Fireworks are illegal in Thornton and with the tinder dry conditions this year, fire danger is extraordinarily high. Please leave the show to the pros!
Fireworks have long been illegal in the City of Thornton and in recent years stiff fines have been meted out to violators. Like last year, conditions are tinder dry and as such it is especially important that residents adhere to the law and leave the show to the pros.
Wildfires are burning across Colorado right now with tens of thousands of acres charred and more than 500 homes destroyed. These events highlight that even a small spark in the dry conditions we are experiencing could lead to disaster.
The danger is there, even in an urban environment, where foliage is very dry, lawns are parched and building materials are completely dried out. While residents could still go to Wyoming or unincorporated areas of Adams County to purchase them, the risk is simply not worth the minimal reward.
Not too many of us have an extra $500 lying around and that is what it will cost anyone who shoots off fireworks in Thornton. A second violation in 12 months nets you a $1,000 fine. Of course violators will also have to deal with the disdain of neighbors who likely do not appreciate the noise, mess, smoke, hassle and danger you present to their property.
Rather than spend money on fireworks – and fines – do something good with your money. Donate to Help Colorado Now, an organization sponsored by the state of Colorado dedicated to helping relief organizations assisting communities hit by disaster. Show your support for our fellow Coloradans and leave the show to the pros.
With the landscape tinder dry and conditions ripe for wildfires, Adams County has announced a burn ban in all unincorporated areas. Effective immediately, absolutely no open burning is allowed.
[Adams County Sheriff’s Sgt. Paul] Gregory said the fire ban did not apply to fires within liquid fuels or gas stoves, fireplaces inside buildings and charcoal or propane grill fires at private residences. Fires within permanent fire grates in developed campgrounds are OK. So is burning household trash within a fireproof container that won’t let flame or burning material escape from the bottom of the container. Gregory said the container has to be in the center of an area that is 10 feet in diameter “from which all flammable material has been removed.”
The ban only applies to unincorporated areas of the county so is not applicable to Thornton residents within city limits. Click the image below for a look at the restrictions. To date we have not seen any fire ban ordered by the City of Thornton.
As the sun went down yesterday a thunderstorm moved over the Thornton area. It provided some brief, heavy rain which was very welcome given our drought stricken landscape. Accompanying the moisture was a good bit of lightning which lit up the post-sunset sky.
Our west facing webcam captured one bolt as it struck turning night into day for a brief instant.
A thunderstorm on June 23, 2013 delivered rain and a good bit of lightning. ThorntonWeather.com’s west facing camera happened to capture one bolt as it struck.
Satellites provide an amazing eye in the sky for monitoring the weather and climate. Their usefulness today was once again proven as they captures wildfires exploding in Colorado’s southwest and thunderstorms to the northeast.
The satellite imagery animation comes from the NOAA GOES East satellite and was assembled by Colorado State University RAMSDIS. It covers the period from 1:55pm to 4:40pm on Friday, June 21, 2013.
The tandem West Form Fire and Papoose Fire in southwestern Colorado are seen sending massive smoke plumes into the sky. Afternoon thunderstorms are exploding in the northeastern corner of the state.
Wildfires are a very real danger here in Colorado.
As wildfires burn across much on the western United States late this summer, the Internet can be a wealth of information for residents that are affected by these blazes or for anyone else. Resources are available for everything from the latest news updates, finding out where the fires are right down to the street level, to safety and education.
This list is by no means all inclusive – if you have a wildfire related link we are missing, please post a comment and let us know and we will update our list!
The tornado near DIA sent workers working on the terminal renovations scrambling. (Rob Gardner)
The tornado that struck on the grounds of Denver International Airport (DIA) on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 has been rated an EF1 with winds up to 109 mph. The twister came within a half mile of Concourses A and B and sent workers and travelers scrambling to tornado shelters.
Scroll down to see more photos of the tornado.
