Sunny skies on Wednesday, March 4th helped Denver break a 137 year old high temperature record.
Denver officially broke the high temperature record on Wednesday, March 4th. At 12:40pm the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 76 degrees, breaking the old record of 74 degrees set in 1872.
This marks the 4th weather record we have broken in just the week. In addition to Wednesday’s mark, we have had:
March 3rd sets new record high minimum. Overnight temperatures got down to only 47 degrees, beating the old record of 44 set in 1925.
We are very dry right now and could really use some significant precipitation as snowfall totals are less than half of what they normally are by this time of year. Is there hope? We remember back to 2003 when we were in a similar dry condition and two major storms helped to turn things around. Click here to read about that on Examiner.com.
The old Stapleton International Airport site and Denver International Airport are separated by 12 miles. Is it accurate to compare weather between the two locations?
These announcements are common and we all take notice when we hear them and they make for great water cooler chat topics but are these claims accurate?
In 1995 Denver finally opened its new airport, Denver International Airport, out on the plains east of the city. This new facility, 12 miles as the crow flies northeast of the old Stapleton International Airport, moved the airport from an urban environment to a rural one and more than 19 miles from the center of Denver. Following that move, the National Weather Service (NWS) began taking some of its official measurements at the glistening new airport. In doing so, some say Denver’s climate records have forever been altered and as such any weather record should have an asterisk attached to it.
Denver officially set a new record high temperature for March 2nd.
Updated, 5:30pm: Denver’s official high temperature today reached 74 degrees at 3:08pm, beating the old record of 72 degrees by two.
Original post, 2:39pm: Denver has officially broken the high temperature record for today, March 2nd. At 1:52pm the thermometer at Denver International Airport reached 73 degrees, besting the old record of 72 degrees set way back in 1901. Here in Thornton we were a touch warmer reaching a high of 74.1 degrees.
This afternoon there is a chance the temperature could go a degree or two higher thus further increasing the record.
Is this really a record? Since moving Denver’s official weather recording station to DIA, many weather enthusiasts believe our weather and climate records are being unduly altered. Examiner.com just launched an investigative feature into this problem today – check out part 1 of our series on Examiner.com: Do Denver weather and climate records have an asterisk attached?
March 1 to March 7 - This week in Denver weather history
Looking at this week in Denver weather history, it is easy to see why March is known as Denver’s snowiest month. There are numerous instances of major winter storms dumping snow on the city that was measured not in inches – but feet!
From the National Weather Service:
28-1
IN 1875…6 INCHES OF SNOW FELL FROM 3:15 PM ON THE 28TH TO 1:00 AM ON THE 1ST. PRECIPITATION FOR THE TWO DAYS WAS 0.50 INCH.
29-1
IN 1896…SNOWFALL TOTALED 5.5 INCHES IN THE CITY. NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 24 MPH.
IN 1948…SNOWFALL TOTALED 5.9 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 15 MPH.
1
IN 1904…WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 42 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 58 MPH. THE CHINOOK WINDS WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 67 DEGREES.
IN 1906…SNOWFALL WAS HEAVY AND TOTALED 7.5 INCHES OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 37 MPH.
IN 1940…SNOWFALL WAS HEAVY AND TOTALED 7.7 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER.
IN 1943…6.0 INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 19 MPH.
Want to be an official storm spotter or maybe just want to learn more about severe weather? Here’s your chance!
We have written before about the great opportunity the National Weather Service provides by giving storm spotter training during the start of the severe weather season. That time is now here and training sessions start in the coming week and new sessions have been added since we last reported on the topic.
The storm spotter program is a nationwide program with more than 280,000 trained spotters. These volunteers report weather hazards to their local National Weather Service office providing vital information when severe strikes. Data from spotters include severe wind, rain, snow measurements, thunderstorms and hail and of course tornadoes.
Storm spotters are part of the ranks of citizens who form the Nation’s first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that their efforts have given communities the precious gift of time–seconds and minutes that can help save lives.
By completing one of these training classes you can become an official storm spotter. When severe weather strikes, you can report it by calling a special toll free number or submit your report via the National Weather Service’s website.
