To say today’s snowstorm was a fast mover doesn’t do it justice. The storm hit fast and furious and many doubted our forecasts for only light snowfall. But, as quickly as it arrived the winter storm departed and the event was over by nightfall.
In a span of three hours or so Thornton received 1.2 inches of snow. Of course it is a bummer to have to withstand the traffic problems caused by a storm that brought so little. To top it off we now have to wash our cars which hadn’t been clean but for a few days. Not much return for the hassle, even if we need the moisture. 🙂
The time lapse video below captures the entire event from start to finish and does it in about 9 seconds.
A 'super storm' like one that struck California 150 years ago would flood an area hundreds of miles long. (USGS / Google Earth)
California and earthquakes go together like coffee and a cup but a new study suggests that an entirely different kind of disaster may have a bigger impact. The U.S. Geological Survey gathered 117 scientists to evaluate a hypothetical – but possible – “super storm” and its impact on the Golden State.
At the end of 1861 and into the beginning of 1862 a very wet Pacific storm inundated California with rain. This storm turned much of the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea and flooded an area hundreds of miles long.
Today, California is the United State’s most populous state and it has the equivalent of the eighth largest economy in the world. The study shows that if a similar storm were to occur today the result would be disastrous.
The implications of this disaster scenario are tremendous and stretch far beyond California’s borders. Further, one has to wonder ‘what if’ Thornton and the Denver area were presented with a similar scenario?
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.
To access the radar go to Radar & Maps on the menu on the left and select “TW Super Doppler Radar.”
CDOT crews work to clear an avalanche that has covered US 40 over Berthoud Pass. Click to view a larger image. (CDOT)
With hurricane force winds and heavy snowfall conditions in Colorado’s high country have been treacherous in recent days. The search continues for a snowboarder that disappeared at the height of the storm and an avalanche keeps US 40 over Berthoud Pass closed.
The winter storm that struck yesterday brought with it winds to 99 mph near Loveland Pass and 85 mph near one of the Breckenridge Ski Area mountains. The strong winds coupled with the snow that fell has created dangerous avalanche conditions in the high country.
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US 40 over Berthoud, US 6 over Loveland Pass and Interstate 70 were all closed at some point over the past 36 hours. I-70 has reopened but US 6 remains closed due to adverse conditions and avalanche control work.
While the skies have cleared over US 40 and Berthoud Pass, the massive avalanche has forced the highway to remain closed. Images released by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) show the highway completed covered from the slide. No ETA has been provided as to when the pass will open.
Editor’s note – CDOT reports Berthoud Pass opened at 5:40pm. Read on though for for other information.
Search and rescue teams from Grand County were also combing the Berthoud Pass area for a missing snowboarder and his dog although it is unknown if that is in the same location as the avalanche. 26-year-old Jeffrey Miller, his dog and a companion were separated at the height of yesterday’s storm. The severe weather conditions have limited the search for Miller.
The snow from the avalanche has completely covered US 40 over Berthoud Pass. Click the image for a larger version. (CDOT)
An Avalanche Warning is in effect for the Front Range mountain areas as well as the Vail and Summit County Areas. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center warns of high danger levels saying, “Natural and human-triggered slides are likely in avalanche terrain where significant storm and wind-blown snow has accumulated.” Most other areas in Colorado have been given a “considerable” danger rating for avalanches.
Colorado’s weather this winter has been a story of two halves. The eastern half of the state and the Denver area have been warmer and much drier than normal. The western half of Colorado however has had a great deal of snow with some basins reporting more than 130% of normal snowpack.
A YouTube video puts a humorous - but thought provoking - spin on the debate about manmade climate change. (YouTube / Battlefield315)
From the high-minded forums in the scientific community to the halls of Congress to main street America, manmade climate change is a hot topic (pun intended). Some scientists would have us believe the debate is over, Congress uses the theory to impress new taxes on citizens, and Americans are left wondering what to believe.
This week NOAA announced that 2010 tied as the warmest year on record and many immediately seized on it as proof of manmade climate change. Despite many arguments to the contrary, it becomes difficult to have a rational discussion about the merits of these claims as both sides can become quite set in their beliefs.
A new video, while humorous, portrays a hypothetical debate between a global warming alarmist and a denier and offers up some serious questions and doubts about the theory. From former Vice President Al Gore’s role as global warming cheerleader to the revelation about the behavior of “climate scientists” seen in the wake of the Climategate scandal the video presents them all.
Despite erroneous information continually being discovered in alarmists’ claims, many, like the alarmist in the movie, choose to turn a blind eye. While humorous, the video does highlight many of the valid questions that are asked by those who have their doubts about manmade climate change.
Skeptics of the anthropogenic global warming theory need to remember that while man may not be responsible for the overall warming seen in recent decades, as custodians of this planet we do shoulder some burden. Rational actions to keep the planet clean, move us toward energy independence and ensure we aren’t causing damage need to be considered.
January 16 to January 22 - This week in Denver weather history
Our look back at this week in Denver weather history carries with it one overriding condition – wind. In January it is not uncommon for us to experience Chinook winds which are a blessing and a curse. These winds bring warm temperatures which are welcome in our coldest month of the year. However they also can run at extraordinary speeds and at their worst cause a great deal of damage.
13-16
In 1888…a cold air mass settled over the city and caused temperatures to plunge well below zero on four consecutive days…but only one temperature record was set. Minimum temperatures dipped to 4 degrees below zero on the 13th… 19 degrees below zero on the 14th…20 degrees below zero on the 15th…and 11 degrees below zero on the 16th. The maximum temperature of only 4 degrees below zero on the 14th was a record low maximum for the date. North winds were sustained to 30 mph on the 13th.