From the National Weather Service:
A tornado developed on Denver International Airport (DIA) grounds on the afternoon of June 18, 2013. The tornado formed around 2:19 PM just north of 70th Avenue. The tornado then moved slowly northwest between Runway 35R and 35L, and moved to within a half mile of Concourses A and B before dissipating at 2:36 PM. The tornado moved extremely close if not over the ASOS (Automated Surface Observation System) and another low level wind shear sensor at DIA. The ASOS weather observing system reported a 97 mph wind gust at 2:27 PM, while the wind shear sensor reported a wind gust to 109 mph at the same time – indicative of an EF1 tornado. There was only minor damage noted to this equipment. The storm responsible for this tornado first developed just south of the airport, and then drift slowly northward across the eastern side of DIA. At 2:05 PM, there was weak rotation beginning to develop underneath this storm as noted by the velocity data below. This rotation then strengthened quickly between 2:10 and 2:22 PM.
Under the influence of strong high pressure, the mercury soared in the Mile High City on Monday and two temperature records fell.
As measured at Denver International Airport, the mercury reached a high of 99 degrees at 2:53 p.m. This broke the previous record high temperature for June 10 of 97 degrees set in 1952.
Here in Thornton we were hot but not quite as hot. Our high temperature topped out at 97 degrees at 2:35 p.m. This is the highest temperature we have seen thus far this year and the highest reading in Thornton since July 21, 2012 (97.9 degrees).
If you thought the nighttime would bring relief from the heat, you were mistaken. Denver’s official “low” temperature on Monday was only 68 degrees. This set a new record high minimum for the date easily besting the previous record holder of 64 degrees last set in 1990. Thornton was just slightly cooler with a low for the date of 66.8 degrees.
There won’t be much of a break in the heat in the coming days. While it will be cooler than today, temperatures for the rest of the week are expected to continue to be well above normal. Get the latest forecast here.
Following on colder and wetter than normal weather in previous months, Thornton’s May returned us to drier and warmer than normal conditions.
The month started out with a bit of a wintry blast of cold temperatures and snow. In fact, Denver even set an all-time May low temperature on the 2nd of the month.
The cold and snow that started the month were probably overall the most notable feature of the month. The rest of May was not particularly extraordinary in any aspect.
Denver’s average temperature for the month was 57.9 degrees. This was 0.8 degrees above average. Here in Thornton we were just slightly cooler with an average temperature of 57.6 degrees.
Thornton’s temperatures ranged from a high of 89.2 degrees on the 14th down to a low of 20.7 degrees on the morning of the 2nd. Denver saw a maximum temperature of 88 and a low of 19 degrees.
Official Denver temperature records for the month included:
DAILY RECORDS:
DATE TEMPERATURE TYPE OF RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR LAST SET
MAY 2ND 19 DEGREES RECORD LOW 22 DEGREES 1954
MAY 14TH 87 DEGREES TIED RECORD HIGH 87 DEGREES 1996
MONTHLY RECORDS:
DATE TEMPERATURE TYPE OF RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR LAST SET
MAY 2ND 19 DEGREES TIED RECORD LOW 19 DEGREES MAY 3RD 1907
In terms of precipitation, Denver recorded only 0.82 inches, far below the average for May of 2.12 inches. Here in Thornton Mother Nature was far more generous as we recorded 2.35 inches.
The snow that started the month totaled 4.3 inches in Thornton, 3.4 inches in Denver. Both were well above the May average of 1.1 inches snowfall.
One of our favorite pastimes is simply watching the clouds. Colorado’s widely varying weather provides a stunning variety in almost every season. One photographer captured an amazing time lapse video of what he called “Bubbly Rocky Mountain Clouds.”
May 19 to May 25: This Week in Denver Weather History
Severe weather takes to the forefront in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. We see many historical flooding events that were commonplace in the late 19th / early 20th century before controls were put in place. Almost everyone will recall the Windsor tornado, an EF3 monster that struck the town five years ago.
From the National Weather Service:
18-19
In 2011…a severe thunderstorm in central Adams County produced large hail and heavy rainfall on the 18th. Large hail from 1 inch to 1 3/4 inches in diameter…was reported in Commerce City…2 miles south-southeast of federal heights…Northglenn…and 2 miles south of Thornton.
