.  Fog occurred all day on both the 26th and 29th.
28-29 in 1908…heavy snowfall overnight and for most of the day on the 29th totaled 12.5 inches.  Precipitation was 1.09 inches.  Northwest winds were sustained to 26 mph on the 29th.

In 1928…a major storm dumped 15.5 inches of snowfall on downtown Denver.  North winds were sustained to 18 mph with gusts to 19 mph on the 28th.

In 1992…an upper level storm system moved across metro Denver…but left only a dusting of snow.  Snowfall totaled only 1.6 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 25 mph.  Other snow amounts included: 8 inches at Conifer…6 inches at Lake Eldora…3 inches at Rollinsville and in southeast Denver.

In 1997…a storm system tracking across northern New Mexico produced strong north to northeast upslope flow against the eastern slopes of the Front Range and Palmer Ridge. Snowfall totals in Jefferson County included:  14 inches near Deckers; 12 inches at Castle Rock and Sedalia; 10 inches near Conifer…11 miles southwest of Morrison…and at Buffalo Creek.  Elsewhere…snow accumulations were less. Snowfall totaled only 0.7 inch at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport on the 27th and 28th.

In 2004…heavy snow fell in the foothills and across metro Denver.  In the foothills…snowfall totals included:  13 inches at Roxborough State Park and Eldorado Springs… 11.5 inches near Conifer…11.0 inches near Nederland…and 10 inches near Indian Hills.  Across metro Denver snowfall totaled 14 inches near Sedalia…9 inches near Louisville… 8 inches at Ralston Reservoir…and 5.1 inches in the Stapleton area of Denver.  Northeast winds gusted to 28 mph at Denver International Airport on the 28th.

In 2006…a slow moving storm system brought heavy snow to the mountains and to the eastern foothills where snowfall ranged from 8 to 18 inches.  Some of the more impressive snow totals included:  18 inches at Genesee…17.5 inches near Boulder…17 inches at aspen springs…16.5 inches 10 miles northwest of Golden…15 inches at Eldorado Springs… 14.5 inches in Idaho Springs and near Jamestown…12 inches in grant and near Indian Hills…11.5 inches near Blackhawk… 11 inches at gross reservoir and Eldora…and 10.5 inches in Conifer.  Across metro Denver…storm total snowfall generally ranged from 5 to 9 inches with the heaviest amounts near the foothills in Boulder and Jefferson counties.  The most impressive totals included:  15.5 inches at Ken Caryl…12 inches in Boulder…7.5 inches near Morrison…and 7 inches near both Chatfield and Ralston reservoirs.  Snowfall totaled only 4.2 inches in the Denver Stapleton area.  Northeast winds gusted to 31 mph at Denver International Airport on the 28th.

28-30

In 1991…a winter storm dumped heavy snow in the foothills and near the Palmer Divide with 10 inches recorded at Conifer and Golden Gate Canyon…12 inches in Morrison… 6 inches at Castle Rock and Parker.  Only 3.4 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusting to 35 mph on the 29th…produced some blowing snow.  Some light freezing drizzle also fell on the 28th and 29th.

29

In 1877…the all-time lowest recorded minimum temperature in the month of November…18 degrees below zero…occurred. The high temperature for the day was 16 degrees.

In 1899…northwest winds were sustained to 51 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph.  The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a maximum of 74 degrees…a record high for the date and the warmest of the month that year.  The minimum temperature was only 39 degrees.

In 1927…post-frontal rain changed to snow and totaled 5.8 inches over downtown Denver.  Northeast winds were sustained to 22 mph.

In 1977…85 mph winds were reported at Wondervu in the foothills southwest of Boulder.  Northwest winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1980 strong Chinook winds reached 85 mph in Boulder… Blowing traffic signals and street lights down.  Some windows were shattered by the wind.  West winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1994…high winds blew across the Front Range eastern foothills.  Wind gusts to 92 mph occurred atop squaw mountain…5 miles south of Idaho Springs…and to 82 mph on fritz peak near Rollinsville in the foothills southwest of Boulder.  A wind gust to 75 mph was recorded at Jefferson County airport near Broomfield.  Northwest winds gusted to only 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport. No damage was reported.

