Tag Archives: snowstorm

Colorado Weather, National Weather, Thornton Weather

Winter storms take their toll – Snow covers 69% of the lower 48 states

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National snow cover map as of January 11, 2011.
Snow now covers nearly three quarters of the lower 48 states and 47 of the 48 have at least some snow. (NOAA)

For much of the lower 48 states of the United States the 2010 to 2011 winter season has been a rough one.  Blizzards and snowstorms have stretched into the Deep South and this morning data shows that nearly three quarters of the nation is covered in snow.

The latest analysis from NOAA’s National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center shows 69.4% of the lower 48 states covered in snow as of this morning.  This is a significant increase over the 33.1% cover seen in December and bests the previous snow season’s highest number.

Perhaps most interesting is that 47 of the lower 48 states and 49 of all 50 states including Hawaii have at least some snow with the only exception being Florida.  Even the Deep South reaching nearly to the Gulf of Mexico is covered in a blanket of white today after ice and snow pummeled the region yesterday.  Early this morning only five of the 48 did not have some sort of a winter weather warning or advisory in effect.

A snowstorm that started in the South before Christmas moved up the East Coast and left record-setting snow totals in its wake including in New York City.  The same storm that struck the South yesterday now has its sights set on the same area from the mid-Atlantic to New England. 

Continue reading Winter storms take their toll – Snow covers 69% of the lower 48 states →

Colorado Weather, Natural Disasters, Severe Weather, Thornton Weather, Weather History

Ranking the top 10 Colorado weather events of the past 10 years

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The March 2003 blizzard that buried Thornton in snow was ranked as the top weather event of the past 10 years. (ThorntonWeather.com)
The March 2003 blizzard that buried Thornton in snow was ranked as the top weather event of the past 10 years. (ThorntonWeather.com)

There is a lot that can be said about the weather in Colorado but ‘boring’ is not usually a term associated with it.  Anyone who has lived in the Centennial State for very long quickly experiences a weather-related event that will give them memories for a lifetime. 

From major snowstorms and blizzards to tornadoes, wildfires, scorching heat and damaging hail storms Colorado weather can and does bring it all to the table.  The Denver office of the National Weather Service has released a list of what local meteorologists rank as the top 10 weather events of the past 10 years.

For some it may be a blizzard that buried the Mile High City in a heavy blanket of snow and brought everything to a standstill.  Others will remember the heavy smoke from fires burning in the mountains destroying hundreds of thousands of acres.  The tragedy tornadoes bring to Colorado in terms of destruction and loss of life may be what others remember.

Over the past 10 years many memorable weather events have occurred that fully display the sheer variety of weather Colorado receives.  A team of meteorologists serving Colorado analyzed these events and ranked them based on meteorological intensity and their human and economic impact.

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National Weather, Thornton Weather

More than 45% of nation covered in snow while Thornton remains dry

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United States snow cover map as of December 23, 2010.
United States snow cover map as of December 23, 2010. Click for larger image.

Last year a pre-holiday snowstorm covered Thornton in a blanket of white ensuring we had a white Christmas. This year the color will be brown for the Front Range but a sizeable chunk of the United States will have snow on the ground for the holiday.

From North Dakota to Minnesota and Iowa, a major winter storm dumped nearly two feet of snow on the upper Midwest two weeks ago.  The sheer weight of the snow was enough to collapse the Metrodome in Minnesota and send the Minnesota Vikings scrambling to find someplace to play football.

A new storm in recent days has brought flooding rains to California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah while the higher elevations in those states plus western Colorado see extraordinary snowfall.  Over a five day period many areas were finding that even a yard stick isn’t tall enough to record the snow that has fallen.

Thursday brings a slight chance for some precipitation but there will little if any accumulation from it.  Those in Denver wanting a white Colorado Christmas will need to head for the hills. Some of the extraordinary snowfall totals recorded over the last few days include:

GOTHIC                               82.0
CRESTED BUTTE 6.2 N                  77.5
COAL BANK PASS                       48.0
RED MOUNTAIN PASS                    44.5
MOLAS PASS                           41.0
SILVERTHRONE 10 E                    32.0
DILLON 9 E                           29.0
BRECKENRIDGE 2 W                     28.0
WALDEN 16.3 WSW                      23.5
COPPER MOUNTAIN                      23.0
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS 1 SE               20.2
WOLF CREEK PASS 1 E                  18.0
VAIL 2.6 E                           14.4

For more on the nation’s snow situation, check out the story on the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Thornton Weather

Colorado mountains set to be slammed by major snowstorm

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A major winter storm will bring heavy snow to much of western Colorado.
A major winter storm will bring heavy snow to much of western Colorado. (NWS)

As travelers prepare to hit the road to visit friends and family for the Thanksgiving holiday, a major winter storm set to strike the Western Slope may cause problems.  Some areas will be measuring snow in terms of feet rather than the usual inches. 

A strong Pacific trough of low pressure will begin encroaching on western Colorado today followed by a cold front on Sunday.  These factors will combine to bring heavy snow to much of the western third of the state where Winter Storm Warnings have been posted.

