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National Weather

Record-setting hail falls near Wichita, Kansas

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A monstrous hailstone measuring 7.75 inches in diameter fell near Wichita on September 15, 2010, setting a new record for Kansas.
A monstrous hailstone measuring 7.75 inches in diameter fell near Wichita on September 15, 2010, setting a new record for Kansas. (National Weather Service / Melissa McCarter)

Severe weather rolled through south-central and southeastern Kansas on the evening of Wednesday, September 15, 2010 and dropped tornadoes and potentially record-setting hail.  The supercell thunderstorms developed in the late afternoon and caused significant damage in the Wichita area.

  • Watch video of the hail pounding Wichita below

In Sedgwick and Cowley counties one supercell generated monstrous hail on the western side of Wichita.  The largest stone, right, was measured at 7.75 inches and fell at about 6:00pm in West Wichita.  According to the National Weather Service the chunk of ice weighted 1.1 pounds and was 15.5 inches in circumference. 

It has been preliminarily confirmed that the diameter of the hailstone from Wednesday easily eclipsed the state’s previous record setter of 5.7 inches in diameter – a hailstone that fell on September 3, 1970 near Coffeyville.  It does fall short of the all-time largest hailstone which fell on July 23rdof this year and measured 8.0 inches in diameter.

Hail from golf ball to softball sized swept across a large area breaking windows in homes and smashing vehicles. At Mid-Continent Airport the hail broke through skylights and damaged the facilities airport.  Several planes sustained damage as well. 

Video - Monstrous hail falls in Wichita, Kansas on Wednesday, September 15, 2010.Strong, straight-line winds up to 80 mph were recorded in Cowley, Wilson, Labette and Cherryvale counties.  Downed power lines resulted in 10,000 people being without power at one point.

Five tornadoes were reported south, southeast and east of Wichita.  The twisters were on the ground for short periods of time and did not appear to directly cause any damage.  All have been rated EF0 with winds from 65 mph to 85 mph by the National Weather Service.

Related stories on Examiner.com

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Weather History

September 19 to September 25 – This week in Denver weather history

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September 19 to September 25 - This week in Denver weather history
September 19 to September 25 - This week in Denver weather history

This time of year many folks would consider “snow” a bad four-letter word but living in the Mile High City we can’t rule it out even with it technically still being summer.  In fact, it was only 15 short years ago that we received a significant snowstorm that brought up to 8 inches of snow in the metro area and caused millions of dollars in damage. 

From the National Weather Service:

15-19

In 1906…rain on 5 consecutive days totaled 1.61 inches. A thunderstorm occurred on the 17th.  High temperatures ranged from 48 degrees on the 16th to 65 degrees on the 15th.  Low temperatures were in the lower to mid 40’s.

16-19

In 1971…a record breaking early fall snow storm caused extensive damage to trees and utility lines.  The heavy wet snow occurred with little wind…but caused record breaking cold temperatures for so early in the season.  Snowfall totaled 15.6 inches at Stapleton International Airport with most of the snowfall…12.0 inches…occurring on the 17th.  This was the heaviest first snow of the season. The maximum snow depth on the ground was 13 inches. Record low temperatures were set on three consecutive days: 31 degrees on the 17th…23 degrees on the 18th…and 20 degrees on the 19th…which was also a new all-time record minimum for the month at that time.  Record low maximum temperatures were set on 4 consecutive days:  48 degrees on the 16th…35 degrees on the 17th…40 degrees on the 18th… And 42 degrees on the 19th.

18-19

In 1955…heavy rains caused flash flooding across portions of metro Denver.  Rainfall totaled 1.71 inches at Stapleton Airport.

19

In 1955…hail stones to 2 1/2 inches in diameter were reported north of Denver.  The large stones broke many automobile windshields.
 
In 1963…hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell in Westminster.
 
In 1983…an unusually strong cold front roared through metro Denver during the afternoon hours.  At Stapleton International Airport…the temperature dropped 51 degrees… From a sunny 86 degrees to a snowy 35 degrees…in just 7 hours.  Strong winds and a wall of blowing dust followed the front.  Northeast winds gusting to 36 mph briefly reduced the surface visibility to 1 mile in blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport where only a trace of snow fell later.
 
In 1996…high winds gusting to 84 mph were measured at Golden Gate Canyon in the foothills west of Denver. West winds gusted to only 25 mph at Denver International Airport.