These are great sessions for anyone wanting to learn more about the severe weather we experience in Colorado, whether you want to be an official spotter or not. All training is free. Topics include:
Denver and Thornton's March 2009 climatological preview
March in Denver typically means frequent and rapid weather changes. The days grow longer and we start enjoying more sunshine and sometimes summer-like weather. However, on occasion arctic air masses can still force their way south into Colorado dropping temperatures quickly and markedly.
These changes are due to Marches “in between” status – elements during the month have much in common with winter and spring. In addition to arctic fronts, Pacific storms frequently move across Colorado from the west and warm moist air streams up from the Gulf of Mexico northeastward into the state. When these cold fronts collide with the warmer air masses the result can be some crazy weather.
A recent analysis of climate models shows they are falling outside acceptable scientific limits.
Last month former vice president Al Gore made a well publicized appearance before a Senate committee warning of the dangers of global warming. Lesser known is the appearance of a climatologist before a House subcommittee two weeks later that called into question the models on which anthropogenic [manmade] global warming advocates use to base their assertions on.
We include his resume as it is significant because it shows that this is someone with a deep background in climatology and a wealth of experience. When someone of this caliber discusses climate change and anthropogenic global warming we can and should take notice.
In testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Dr. Michaels testified on the little known fact that the scientific models used to predict global warming are starting to fall outside acceptable scientific limits. They have been unable to accurately predict temperature increases and when used to model historical increases, they fail as well.
February 22 to February 28 - This week in Denver weather history.
Our look back at this week in Denver weather history contains much of what you would expect to see this time of year – high winds, snow storms, and cold but also a rare February thunderstorm.
21-22
IN 1909…A MAJOR STORM DUMPED 12.9 INCHES OF HEAVY SNOWFALL OVER THE CITY. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 37 MPH ON THE 22ND. TEMPERATURES DURING THE STORM HOVERED IN THE 20’S.
22
IN 1893…NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 36 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH.
IN 1900…NORTHWEST WINDS SUSTAINED TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 61 DEGREES.
IN 1910…A COLD FRONT CAUSED A REMARKABLY SHARP DROP IN TEMPERATURE FROM 43 DEGREES AT 3:00 AM TO ONLY 3 DEGREES AT 8:30 AM. THESE WERE THE HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES FOR THE DAY. EARLY WEST WINDS SWITCHED TO NORTHEAST BEHIND THE FRONT.
IN 1927…WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 42 MPH WITH A MEASURED MAXIMUM VELOCITY TO 60 MPH.
IN 1954…STRONG AND GUSTY WEST WINDS PERSISTED THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE HIGHEST WIND GUST RECORDED AT STAPLETON AIRPORT WAS 58 MPH.
IN 1960…SNOWFALL TOTALED 5.9 INCHES…PRODUCING NEAR-BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW AT STAPLETON AIRPORT WHERE NORTHEAST WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH REDUCED VISIBILITY TO 1/2 MILE.
IN 1986…HIGH WINDS OCCURRED IN THE FOOTHILLS. WIND GUSTS OF 65 TO 70 MPH WERE REPORTED AT GOLDEN GATE CANYON…AND A PEAK GUST OF 83 MPH WAS RECORDED AT ECHO LAKE. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO ONLY 29 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1988…A WIND GUST TO 83 MPH WAS RECORDED IN BOULDER WITH 80 MPH CLOCKED AT ROLLINSVILLE. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 45 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1996…WIND GUSTS TO 63 MPH WERE REPORTED IN WESTERN ELBERT COUNTY. SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 45 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1999…STRONG POST-FRONTAL…BORA WINDS DEVELOPED OVER THE FOOTHILLS AND SPREAD OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS. PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED: 87 MPH AT GOLDEN GATE CANYON; 84 MPH AT WONDERVU; 80 MPH AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH MESA LAB; 75 MPH AT THE ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL TEST FACILITY; 74 MPH AT JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT NEAR BROOMFIELD; 72 MPH AT THE GAMOW TOWER ON THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO CAMPUS IN BOULDER; AND 60 MPH AT BENNETT. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 44 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2000…THUNDER WAS HEARD ACROSS MUCH OF METRO DENVER. THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHWEST METRO DENVER PRODUCED 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH DIAMETER HAIL AT PINEHURST COUNTRY CLUB. A THUNDERSTORM AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PRODUCED WIND GUSTS TO 34 MPH. THIS WAS ONLY THE 6TH TIME SINCE 1891 THAT THUNDER HAD BEEN REPORTED IN FEBRUARY.