The long-lasting storm will bring periods of heavy snow lasting from today through Wednesday.  The San Juans will bear the brunt through tomorrow followed by the Sawatch and Elk mountain ranges from Monday through Wednesday.  Areas farther north along the Rockies will also feel the effects. 

Here in Thornton and the Denver metro area things will be much calmer but also cooler, particularly on Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day.  High temperatures for those two days may not even reach the freezing mark.  At the current time it does appear we will remain dry so flying into and out of Denver International Airport (DIA) should not be a problem. 

Get the rest of the story on Examiner.com.Get more details including a look at current weather warnings for Colorado on the Denver Weather Examiner.

National Weather

NASA satellite time lapse video shows February blizzards striking the northeast

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As seen from space, snow covers the Mid-Atlantic from Washington D.C. through Baltimore and Philadelphia to New York City. (NASA) Watch the amazing time lapse video below.
As seen from space, snow covers the Mid-Atlantic from Washington D.C. through Baltimore and Philadelphia to New York City. (NASA) Watch the amazing time lapse video below.

The northeastern United States has seen a winter of historical proportions as a seemingly endless stream of storms brought record setting levels of snowfall. NASA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) captured a series of these storms as they struck in February.

The amazing time lapse video released by NASA covers the period from February 1st to February 16th. During that time, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C. all saw major winter snowstorms that ranked in each city’s ‘top 10’ and gave way to terms like ‘Snowmageddon’ and ‘Snowpocalypse.’

Baltimore recorded an astounding 24.8 inches from February 5th to the 6th and 19.5 inches from February 10th to the 11th. The nation’s capital received 17.8 inches of snow during the February 5th / 6th snowstorm. The City of Brotherly Love was similarly buried under 28.5 inches from February 5th to the 6th and 15.8 inches from February 10th to the 11th.

The February storms added to already hefty seasonal snowfall totals across the northeastern United States that actually got a start in December. Baltimore, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Atlantic City have all seen seasonal snowfall records.

In a statement accompanying the video which compressed 16 days into two minutes, NASA explains these “Nor’easters”. “The counter-clockwise circulation around a low pressure system on the Atlantic coast pushes moist sea air from the north-east into arctic air over the land. This windy mixture creates a very efficient snow-making machine from Boston to Washington,” the agency said.

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

ThorntonWeather.com webcams capture time lapse video of snowstorm

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March 24, 2010 - Early morning look as the snowstorm comes to an end.
March 24, 2010 - Early morning look as the snowstorm comes to an end.

Colorado was slammed with an early spring snowstorm on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 that left the Mile High City buried in a blanket of white. Widespread poweroutages were reported, the evening commute was a mess and residents worked to dig themselves out from the heavy, wet snow. 

Across the nation there are thousands of Personal Weather Stations (PWS) that are owned and operated by weather enthusiasts.  These stations provide valuable services to their communities and their data is oftentimes used by local news media and even the National Weather Service. 

You can find many of these stations on the Rocky Mountain Weather Network.

ThorntonWeather.com is proud to be one of these stations providing local weather to residents of the City of Thornton.  Our site has become extremely popular as we are the most comprehensive source for Thornton weather.

Our webcams followed the storm as it arrived in Thornton on Tuesday and below is a time lapse video from the east camera.  The day starts out relatively nice with temperatures in the 40’s but by late afternoon, the video shows conditions deteriorating rapidly.

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Snowstorm slams Thornton wreaking havoc along the way

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An image taken from ThorntonWeather.com's east camera at the height of the storm on Tuesday.
An image taken from ThorntonWeather.com's east camera at the height of the storm on Tuesday.

Update, 3:25pm: With many businesses and schools closed for the day, Thornton residents have spent the day digging out from a snowstorm that officially dumped 10 inches of snow in Denver. Areas to the west in the foothills and the south along the Palmer Divide had 18 inches or more while ThorntonWeather.com recorded 8.9 inches.  Click here to view the latest snowfall reports.

This latest snowfall puts Denver at 12.0 inches of snow for the month as measured at the official station at Denver International Airport. That is slightly above the March average of 11.7 inches. For the season, Denver has recorded 58.0 inches which is fast approaching the average of 61.7 inches.

As in the past, questions continue to dog the weather measurements at DIA however as they don’t reflect what most of the population of Denver actually sees. The accuracy of the measurements also is questionable as yesterday DIA recorded 0.61 inch of precipitation – far below what was likely received between the rain and snow melt.

Out at DIA, operations are slowly getting back to normal after scores of flights had been canceled due to the weather. At one point the FAA imposed a hold on arriving flights so the airport could catch up on departures. Many flights had been delayed while waiting for deicing and snow removal operations.

Xcel Energy continues to try to work to restore power to all of its customers after up to 36,000 lost electricity. The power company’s website still lists hundreds of outages affecting thousands of customers, including many in Thornton.

As always, stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com for truly local weather for Thornton. 

You can also signup to receive the latest weather alerts and forecasts via email here.

