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November 2019 weather recap: Another cold, snowy month for Thornton

For the second month in a row, Mother Nature kept us cold and delivered a healthy dose of snow. Thornton experienced its second coldest November of the past 13 years and the snowiest of the past 13 years.

The month started out chilly but soon saw things stabilize and turn seasonal. Then, the 8th and 9th offered up our two warmest days of the month with readings of 71 and 79 degrees respectively. We quickly chilled out and saw our first snowfall of the month on the 9th although it was minimal.

From the 12th to the 19th, weather was relatively calm and temperatures for the most part warmer than normal.

After that, things went downhill with most of the balance of the month seeing temperatures well below normal. Light snow on the 20th, 21st and 22nd was followed by our most significant storm of the season on the 26th.

Thornton saw an overall overage temperature for November of 35.6 degrees. This was a good ways below the long term Denver average for the month of 38.3 degrees. Out at Denver International Airport where Denver’s official measurements are taken, the average temperature for the month was 36.2 degrees.

Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 79 degrees on the 9th down to a low of 2 degrees on the 27th. Out at the airport, Denver saw its warmest reading of 77 degrees on the 9th also and its coldest temperature of -2 degrees on the 27th. The high temperature on the 9th was a record high for the date.

A generous amount of precipitation was received with Thornton recording 1.46 inches of rain and snowmelt. Denver lagged a bit with 1.31 inches. Both readings were well above the long term Denver average of 0.61 inches for November.

In terms of snowfall, the Mile High City averages 8.7 inches in November. Thornton’s reading of 16.7 inches and Denver’s of 13.7 inches easily bested the average.

Click here to view Thornton’s November 2019 climate report.

Thornton, Colorado's November 2019 Temperature Summary

Thornton, Colorado's November 2019 Precipitation Summary

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
905 AM MST SUN DEC 1 2019

...................................

...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2019...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2019

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              81   11/27/2017
 LOW              -18   11/29/1877
HIGHEST            77   11/09        73       4       65  11/02
LOWEST             -2   11/27        -6       4       10  11/12
AVG. MAXIMUM     49.7              52.1    -2.4     50.6
AVG. MINIMUM     22.7              24.5    -1.8     25.0
MEAN             36.2              38.3    -2.1     37.8
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      7               2.3     4.7        2
DAYS MIN <= 32     25              23.4     1.6       27
DAYS MIN <= 0       1               0.6     0.4        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         3.21   1946
 MINIMUM            T   1899
                        1901
                        1949
TOTALS           1.31              0.61    0.70     0.35
DAILY AVG.       0.04              0.02    0.02     0.01
DAYS >= .01         8               4.7     3.3        6
DAYS >= .10         4               1.6     2.4        1
DAYS >= .50         1               0.0     1.0        0
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.0     0.0        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.80   11/26 TO 11/26           11/11 TO 11/11

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           13.7               8.7
RECORD NOVEMBER  42.5   1946

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     860               801      59      808
 SINCE 7/1       1535              1382     153     1373
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1        916               769     147     1026

FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/08/1962
 LATEST       06/08/2007
EARLIEST                        10/07
LATEST                          05/05
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.3
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   2/197
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    37/020    DATE  11/16
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    48/010    DATE  11/16

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            7
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             18
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          5

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     65

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

Thornton’s December weather preview: What will the arrival of winter bring?

Thornton, Colorado's December Weather Preview

October and November brought Thornton cooler than normal temperatures and a good bit more snow than usual.  What will December hold for us?

The month of December brings with it the official start of winter and oftentimes, colder and snowier weather conditions.

It however can also offer unseasonably warm temperatures and bone dry conditions.  Given our recent mild and dry weather, we are certainly hoping for a change in the coming month.

Overall December’s monthly mean temperature of 30.0 degrees (1981 – 2010 averages) makes it our coldest month.  Snow is always on everyone’s mind this time of year but December is only our 3rd snowiest month behind March and November with an average of 8.5 inches of the white stuff.

Get all the details on Thornton’s December weather including a look back at historical events and a look at the long range forecast in our December weather preview here.

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November 2019 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow

An absolutely stunning sunset over Thornton, Colorado. (Jessica Fey)
An absolutely stunning sunset over Thornton, Colorado. (Jessica Fey)

Typically November is a quiet weather month with plenty of nice, fall days but it can also turn wet with healthy doses of snow and moisture.  The wide variety of conditions can create picturesque scenes ranging from blue skies and snow-capped mountains to a wintry wonderland in the metro area.