14-21
In 1930…a protracted cold spell occurred when low temperatures plunged below zero on 8 consecutive days. The coldest low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero on the 17th and 19 degrees below zero on the 16th were record minimums for the dates. High temperatures during the period ranged from 18 on the 18th to zero on the 20th. Two degrees on the 15th was a record low maximum temperature for the date.
15-16
In 1967…a major windstorm struck Boulder. The storm was described at the time as the worst single windstorm in the history of Boulder in terms of damage. Winds reached 125 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and at Boulder airport. Winds gusted to 84 mph downtown. Damage totaled a half million dollars in Boulder where some minor injuries were reported. At the Boulder municipal airport… 14 light airplanes were severely damaged. The second floor of a warehouse was blown down…damaging two nearby moving vans. A mobile home was blown over south of Boulder… Injuring one woman. The roof of a department store was blown in. There was widespread damage to houses…autos… And power lines from wind and flying debris. Strong winds also occurred in Denver and Golden…but damage was only minor. At Stapleton International Airport…west winds gusted to 43 mph on the 15th and to 45 mph on the 16th.
In 1981…heavy snow of 6 to 10 inches accumulated across metro Denver. Snowfall totaled only 1.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport where east winds gusted to 21 mph on the 15th.
In 1991…a Pacific storm system moved across metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 3 to 7 inches with 3 inches in Aurora… Denver…and Castle Rock…4 inches in Arvada…and 7 inches at South Platte station just southwest of Denver. Snowfall totaled only 2.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 21 mph on the 16th.
In 2001…heavy snow fell across the Front Range foothills and urban corridor. The combination of careless driving and snowpacked highways resulted in 3 multi-vehicle accidents involving 30 vehicles…along I-25 in Douglas County. Eleven people were injured and one was killed. Snow amounts included: 11 inches in Evergreen; 10 inches at Eldorado Springs and Genesee; 8 inches at Broomfield… Ken Caryl Ranch…and Thornton; and 5 to 7 inches in Arvada…Bailey…Crow Hill…Gross Reservoir…Lakewood… Louisville…Westminster…and near Loveland. Snowfall totaled 2.7 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.
January 15, 2010 - Damaged buildings in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince after a massive earthquake on January 12, 2010. The devastation from the quake was massive and rebuilding has been impossibly slow. View more images in the slideshow below. (IFRC/Eric Quintero)
Early on the morning of January 12, 2010 a massive 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti leaving death and destruction. Despite an immediate outpouring, rebuilding of the Northern Hemisphere’s poorest nation has been slow, hampered by corruption and bureaucracy.
The quake, Centered 10 miles from Port-Au-Prince, buildings were reduced to rubble within minutes burying thousands of people alive. Aftershocks rocked the nation for weeks collapsing structures that had withstood the initial shaking.
As many as 230,000 people were killed in the earthquake. An estimated 300,000 were injured and 250,000 homes and 30,000 businesses were destroyed.
Billions of dollars in aid pledged
Individual countries, charitable organizations and the United Nations rushed aid to the impoverished country. By March, 2010 more than $12 billion in aid had been pledged but it has been slow to arrive and its disbursement toward relief efforts even slower.
According to the United Nations, funding from all types of organizations was to total $2 billion in 2010 alone. A failure to follow through by all groups has resulted in only $1.3 billion being received.
Squalid living conditions bring disease
The earthquake left as many as 1.5 million residents without homes. Tent cities erected by humanitarian groups are now home to 1.2 million people, 375,000 of whom are children.
The conditions are deplorable and concerns of disease outbreaks came to fruition last year. An outbreak of cholera afflicted 155,000 people and has killed nearly 4,000.
NOAA temperature anomaly map showing warmer than average temperatures across much of the globe in 2010. View more images in the slideshow below. (NOAA)
Data released by NOAA puts 2010 into the history books as tying with 2005 as the warmest year globally since 1880. The newly released report is sure to fuel the ongoing climate change and global warming debate for the year to come.
The National Climatic Data Center’s information shows that the combined global land and ocean temperatures in 2010 were 1.12° F (0.62° C) above the 20th century average. This ties the year with 2005 as the warmest on record.
Land surface temperatures globally were the warmest on record as a temperature anomaly of 1.8° F (1.0° C) was recorded. The oceans fared better according to the NCDC with temperatures 0.88° F (0.49° C) above the 20th century average putting it in the books typing with as the third warmest on record.
The United States separately was warm as well although not in record-setting form. Warmer than average temperatures were recorded across much of the nation with the south being the exception. NOAA said that temperatures are increasing at a rate of 0.12° F per decade.
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.
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.
We recently sat down and talked with YourHub about ThorntonWeather.com. (YourHub)
One thing we at ThorntonWeather.com never get tired of talking about is the weather. We recently sat down with the Denver Post’s YourHub and talked to them about our experiences with weather and of course ThorntonWeather.com itself.
Journalist Joey Kirchmer and Photojournalist Kristin Morin have done a fine job telling the story about ThorntonWeather.com and we were glad to talk to them.
As we have always said, we provide ThorntonWeather.com as a service to the community and view it as a means to inform, educate and share our passion for the weather. Of all the places in the world, Colorado provides one of the most dynamic weather environments and it truly is an interesting place in terms of weather.