Continue reading September 19 to September 25 – This week in Denver weather history →

Natural Disasters

Space station astronaut captures images of Hurricane Igor and Hurricane Julia

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Hurricane Igor is scene in this view from the International Space Station. See more images in the slideshow below.
Hurricane Igor is scene in this view from the International Space Station. See more images in the slideshow below.

A truly rare event is occurring in the Atlantic Ocean where for the first time in 84 years two Category 4 hurricanes are churning at the same time. Yesterday astronaut Douglas Wheelcock snapped stunning images of Hurricane Igor and Hurricane Julia from his perch 220 miles above the Earth aboard the International Space Station.

  • View the pictures in the slideshow below

Anthony Watts of the popular website Watts Up With That? determined that only three times in the past have two major hurricanes (defined as Category 3 or higher) occurred at the same time.

Given that Igor and Julia are now both Category 4 storms with 135 mph winds, two storms of that strength occurring simultaneously has only happened once – on September 26, 1926.

Of greatest immediate concern is Hurricane Igor. The storm is currently 540 miles east-northeast of St. Martin and appears to be headed for a direct strike on Bermuda sometime Sunday night.

Hurricane Julia is much farther east, approximately 500 miles west of the Cape Verde islands. Julia’s forecast path has her turning to the north and, hopefully, not presenting a danger to land.

The Expedition 24 crew on board the International Space Station includes West Point graduate and Army colonel Douglas Wheelcock. During his time on board the ISS, Wheelcock has captured some astounding images and posted them to Twitter, including photos of Hurricane Earl two weeks ago.

The new images posted today were snapped over the past 24 hours as the ISS passed over the storms. The image of Hurricane Igor is arguably the most impressive as it provides a clear view vertically down into and through the eye of the storm.

The slideshow below from the Natural Disasters Examiner contains the images taken by Colonel Wheelcock as well as images of previous hurricanes taken by International Space Station and Space Shuttle crews and NASA satellites.

Hurricanes from space - Nature's fury seen from on high

Weather History

September 12 to September 18 – This week in Denver weather history

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•September 12 to September 18 - This week in Denver weather history
•September 12 to September 18 - This week in Denver weather history

Normally one doesn’t associate tornadoes with September weather in Denver but they can and do happen as we see in our look back in Denver weather history for the week.  We have a couple of occasions of twisters and of a funnel cloud.  Other severe weather like hail, damaging wind and flooding rains have also occurred.   Oh, and should we mention the dreaded “S” word – snow?

11-12

In 1974…post-frontal rain changed to snow overnight for the first snow of the season.  Snowfall totaled only 1.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 40 mph on the 11th.  High temperature of only 46 degrees on the 12th set a new record low maximum for the date.

12 

In 1887…west winds to 42 mph were recorded in the city.
 
In 1952…a thunderstorm outflow produced strong southeast winds gusting to 52 mph.  Surface visibility at Stapleton Airport was briefly reduced to 2 miles in blowing dust.
 
In 1963…a nearly stationary…white tornado near Bennett was sighted from Denver.  No damage was reported.
 
In 1989…an early snowfall and the first of the season brought 2 to 3 inches of slush to metro Denver.  More snow whitened the foothills west of Denver where 6 inches were measured at Evergreen.  The snow fell on leaf laden trees… And sagging branches onto power lines caused outages.  Much of Denver’s snow fell during the evening rush hour…creating traffic chaos.  Snowfall totaled 2.3 inches at Stapleton International Airport where the maximum snow depth on the ground was only 1 inch due to melting.
 
In 1994…thunderstorm microburst winds gusted to 67 mph in Boulder.  No damage was reported.
 
In 2002…a severe thunderstorm produced hail as large as 1 inch in diameter near Castle Rock.

Continue reading September 12 to September 18 – This week in Denver weather history →

Colorado Weather

Behind the scenes photos show the Fourmile Canyon Fire battle

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A slurry bomber drops retardant on the Fourmile Canyon Fire. (USFS)
A slurry bomber drops retardant on the Fourmile Canyon Fire. (USFS) View more images in the slideshow below.

Much like words have been used to tell the story of the Fourmile Canyon Fire and its destructive power, so too have photos and video.  The U.S. Forest Service has released new photos taken by their crews that tell the story in a way that hasn’t been seen yet – from behind the fire lines. 