29-30

In 2008…a storm system produced locally heavy bands of snow across Douglas…Elbert and eastern Jefferson counties. Northerly winds gusting to 50 mph caused snow drifts to pile up to 2 feet in depth.  Storm totals included:  12 inches just southwest of Kassler…11.5 inches…6.5 miles southwest of Castle Rock; 11 inches…8.4 miles southeast of Aurora and 9 miles west of Littleton; 10 inches at Louviers… 8 inches…2 miles west-southwest of Highlands Ranch and 5 miles south-southeast of Sedalia…and 7.5 inches…14 miles west-southwest of Agate and at Castle Pines.  At Denver International Airport…2 inches of snow was observed. North winds gusted to 46 mph on the 30th.

30

In 1899…west winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts as high as 48 mph.

In 1903…west winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 54 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 57 degrees.

In 1981…strong winds blasted the foothills.  In Wondervu… Winds were clocked to 81 mph with many other locations in the foothills reporting over 60 mph.  Northwest winds gusted to 28 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1986…the worst snow storm of the season dumped from 5.0 inches of snow at Stapleton International Airport to 14 inches over the higher southwestern suburbs.  On the Sunday after thanksgiving…one of the busiest travel days of the year at Stapleton International Airport…two of the four runways were closed and flights were delayed up to four hours.  Near-blizzard conditions prevailed on the plains east of Denver…closing both I-70 and I-76 for a time. North wind gusts to 36 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 2000…strong winds raked metro Denver.  In Thornton…a construction worker was critically injured when the scaffolding on which he was standing collapsed…throwing him 25 feet to the ground.  West winds gusted to 54 mph at Denver International Airport.

30-1

In 1929…heavy snow blanketed the city.  Snowfall totaled 9.8 inches downtown.  North winds were sustained to 32 mph with gusts to 37 mph on the 30th.

In 1970…high winds blasted Boulder and the eastern plains. In Boulder…a wind gust to 112 mph was recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research with a gust to 96 mph at the national bureau of standards.  In downtown Boulder…wind gusts reached 76 mph.  At Stapleton International Airport…winds gusted to 47 mph.  The high winds caused widespread light to moderate property damage across most of metro Denver.  Roofs…signs…trees…power lines…and other property were damaged.  Blowing dust reduced visibility to near zero over most of eastern Colorado.  Several mobile homes…campers…and semi- trailers were blown off the highways north of Denver.

In 1985…an intrusion of cold arctic air into metro Denver resulted in setting 3 temperature records.  The temperature climbed to only 17 degrees on the 30th…setting a record low maximum for the date.  On the 1st…the temperature plunged to 6 degrees below zero…setting a record low for the date… And warmed to only 7 degrees…setting a record low maximum for the date.

30-2

In 1975…very strong Chinook winds up to 100 mph caused damage to homes…aircraft…aircraft hangars…mobile homes… Cars…and power lines along the eastern foothills.  Strong northwest winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton International Airport on both the 30th and the 1st.

» Click here to read the rest of November 29 to December 5: This week in Denver weather history

While the four day period will mostly be on the chilly side, it will be overall pleasant.

Thanksgiving Day will be the coolest day with highs in the low 40s. The day will start sunny but end with some cloud cover.

Black Friday will see a few degrees warmer temps under sunny to mostly sunny skies.

Saturday offers up the warmest readings of the holiday weekend with temps reaching the mid-50s under sunny skies.

We cool back down Sunday with highs in the mid to upper 40s.

I wish you and yours a wonderful – and safe – holiday.

In the wake of our recent snow storm, we bounce right back in typical Colorado fashion. Today will offer plenty of sun and temperatures returning to near normal.

Sunny skies will be with us this morning then the afternoon brings a few clouds but nothing intrusive. Overall conditions will be calm and dry. Highs today should top out near the 50 degree mark however given the fresh snow cover, it wouldn’t be surprising to fall short.

Tonight, skies will be mostly clear with overnight lows in the mid-20s.

We’ll have a complete Thanksgiving weekend forecast later today but, as a preview, you can expect generally cooler temperatures but dry conditions.

