Thornton goes from record high temps to heavy snow in a few short days

Denver saw a big change in the weather in a very short period of time.
Denver saw a big change in the weather in a very short period of time. Click the image for a slideshow of images from the snowstorm.

The weather in Colorado is famously variable and in a span of a few short days this was fully evident.  We went from record high temperatures to a winter-like snowstorm and back to sunny skies in four days.

On Monday, October24, Denver set a record high temperature of 80 degrees, besting the record high for the date of 79 degrees last set in 1999.  Thornton was just a touch cooler for the day with a high of 79 degrees.

Tuesday was a day of transition as we started with sunny skies but clouds rolled in during the afternoon and rain was falling by the evening.  As darkness descended and temperatures fell, the rain changed to snow and we started our first snowstorm of the season.

In the Denver metro area, snow totals ranged from a few inches to as many as 9 in the western and northwestern suburbs. Denver International Airport recorded 8.5 inches, more than double the 4.1 inch average for the month of October.  Here in Thornton, we lagged a bit with 6.6 inches of the white stuff.

Across Thornton and much of the Front Range, the heavy wet snow caused its share of problems.  Many trees had yet to lose their leaves and branches broke under the weight of the snow.  Power outages were seen across the region including many in Thornton.

The majority of Xcel Energy customers should have power restored tonight with some having to wait till tomorrow afternoon.  Click here for the Xcel Energy power outage map.

As the storm settled in, five participants at the sparsely occupied Occupy Denver protest suffered hypothermia according to organizers.  Denver Police continue to arrest those that defy the law against camping in Civic Center Park and adjacent areas.

Slideshow - Snowstorm covers Denver in blanket of white. (Examiner.com)While the storm moved out before nightfall Wednesday, it left clearing skies which led to bitterly cold temperatures.  Denver International Airport recorded an early morning low of 14 degrees, the coldest temperature the city has seen since March 5th. Here in Thornton we dropped to a low of 12.8 degrees.

The latest forecasts show we are in for a gradual warm up but one that will keep temperatures below normal through the weekend.  Beyond that, we may be getting our next shot of snow as soon as late in the day next Tuesday.

The video below was captured by our west facing webcam.  You can see as the snow builds the trees start sagging and struggle under the weight of the snow.

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