Continue reading Snowstorm slams Thornton wreaking havoc along the way →

Thornton Weather

Here we snow again – Winter Storm Warning issued for Thornton

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Current weather warnings for northern Colorado. A Winter Storm Warning will go into effect for the Front Range including Thornton at 3:00pm Tuesday afternoon. (NWS)
Current weather warnings for northern Colorado. A Winter Storm Warning will go into effect for the Front Range including Thornton at 3:00pm Tuesday afternoon. (NWS)

Update, 7:10pm:  Thornton is in full winter storm mode now.  Wet, heavy snowfall is being seen across the Front Range and it is far from over.  Many areas are reporting more than 5 inches of snowfall so far with some as high as nine inches.  Here at ThorntonWeather.com we are up to 5.2 inches and counting!

Thundersnow was reported at the outset of the storm and Parker Examiner Melody Jones reports it is continuing in her area.  It is a phenomena that many folks may not be familiar with but not all that unusal. 

The snow is falling at rates up to 3 inches per hour and has covered many roads, particularly those in the northern, western and eastern parts of the city.  Strong winds are driving the snow creating some drifting and limiting visibility. 

Forecast total snow amounts have increased to the 8 to 16 inch range for the Denver metropolitan area.  The foothills and Palmer Divide could see amounts approaching 2 feet. 

Heavy snowfall will continue through the night and hazardous conditions will persist.  All residents should avoid travel if at all possible.  If you must go out, be sure to carry emergency supplies with you.

At Denver International Airport is reporting significant delays with some arriving and departing flights however airlines currently are not reporting any widespread cancellations.  Air travelers should check with their airlines before going to DIA.

As always, stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com for truly local weather for Thornton. 

You can also signup to receive the latest weather alerts and forecasts via email here.

Continue reading Here we snow again – Winter Storm Warning issued for Thornton →

Thornton Weather

After one last shot from Old Man Winter, Thornton clears up

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Thornton's weather forecast for Saturday, March 20, 2010
Sunny skies return to Thornton but temperatures remain cool.

Old Man Winter didn’t go down without a fight yesterday as he closed out Thornton’s last day of winter with a snowstorm. Today we look to start to bounce back on the first day of spring although temperatures will remain chilly.

Yesterday’s snowstorm dumped anywhere from 5 inches of snow on the eastern suburbs to well over a foot in the foothills (click here for the snowfall reports). Here at ThorntonWeather.com we recorded 5.2 inches.  March is Denver’s snowiest month with an average of 11.7 inches.  There may be more to come!

Roadways at lower elevations were mostly wet while in the high country, accidents forced the closure of some highways and chain laws were in effect. Get the latest Colorado & Denver road report here.

Today we will start out the weekend with lingering cold temperatures although we will see the return of some sun. Highs will be in the mid-30’s under mostly sunny skies as the storm system moves toward the east.

Sunday we continue to bounce back and will start to make short work of melting that fresh snow. Sunny skies will be overhead and high temperatures will be in the low to mid-50’s.

As we enter the next workweek, high pressure over the region continues the warming trend. Highs on Monday will be in the low to mid-60’s with mostly sunny skies.

Tuesday and into Wednesday another storm system has the potential to impact the Front Range although right now it isn’t looking to be as significant we the one yesterday. Tuesday’s temperatures should reach the mid-50’s but there will be a slight chance for rain showers. Overnight Tuesday and lasting into Wednesday there is a chance we could see some snow again.

The latter part of the week we will be a bit cooler than normal but still should have pretty nice days on tap for Thursday and Friday.

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Winter storm arrives in Colorado; Heavy snow expected in Thornton

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Weather warnings in effect as of Friday morning. (NWS)
Weather warnings in effect as of Friday morning. (NWS)

Update, 3:50pm: The snow keeps flying and the wind keeps blowing! Just about the time you think the snow is going to ease up Old Man Winter lets it fly yet again.

How cold and wet is it?  It is cold and wet enough to have frozen our anemometer (wind sensor).  So if you are wondering why we aren’t registering any wind, you know why!  🙂 

Snow continues to fall across much of the Front Range but it is heaviest in and near the foothills. A quick sampling of storm reports shows Thornton has recorded 4.5 inches, Arvada 6.0 inches and Boulder 9.4 inches. Click here for the complete listing of snowfall reports.

We are looking for the snow to gradually decrease from north to south. However, until it does this evening we will see periods of moderate to heavy snowfall. Total accumulations by the time the storm ends around midnight will range from a few inches out by DIA to 5 to 10 inches closer to town and 7 to 14 inches near the foothills.

The winds are picking up a bit this afternoon as well and that is creating blowing and drifting snow. Visibility may be limited on the roadways so please use caution. Most main roadways continue to be everything from wet to slushy but periods of heavy snow coupled with wind may cause conditions to deteriorate.

The Winter Storm Warning will continue to be in effect until midnight tonight.  Remember that a Winter Storm Warning means hazardous winter weather conditions are imminent or highly likely. Significant snow accumulations are occurring or expected. This will make travel very hazardous.

As always, stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com for truly local weather for Thornton. 

You can also signup to receive the latest weather alerts and forecasts via email here.

Continue reading Winter storm arrives in Colorado; Heavy snow expected in Thornton →