Mother Nature delivering a bit of a wallop this morning, a stronger one than anticipated. The heavy, wet snow will continue until mid-morning making for a rough commute but then the sun will return.

Cloudy skies will be above until about 10:00am and then they will start to break with mostly sunny skies for the afternoon. The snow will continue until mid-morning, adding to our 2.3 inch total we measured at 4:00am. Total accumulations should end up in the 3 to 5 inch range.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until noon as the snow has quickly covered roads creating hazardous driving conditions. Allow plenty of time for your morning commute. Highs today will top out near the 40 degree mark.

Tonight, skies will be clear and overnight lows will drop to the low 20s.

All the latest on our Winter Weather Briefing Page here.

A short workweek as we head into Thanksgiving and the weather will be seeing some ups and downs. Today will be the warmest day of the week but tonight a weak system will have the potential to bring rain and snow.

Mostly sunny skies will be above today with light winds out of the west. Highs will top out in the mid to upper 50s, a good bit above the average high for the date of 49 degrees. Clouds will be increasing by sunset, becoming cloudy after midnight.

We may see some light rain this evening after 5:00pm. Precipitation should change to snow in the early morning hours tomorrow. Overnight lows will drop to around 30 degrees.

The coming system isn’t particularly well organized and models are not in agreement on its track and impact. There is the potential for us to see an inch or two of the white stuff from about 2:00am to 11:00am tomorrow.

This time period in November has been exceedingly eventful throughout Denver weather history.  Notable as usual are big wind events that have caused damage and injuries.  Snow of course is also quite present, including the Thanksgiving blizzard of 1983 which dumped an astounding 21.5 inches of snow on the Mile High City.

From the National Weather Service:

21-22

In 1905…a trace of snow fell on both days in downtown Denver.  This was the only snow of the month…ranking the month along with other Novembers…the 2nd least snowiest on record.

In 1999…the first significant snowfall of the season struck metro Denver.  Snowfall totals included:  16 inches near bailey; 13 inches near evergreen; 12 inches at north turkey creek…Genesee…near Morrison…and near Sedalia; 11 inches near Conifer and in evergreen; 10 inches in Louisville; 9 inches in Brighton…Broomfield…and Denver; and 8 inches at Arvada…Castle Rock…and Eldorado Springs.  Snowfall totaled 8.4 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

In 2003…heavy snow fell in and near the foothills of Boulder County.  Snowfall totaled 10.5 inches in Eldorado Springs. Across the city…snowfall was lighter with 2.8 inches measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport on the 22nd.  North winds gusted to 32 mph at Denver International Airport on the 22nd.

21-23

In 1918…post-frontal snowfall totaled 5.9 inches in downtown Denver.  Most of the snow…5.3 inches…fell on the 22nd. North winds were sustained to 20 mph on the 21st.

In 1931…a major storm dumped a total of 13.2 inches of snowfall over downtown Denver.  Most of the snow…11.4 inches…fell on the 21st.  A very cold air mass settled over the city after the heavy snow on the 21st.  After a low temperature of zero…the temperature climbed to a high of only 5 degrees on the 22nd…a record low maximum for the date.

21-25

In 1952…snowfall of 6.2 inches was measured at Stapleton Airport where northeast winds gusted to 17 mph on the 21st.

22

In 1977…101 mph winds were measured in southwest Boulder. The side of a garage was blown down.  West winds gusted to only 33 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1981…high winds occurred in the foothills.  A peak gust to 75 mph was reported at Wondervu.  West winds gusted to 23 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1988…a wind gust to 88 mph was measured at Rollinsville.

In 1990…strong west to northwest winds…on the coat tails of a mountain snow storm the day before…lashed out at portions of the eastern foothills with 60 to 95 mph wind gusts.  The strong winds spread over all of metro Denver. A west wind gust to 49 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

22-23

In 1953…strong winds raked Boulder causing 18 thousand dollars in damage.  Wind gusts to 80 mph were recorded at Valmont and estimated to 80 mph at the Boulder airport.

