Generally pleasant, unseasonably warm temperatures were the highlight of October 2014 in Thornton. The month was also notable for its distinct lack of snow.
We started out the first few days of the month with cooler than normal conditions and a good shot of rain on the first. We rebounded quickly though as high pressure built and warmer weather returned including an 80 degree temperature reading on the 6th. Four out of five days between the 9th and 13th were cooler than normal but then warmer temperatures dominated through to the 26th of the month. The final days saw cooler conditions for the most part.
Overall, Thornton’s average temperature for the month was 52.7 degrees. This was a good ways above the Denver long term average for October of 50.9 degrees.
Out at the airport, Denver’s official average was even warmer at 55.2 degrees. This was close to making the top 10 list of warmest Octobers as number 10 is 55.4 degrees (1910).
Thornton’s warmest reading was 81 degrees on the 24th and its coldest was a chilly 27.1 degrees on the morning of the 28th. Denver saw its warmest reading of 83 degrees on the 15th and its coldest of 29 degrees on the 27th.
Denver set or tied four temperature records during the month. A new record high maximum was set for the 15th (83 degrees) and 24th (82 degrees). The record high for the 25th was tied (80 degrees) and the record high minimum for the 26th was tied (49 degrees).
In terms of precipitation, Thornton saw above average rainfall in its bucket while Denver was below. In all, 1.43” fell in Thornton although the vast majority of that was on two days (the 1st and 9th). Denver International Airport recorded only 0.52 inches. Denver’s average for October is 1.02 inches.
Neither Thornton nor Denver recorded any snowfall during the month. On average the Mile High City sees 4.0 inches of the white stuff.
Click here to view Thornton’s October 2014 climate report.
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
804 AM MDT SAT NOV 1 2014
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2014...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2014
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 90 10/01/1892
LOW -2 10/29/1917
HIGHEST 83 10/15 83 0 79 10/08
LOWEST 29 10/27 22 7 27 10/16
10/05
AVG. MAXIMUM 69.7 65.3 4.4 60.0
AVG. MINIMUM 40.7 36.6 4.1 35.5
MEAN 55.2 50.9 4.3 47.7
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.4 -0.4 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 4 8.5 -4.5 12
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.17 1969
MINIMUM T 1934
TOTALS 0.52 1.02 -0.50 0.72
DAILY AVG. 0.02 0.03 -0.01 0.02
DAYS >= .01 5 5.3 -0.3 8
DAYS >= .10 2 2.4 -0.4 3
DAYS >= .50 0 0.5 -0.5 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.1 -0.1 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.26 10/09 TO 10/10 10/18 TO 10/18
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 31.2 1969
TOTALS 0.0 4.0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 296 440 -144 525
SINCE 7/1 394 581 -187 608
COOLING TOTAL 0 5 -5 0
SINCE 1/1 701 769 -68 999
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/03 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.....................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.1
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/197
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 35/020 DATE 10/02
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 44/010 DATE 10/02
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 11
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 17
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 3
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 49
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 1
LIGHT RAIN 8 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 4 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0
HAZE 8
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
.....OCTOBER 2014 WARMER AND DRIER THAN AVERAGE.....
OCTOBER 2014 STARTED OUT COOLER THAN NORMAL AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH
OF LOW PRESSURE MOVED ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN
STATES. THIS SYSTEM BROUGHT SOME LIGHT RAIN TO DENVER ON THE FIRST.
WARMER TEMPERATURES MOVED INTO NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN
COLORADO BY THE 5TH AS UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE BUILT OVER THE
WESTERN UNITED STATES. COOLER TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION MOVED
INTO THE FRONT RANGE OF COLORADO ON THE 9TH AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVED ACROSS THE REGION. UPPER
LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE REBUILT OVER THE REGION ON THE 14TH...WITH A 13
DAY STRETCH OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT FROM THE 14TH THROUGH THE 26TH. THE TEMPERATURE REACHED OR
EXCEEDED THE 80 DEGREE MARK ON ON THE 15TH, 24TH AND 25TH. ANOTHER
UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT BROUGHT COOLER TEMPERATURES
TO NORTHEASTERN COLORADO ON THE 27TH AND 28TH...WITH TEMPERATURES
RETURNING TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL VALUES THE LAST FEW DAYS OF THE
MONTH.
TEMPERATURES:
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR THE
MONTH OF OCTOBER WAS 55.2 DEGREES F WHICH WAS 4.3 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL. OCTOBER OF 1950 WAS THE WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD...WITH AN
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 59.9 DEGREES F. THE COLDEST OCTOBER ON
RECORD WAS 39.0 DEGREES F BACK IN 1969. THERE WERE NO DAYS IN WHICH
THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE EXCEEDED 90 DEGREES. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE
OF THE MONTH WAS 83 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 15TH. THE COLDEST
TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH WAS 29 DEGREES OCCURRED ON THE MORNING OF
THE 27TH.
DAILY RECORDS:
DATE TEMPERATURE TYPE OF RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR LAST SET
OCT 15TH 83 DEGREES RECORD HIGH MAX 82 DEGREES 2011
OCT 24TH 82 DEGREES RECORD HIGH MAX 80 DEGREES 2011
OCT 25TH 80 DEGREES TIED HIGH MAX 80 DEGREES 2007
OCT 26TH 49 DEGREES TIED HIGH MIN 49 DEGREES 1927
PRECIPITATION:
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT WAS 0.52 INCHES...WHICH IS 0.50 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF
1.02 INCHES. THERE WERE 4 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION. ON THE
9TH...0.25 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH IS THE GREATEST DAILY
AMOUNT FOR THE MONTH.
TEN WETTEST OCTOBER`S IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY SINCE 1872:
4.17 INCHES 1969
3.92 INCHES 1892
3.72 INCHES 1942
3.50 INCHES 1923
3.47 INCHES 1984
3.05 INCHES 1914
3.03 INCHES 2007
2.84 INCHES 1947
2.62 INCHES 1957
2.46 INCHES 1959, 1960
TEN DRIEST OCTOBER`S IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY SINCE 1872:
T INCHES 1934
0.01 INCHES 1933
0.05 INCHES 1944, 1962
0.06 INCHES 1948, 1954, 1988
0.08 INCHES 2001, 2003
0.10 INCHES 1980
0.12 INCHES 1876, 1938, 1950
0.17 INCHES 1907
0.18 INCHES 1952, 1964
0.19 INCHES 1879, 1894, 1927
TEN SNOWIEST OCTOBER`S IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY SINCE 1872:
31.2 INCHES 1969
22.7 INCHES 1906
22.1 INCHES 1997
17.8 INCHES 1923
17.2 INCHES 2009
16.4 INCHES 1897
16.2 INCHES 1929
14.0 INCHES 1889
13.8 INCHES 1905
13.6 INCHES 1908
THERE WERE 3 DAYS IN WHICH THUNDER WAS OBSERVED AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...NO DAYS WITH HAIL AND NO DAYS WITH DENSE FOG
WITH A VISIBILITY AT OR BELOW 1/4 MILE DURING THE MONTH. A PEAK WIND
OF 44 MPH FROM A NORTHERLY DIRECTION WAS RECORDED ON THE 2ND.