22-23
IN 1985…A SNOWSTORM STRUCK THE EASTERN FOOTHILLS WITH 8 TO 15 INCHES OF NEW SNOW. THREE TO 7 INCHES OF NEW SNOW FELL ACROSS METRO DENVER AND PARTS OF I-70 WERE CLOSED AT TIMES. SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 3.3 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTHEAST WIND GUSTS TO 29 MPH WERE RECORDED.
IN 1992…A SNOW STORM DUMPED HEAVY SNOW IN THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. CONIFER RECEIVED 12 INCHES OF NEW SNOW WITH 7.5 INCHES AT ASPEN SPRINGS. SNOW ONLY DUSTED THE PLAINS AND METRO DENVER…BUT WINDS WERE STRONG WITH A GUST TO 43 MPH FROM THE NORTH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 0.3 INCH. THIS WAS THE ONLY MEASURABLE SNOWFALL OF THE MONTH…EQUALING THE RECORD FOR THE LEAST SNOWIEST FEBRUARY FIRST SET IN 1970. RARE THUNDER FOR FEBRUARY ACCOMPANIED THE SNOW DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 23RD.
IN 1999…STRONG CHINOOK WINDS DEVELOPED ON A VERY LOCALIZED SCALE OVERNIGHT IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS OF NORTHERN JEFFERSON AND SOUTHERN BOULDER COUNTIES. PEAK WIND REPORTS INCLUDED: 82 MPH AT THE ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL TEST FACILITY…80 MPH AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH MESA LAB IN BOULDER…77 MPH NEAR NEDERLAND…AND 75 MPH ATOP THE GAMOW TOWER ON THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO CAMPUS IN BOULDER.
The Weather Channel's new season of Storm Stories will feature the Windsor Tornado from May 2008. This scary image was taken by the webcam of MyWindsorWeather.com as the twister tore through the town on May 22, 2008.
This Sunday, February 22nd at 6:00pm MST, the Weather Channel will premiere the new season of its series Storm Stories. Most notably, the first episode will highlight a weather event from last year that struck very close to home – the May 22nd Windsor Tornado.
For those that haven’t seen Storm Stories, it is an exciting, sometimes scary and sad series discussing significant weather events as seen through the eyes of those that experienced it firsthand. For the Sunday episode, renowned storm tracker Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel will tell the story of the twister using footage from a variety of sources, including the video most have seen from KUSA (see below).
The kickoff of the new season of Storm Stories is actually the beginning as well of the Weather Channel’s ‘Tornado Week’ in which twisters are front and center. Other episodes of note during the week:
Monday – the “Parkersburg, IA, Tornado” on May 25, 2008, killed seven people and demolished the southern half of the town; first-hand accounts are given by residents.
Tuesday – the “Greensburg, KS, Tornado” on May 5, 2008, wiped out the entire town. The story is told through the experiences of next-door neighbors who saved a mother and her baby from the rubble.
Wednesday – “Super Tuesday” tornadoes cut a swath over a wide area Feb. 5, 2008; touching stories come from people that were affected in Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Thursday – the “Boy Scouts Tornado” hit the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in western Iowa last June, catching everyone off guard. The surviving scouts are forced to put their training to use in the midst of a terrifying situation to help keep injured scouts alive in the aftermath.
Hot or not? Are the global climate models accurate or are they full of hot air?
The science behind the theory of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), or manmade climate change, has been said to be ‘settled’. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Al Gore, and Dr. James Hansen make up a triumvirate of climate change advocates. Wielding studies, computer models, and various charts and analyses, they believe man is heading down the road to self-destruction of we do not reverse course immediately and do everything and anything to stop what they believe is an unnaturally warming climate.
We continue our analysis of not only the battle between Dr. William Gray and Dr. James Hansen but the larger issue of anthropogenic global warming. In his letter Dr. Gray raises some very interesting arguments about Hansen’s research and about the science behind the theory of AGW. Today we take a closer look at the science as Dr. Gray sees it.