On Monday the Fourmile Canyon Fire quickly exploded and soon smoke covered the Denver metro area.  Video taken from a nearby mountain showed the orange glow of the flames as they advanced.  The ferocity of the fire was such that NOAA satellites captured images of the smoke as it traveled as far as Iowa. 

Over the week the fire became the worst in Colorado history in terms of the number of homes lost as 169 were destroyed.  Images taken by helicopter from above showed mountain properties reduced to cinder. 

The images taken by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are stunning testaments to the bravery of the firefighters on the scene.  Photos of chainsaw wielding combatants, slurry bombers dropping their bright red retardant, and fire raging next to roadways tell the story from behind the lines. 

You can view the new images by clicking on the slideshow image below. 

Slideshow: The behind the scenes battle against the Fourmile Canyon Fire. Below are links to other slideshows we published on Examiner.com over the past week.

Also be sure to check out these pages:

Local News

Do you remember? Please come to the City of Thornton’s September 11th Remembrance

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Please join us as we remember those who died on September 11, 2001.
Please join us as we remember those who died on September 11, 2001.

September 11, 2001 is a date which is forever etched in the memories of all Americans. The events of that horrible day serve as a reminder of the vigilance that we must maintain to defend our nation and the sacrifices that have been made to keep us safe.

In the wake of the attacks, each year the President of the United States designates September 11th as Patriot Day – a day of remembrance to ensure we never forget the men and women who died on that fateful today.

This year we invite everyone to please join us on the 9th anniversary of the attacks at the City of Thornton’s September 11th Remembrance Ceremony.

This event, a joint effort with the City of Thornton, The Thornton Police and Fire Departments, the Thornton Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Thornton Veterans Memorial Foundation, provides us an opportunity as a community to come together and honor the fallen.

The weather should be perfect so please join us at 9:30am on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at Thornton Community Park (2141 E. 95th Ave) for this special event.  The event will be held on the field at the east-most stage.

Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Fire burning in Fourmile Canyon sends smoke over Thornton

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The Fourmile Canyon Fire sent smoke over Thornton on Monday. (ThorntonWeather.com)
The Fourmile Canyon Fire sent smoke over Thornton on Monday. (ThorntonWeather.com)

A fast moving wildfire burning northwest of Boulder sent smoke over Thornton on monday and more is expected today.  The Fourmile Canyon Fire started late Monday morning and has burned 3,500 acres thus far. 

Tinder dry fuels, low humidity, warm temperatures and gusty winds fueled the Fourmile Canyon Fire yesterday as it grew quickly. Firefighters took up defensive positions trying to save what homes they could but many were reduced to cinder.

More than 100 firefighters are on scene with 35 engines from 30 local agencies. Boulder County Fire is acting as the primary agency for the fire.

High winds prevented air tankers with retardant from operating for most of the day but the wind eased in the late afternoon and evening allowing some operations. 18 flights by three tankers were carried out before the sun set and they were able to drop 40,000 gallons of retardant on the fast moving fire.

Four additional tankers arrived Monday and will begin operations today, weather permitting.

We are updating the Denver Weather Examiner with all the latest news and photos from the fire.  Please visit there for all the latest.

Thornton Weather

Dry, hot and windy conditions prompt Red Flag Warning

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With plenty of heat and a lack of moisture the fire danger is high along the Front Range on Sunday. (National Weather Service)
With plenty of heat and a lack of moisture the fire danger is high along the Front Range on Sunday. (National Weather Service)

September is starting off as a hot one along the Front Range and indeed across the state of Colorado.  With temperatures set to approach record highs, low humidity and windy conditions the fire danger has prompted a Red Flag Warning for Sunday.

The record high temperature for September 5th is 97 degrees and that is what Denver’s thermometer is expected to rise to today.  Humidity during the heat of the day is forecast to drop below 15% and the afternoon will bring breezy conditions with winds gusting over 30 mph. 

All of those factors will serve to dry out the Colorado Front Range and bring what the National Weather Service calls “extreme fire danger” to the area. 

The service has issued a Red Flag Warning that will be in effect from 10:00am to 9:00pm today covering the Front Range foothills and adjacent areas including Denver and Thornton.  Conditions are expected to be at their peak from 11:00am to 6:00pm.

Similarly, the Western Slope from the Continental Divide west to the Utah border is under a Red Flag warning from noon until 9:00pm. 