23

In 1899…a trace of snow fell in the city.  This…together with a trace of precipitation on the 16th and 21st…was the only precipitation of the month…making the month the driest on record.  The record was equaled in November of 1901 and 1949.  This trace of snow along with a trace of snow on the 21st was the only snow of the month…ranking the month the 2nd least snowiest on record.  This record was equaled in November of 1884…1901…1905…1917…and 1939.

In 1901…northwest winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 53 mph.  The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 70 degrees.

In 1910…west winds were sustained to 42 mph.  The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 67 degrees.

In 1959…west-northwest winds gusted to 56 mph…briefly reducing the visibility to 3 miles in blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.

In 1998…winds…estimated as high as 58 mph…caused several wood trusses installed in a police station under construction in Castle Rock to collapse.  A construction worker on the roof received minor injuries when he was struck by one of the trusses.  Southeast winds gusted to 38 mph at Denver International Airport.

23-24

In 1992…a pre-Thanksgiving blizzard belted metro Denver. Gusty north to northeast winds at 30 to 40 mph caused near-whiteout conditions as visibilities were often below 1/4 mile.  The strong winds drove snow into drifts of more than 4 feet.  Hundreds of holiday travelers were stranded when airlines canceled flights at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall totaled 7.6 inches and north winds gusted to 37 mph.  Blizzard conditions began around mid- morning on the 23rd and ended by mid-afternoon…but heavy snow fell through the night.  Snowfall totaled:  12 inches at Conifer…Morrison…and Wheat Ridge; 19 inches at Littleton; 16 inches at Castle Rock; 9 inches in Brighton; 8 inches in Aurora; and 6 inches in Parker.

In 1993…a moist upper level disturbance dumped heavy snow over most of Colorado.  Snowfall amounts averaged 5 to 8 inches across metro Denver.  Snowfall totaled 4.6 inches at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to only 20 mph on the 23rd.  The very cold air mass caused the temperature to dip to a record low of 8 degrees below zero on the 24th.  The temperature that day climbed to only 9 degrees…also setting a record low maximum for the date.

24

In 1915…Chinook winds from the southwest sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 46 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 61 degrees.  It was windy most of the day.

In 1949…the low temperature dipped to 56 degrees…the all-time record highest minimum temperature ever recorded during the month of November.

In 1960…violent wind gusts caused some damage in Boulder. West winds gusted to only 22 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1980…a snow storm brought 3 to 6 inches of snow across metro Denver.  At Stapleton International Airport…only 2.1 inches of snow fell.

In 1989…high winds were recorded in Boulder with a gust to 64 mph.  West winds gusted to only 24 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

» Click here to read the rest of November 22 to November 28: This week in Denver weather history

A series of weak disturbances will be moving through beginning today bringing a bit of a change from our recent weather. Cooler temperatures will be the main feature and, unfortunately, no precipitation is expected.

The first disturbance moves through Friday. Increased moisture aloft will bring a good bit of cloud cover but we will remain dry. Highs will top out around the 50 degree mark. Tonight, mostly cloudy skies will be above with overnight lows dropping to the upper 20s.

Saturday starts out with a good bit of cloud cover but that will ease as the day progresses. Highs will once again be near 50 degrees with calm conditions. Saturday night into Sunday morning, mostly clear skies will be above with overnight lows in the mid-20s.

We close out the weekend on Sunday with sunny skies and calm conditions. Highs will again be near 50 degrees.

Have a great weekend!

A little bit of a cool down today as a result of a system passing to our north. Its impact will be limited though and mercury readings will continue to be well above normal.

Sunny to mostly sunny skies are going to above throughout the day. Winds will be relatively light, conditions dry. Highs will top out in the mid-60s, well above the average high of 50 degrees for the date.

Tonight, lows will dip to near freezing under partly clear skies.

Looking ahead, the cooling trend will continue and we have just a slight chance for some precipitation Saturday. Check out the extended forecast for details.

Thornton will enjoy another day with temperatures well above normal. There will, however, be some cloud cover limiting the enjoyment of the mild temps.

Mostly cloudy skies start off the day and will be with us throughout as a result of a passing system. Winds will be a bit breezy, particularly around mid-day. High temperatures will top out near the 70 degree mark.

Tonight, skies will remain mostly cloudy until the pre-dawn hours tomorrow. Overnight lows will be in the low 40s.