Tag Archives: Satellite Imagery

Site News, Thornton Weather

ThorntonWeather.com enhances radar system and satellite imagery

Leave a comment
ThorntonWeather.com's new satellite imagery allows a close in, bird's eye view of the weather.
ThorntonWeather.com's new satellite imagery allows a close in, bird's eye view of the weather.

For more than four years ThorntonWeather.com has been the one and only source for truly local weather for Thornton, Colorado.  We are continually improving the site to provide more information and now we have greatly enhanced two of our most popular features.

First up and arguably the most exciting is the satellite imagery.  Using imagery provided by NOAA you begin by selecting a region – northeastern Colorado for a look close to home or perhaps a look at the entire United States.  Once you go there, you are given an animated display powered by Adobe Flash. 

Best of all with the new satellite system is a series of overlays that you can select using the boxes above the satellite image.  You can add the county outlines, major highways, and even weather conditions (the selections vary depending on the region).  For each region you can also select an enhancement.  These different color palettes are useful for spotting wildfires, the most significant areas of a storm and more.

You can access the satellite imagery by going to Radar & Maps on the menu on the left then select “Satellite Imagery.”

Last but not least is a revamped radar display system.  The radar is now fully animated like the new satellite which gives you much greater control.  You can speed up the animation, slow it down and pause the display, all of which are useful to seeing where the weather is headed.  You can even zoom in on a spot on the display. 

ThorntonWeather.com Super Doppler RadarTo access the radar go to Radar & Maps on the menu on the left and select “TW Super Doppler Radar.”

These are but two of a number of features added in recent months.  Be sure to check out our website change log for all the details.  For all the latest you can also follow us on Twitter and join us on Facebook.

Take a look and if you have any comments, questions or ideas for future enhancements to the site leave them below or contact us.

Colorado Weather, National Weather

NASA satellites capture images of snow across the U.S.

Leave a comment
Snow cover across Colorado as imaged by NASA satellites on January 12, 2011. View a larger image below and images of snow elsewhere in the nation.
Snow cover across Colorado as imaged by NASA satellites on January 12, 2011. View a larger image below and images of snow elsewhere in the nation.

Snow cover across the lower 48 states jumped to more than 70% in recent days as a number of snowstorms dumped a blanket of white.  NASA satellites took some extraordinary images of not only Colorado but also the South and the northeastern U.S.

Here in Colorado our recent storm brought nearly 6 inches of snow to Thornton and deposited a pretty solid layer across most of the state.  Warm weather today and in the coming days will make short work of it though, particularly on the eastern half of the state.

In the southern U.S., a powerful winter storm on Monday brought rare snow to states along the Gulf of Mexico.  For a region accustomed to more mild conditions the storm presented a major challenge for residents.

Little Rock, Arkansas reported 5.6 inches of snow, Atlanta 3.0 inches and 7.0 inches fell on Tupelo, Mississippi, Asheville, North Carolina and New Boston, Texas.  Adding to the problems was ice which coated some places up to an inch and a half thick.

The same storm system that wreaked havoc in the south moved to the northeast and brought snow from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.  The region was buried by a major snowstorm right after Christmas and while this storm wasn’t near as bad, it added to the misery. 

The images below were taken yesterday by NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites and are impressive testaments to the powerful winter weather.  For more on all of these storm systems, be sure to visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Continue reading NASA satellites capture images of snow across the U.S. →

Colorado Weather, National Weather

Snow across western United States imaged by NASA satellite

Leave a comment

Widespread snow from the Sierra Nevada to the Colorado Rockies snarled travel leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday.  As the holiday weekend wraps up, NASA has released satellite imagery showing just thousands of square miles coated in a blanket of white.

Read more below the image.

NASA's Terra satellite captured stunning imagery of the pre-Thanksgiving snow across the western United States.
NASA's Terra satellite captured stunning imagery of the pre-Thanksgiving snow across the western United States.

The winter weather conditions delayed flights and forced road closures starting last weekend and lasting up to Thanksgiving.  Some of the snow totals from Saturday the 20th through Saturday the 27th include:

  • Salt Lake City, Utah – 9.9 inches
  • Pocatello, Idaho – 9.0 inches
  • Boise, Idaho -5.0 inches
  • Elko, Nevada – 8.4 inches
  • Yakima, Washington – 6.2 inches
  • Missoula, Montana – 8.4 inches

Much higher amounts were recorded in the higher elevations making for very happy ski resorts and skiers.  Alpine Meadows near Lake Tahoe reported 8.5 feet of snow at mid-mountain.  In Wyoming, Jackson Hole opened all of its runs on its opening day, the first time it has been able to do so in 45 years.

In western Colorado ski areas were very happy to receive the snow leading up to the busy holiday season with Steamboat having its best opening in 10 years. Loveland Ski Area reported nearly 3 feet of snow depth at mid-mountain. 

The image released by NASA and taken by its Terra satellite show a wide swath of snow cover from Oregon across Nevada, Idaho and Utah to Colorado. Click on the image to the above left to view the full size, high resolution image.

From NASA:

In most of the western part of the United States, Thanksgiving Day came with a coating of snow. Ski resorts from California’s Lake Tahoe region to the Colorado Rockies reported several feet of snow from a storm system that passed through in the days before, bringing a welcome early opening to the ski season. Travelers throughout the West, however, did not share skiers’ enthusiasm for the weather. Winter weather advisories were causing flight delays and cancellations throughout the northwestern-most states. The same storm system that brought as six inches of snow to Utah and Idaho on November 23 also brought heavy snow to North Dakota and Minnesota the next day. Severe wind chill conditions were reported throughout the Great Plains on November 25 as well.

This image shows a portion of the western U.S. on November 25, 2010 (Thanksgiving Day). It was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. White snow decorates the ground from California’s Sierra range eastward throughout Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, ending at the front range of the Rockies in Colorado. Further north along the top edge of the image, the snow runs solidly from Oregon to Idaho and Wyoming off the northern and eastern edges of the image.