Colorado has made it through what has been a relatively hot summer without any major wildfires.  However conditions today are ripe and should a fire get started, it could spread rapidly and with devastating effects.  With the Labor Day holiday weekend many people will be spending time outdoors and extreme caution should be exercised. 

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Climatology

Denver’s August wraps up warmer and drier than normal

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Denver wraps up a warm and dry August 2010.

Is it global warming at work?  Probably not but the Mile High City experienced a very warm month of August that nearly ended up in the “top 10” statistical column.  Were it not for things cooling down in the last week that almost certainly would have happened.

Denver’s average temperature for the month was 73.8 degrees – 2.1 degrees above normal.  That put it 0.3 degrees shy of the number ten spot for warmest August on record which was in 1947 with an average temperature of 74.1.  We should be thankful we didn’t reach near the top spot.  The hottest August on record was in 1937 when we hit an average of 76.8 degrees. 

In terms of extremes, the hottest day of the month occurred on the 22nd when the mercury climbed to 97 degrees.  The coldest temperature recorded was on the 17th when we dropped to 47 degrees.  Neither of those were records. 

Overall we recorded 12 days with 90 degree or higher temperatures – three above normal.  Similarly we have seen 41 ninety degree plus days this year which is 10 more than normal. 

Only one temperature record was set for the month.  That occurred on the 18th when a record high minimum of 67 degrees was recorded.  This tied the previous record for the date set in 1986. 

Here in Thornton we were a bit cooler than the Denver measurements.  We saw an average temperature of 72.3 degrees with a high of 93.9 on the 18th and a low of 51.1 degrees on the 17th.

It may not have seemed like it as we did have quite a few days with thunderstorms but we in fact finished August with below normal precipitation.  Denver recorded 1.05 inch but that was 0.77 inch below normal. 

Most of that precipitation however fell within the first seven days of the month when 1.03 of the total was recorded.  Of that, 0.68 inch was recorded on the first of the month.  However, a mere 0.02 inch was recorded for the final three weeks of the month. 

Thornton fared better than the official measurements in terms of precipitation.  We recorded 1.41 inches for the month and the moisture we received was spread out across the month much better.

At the official Denver monitoring station at Denver International Airport they recorded 10 days with thunderstorms.  The max wind gust was 45 mph recorded on the 12th and again on the 16th. 

Below are the official Denver weather statistics for August 2010 from the National Weather Service.  Click here to view Thornton’s summary report.

Continue reading Denver’s August wraps up warmer and drier than normal →

Weather History

September 5 to September 11 – This week in Denver weather history

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September 5 to September 11 - This week in Denver weather history
September 5 to September 11 - This week in Denver weather history

September is typically one of our quietest weather months and in fact it is our sunniest.  That doesn’t however mean we can’t experience weather extremes.  This week in Denver weather history we see everything from scorching heat and severe thunderstorms to snow and damaging wind.  For more about September’s weather, check out our September weather preview.

1-5

In 1995…record breaking heat occurred on the first 5 days of the month when the temperature climbed into the 90’s on each day.  Record high temperatures of 97 degrees on both the 1st and 4th equaled the all-time record maximum for the month.  High temperature of 95 degrees on the 3rd was a record for the date.  High temperatures of 94 degrees on both the 2nd and the 5th were not records.  The low temperature of 64 degrees on the 4th equaled the record high minimum for the date.

1-7

In 1978…the temperature reached 90 degrees or more on seven consecutive days with the highest temperature…94 degrees… Recorded on both the 4th and 6th.

3-6

In 1909…rainfall for the 4 days accumulated to 3.97 inches in Boulder…while in Denver rainfall totaled 2.45 inches on the 4th…5th…and 6th.

5  

In 1899…the highest recorded temperature in September…97 degrees…occurred.  The same temperature was also reached on September 4…1960…and September 1 and 4…1995.
 
In 1940…a severe wind and hail storm confined mostly to the west and north parts of the city occurred shortly after 4:30 pm.  Hail stones ranged in size from 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. In north Denver…hail piled to a depth of 4 inches.  Flooding occurred in one underpass…which stalled 2 cars.  One girl was injured when the weight of the hail flattened a porch on which she stood. Northeast winds were sustained to 29 mph with gusts to 32 mph in downtown Denver.
 
In 1987…a thunderstorm complex produced hail as large as 1 3/8 inches in diameter…2 miles east of Buckley Field in Aurora.  No damage was reported.

Continue reading September 5 to September 11 – This week in Denver weather history →