In Commerce City…the storm uprooted trees and knocked out power lines. A carport was lifted off the ground and struck the power lines overhead. Heavy rain…from 1.0 to 1.5 inches fell in less than 2 hours in Commerce City and near Brighton. The combination of hail and strong winds broke windows in Northglenn.
In the foothills…moderate to heavy snow showers developed overnight. Storm totals included: 10.5 inches at Gold Hill…9.5 inches…3 miles west of Jamestown; 9 inches at Lake Eldora; with 6 inches… 11 miles southwest of Gilpin and 4 miles east-northeast of Nederland. At Denver International Airport…total rainfall over the 2-day period totaled 1.71 inches.
In addition…a peak wind gust to 37 mph was recorded on the 18th.
18-20
In 1915…3.9 inches of snow fell in the city. The estimated amount of snow that melted as it fell was 6.2 inches which would have totaled an estimated 10.1 inches of snowfall. Precipitation totaled 1.03 inches. North winds were sustained to 32 mph on the 18th. Low temperatures dipped to 25 degrees on both the 18th and 20th…establishing record minimums for both dates.
In 1988…prolonged heavy rainfall drenched metro Denver. The event began when heavy thunderstorms on the 18th caused some street flooding and power outages…followed by steady rain on the 19th and 20th. Rain amounts across metro Denver totaled 3 to 4 inches. Rainfall totaled 3.71 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 39 mph on the 20th. Four to eight inches of snow fell in the foothills above 7 thousand feet.
19
In 1927…southeast winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 44 mph.
In 1956…a thunderstorm wind gust to 54 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1969…hail stones to 1 inch in diameter were measured in Arvada and Aurora. Some minor damage was reported. Pea to marble size hail fell in Westminster.
In 1972…a tornado was reported by aircraft about 5 to 10 miles east of Parker.
In 1988…lightning started a fire at a house in the Denver suburb of greenwood village…causing 2 thousand dollars in damage.
In 1991…strong thunderstorms over east metro Denver produced wind gusts of 56 to 60 mph. The strong winds downed power lines…trees…and fences at some locations in Aurora. Thunderstorm outflow winds gusted to 60 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1994…severe thunderstorms rumbled across metro Denver. The storms produced wind gusts averaging 65 mph and hail up to dime size. Wind gusts to 77 mph were recorded in Brighton. Numerous trees and power poles were downed by the winds. One power pole fell onto spectators at a high school graduation ceremony in Commerce City…injuring 6 people. In Fort Lupton…trees fell onto 2 parked cars… Knocking out the windshields. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was reported in Littleton. A thunderstorm wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1995…a slow moving tornado…which was mainly discernible by its dust and debris cloud…was spotted 2 miles northeast of Denver International Airport or about 10 miles northwest of Bennett. No damage was reported.
In 2007…lightning struck a 33-ft statue of Jesus at Mother Cabrini Shrine…in the foothills west of Golden. The blast broke off one of the statue’s arms and a hand…and also damaged a foot. It cost an estimated $200000 to repair.
In 2009…lightning struck the roof of a residence in Highlands Ranch. The home was not a total loss…but the fire caused extensive damage.
In 2010…a thunderstorm produced hail up to 7/8 inch in diameter in Thornton.
19-20
In 1864…a devastating major flash flood occurred on the normally dry and sandy Cherry Creek in Denver. The flood was caused by heavy thunderstorm rainfall and hail over the palmer ridge to the south of the city in both the Cherry Creek and plum creek basins. Nineteen deaths occurred along the South Platte River and Cherry Creek in Denver. The torrent swept cattle and sheep along with large trees and houses before it washing out several bridges…and moving large structures from their foundations. All city records were destroyed when city hall washed away. The rocky mountain news building…built on stilts in the middle of the creek…was totally destroyed by the raging waters…which were as deep as 5 feet on the morning of the 20th. Once the flood waters receded…much sand and gravel was left behind. Property damage from the flood was estimated at nearly one million dollars. This was the first major flood of record in the city.
Under the influence of strong high pressure, the mercury soared in the Mile High City on Monday and two temperature records fell.