November is the second snowiest month of the year so winter conditions are not unusual.  Typically though, these bouts of cold are short-lived and normal daytime conditions are pleasant.

Outdoor activities continue to be quite popular during the month.  The cooling temperatures do oftentimes lead to an increase in wildlife activity.

All of the above help lead to a month in which a wide variety of scenes, flora and fauna can be captured.

  • Slideshow updated November 30, 2019
  • To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.

Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.

Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.

[flickr_set id=”72157711638685333″]

What is missing in the slideshow above?  Your photo!

Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured.  The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.

Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids.  Whimsical, newsy, artsy.  Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard.  You name it, we want to see and share it!

Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State.  We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.

We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.

What do you win for having your image in our slideshow?  We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes.  However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.

To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets.  Links are provided below.

So come on, get those camera’s rolling!

Denver sets new record high temperature for November 9th

Record High Temperature

We knew today would be the warmest day of the weekend and not only did that hold true, it was a record setting performance.

As measured at DIA, Denver’s high temperature today reached 77 degrees (as of this writing). That bested the record high temperature for November 9th of 76 degrees set in 1927.

Here in Thornton, we were a bit warmer with a high of 79 degrees.

Hopefully you enjoyed it as cooler weather lies ahead. See our extended forecast for details.

Thornton’s November weather preview: A month that can be prone to extremes

Thornton's November weather previewThe weather during the month of November in Denver metro area can offer just about anything.  While it is normally a quiet month, it can be prone to extremes.

November has historically been one of Denver’s snowiest months and major snowstorms are not entirely uncommon.  However conditions can also be quite dry.

Temperatures during the month continue to cool as we get closer to winter and by the end of the month the low temperatures routinely dip to 20 degrees or below.  At times it can in fact bring conditions more like what we see in January.

Get all the details on November’s weather and what we can expect in our complete preview here.

October 2019 weather recap: An extraordinarily cold and snowy month

There is little doubt that when folks’ memories go back October 2019’s weather, they will remember the snow and even more so, the cold. Numerous cold temperature records were broken and the month ended up as one of the coldest Octobers on record.

Things started off cool for the first few days and a bit of precipitation. We then warmed up and dried out, seeing our warmest temperatures of the month on the 7th, 8th and 9th. From there, it was mostly downhill.

The evening of the 9th saw a powerful storm system and cold front move across northeastern Colorado. Temperatures plummeted and we saw our first snowfall of the season. Denver officially saw a 70 degree temperature change from the 9th to the 10th, tying the period for the second largest two-day temperature swing in Denver history.

High pressure returned on the 12th and we warmed up and dried out again. Cool but non-dramatic conditions arrived for the 18th through the 23rd. We then saw our second snowfall on the 24th of the month.

A brief rebound saw us warm up and enjoy a day of warmer than normal temperatures on the 26th. Once again, Mother Nature dropped the hammer with cold and snow returning on the 27th. The final five days of the month saw us receive two shots of snow and temperatures more akin to what we would expect to see in January.

Overall, Thornton’s average temperature for the month was 42.8 degrees. This was far below the long term Denver average for October of 50.9 degrees and was Thornton’s second coldest October since ThorntonWeather.com came online in the fall of 2006.

Out at Denver International Airport where the Mile High City’s official measurements are taken, it was slightly warmer with an average of 43.7 degrees. That made the month the fourth coldest October in Denver weather history.

Denver saw six cold weather daily temperature records fall. Among them were a record low of 13 degrees on the 10th, a record low on the 11th, record low maximums on the 28th and the 29th, and then two more record low temperatures on the 30th and 31st.

In terms of precipitation, Denver averages 1.02 inches of liquid during the month of October.  Thornton bested that handily with 1.54 inches in our rain bucket. At DIA, it was drier with only 0.91 inches officially.

Snow was abundant in Thornton and Denver. Thornton received 17.6 inches of the white stuff while Denver came in at 12.5 inches. The Denver measurement made the month the 12th snowiest in Denver weather history.

Click here to view Thornton’s October 2019 climate report.

Thornton, Colorado's October 2019 Temperature Summary.
Thornton, Colorado’s October 2019 Temperature Summary.
Thornton, Colorado's October 2019 Precipitation Summary.
Thornton, Colorado’s October 2019 Precipitation Summary.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
230 PM MDT FRI NOV 1 2019

...................................

...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2019...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2019

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   10/09        83       0       86  10/03
LOWEST              3   10/30        22     -19       18  10/15
AVG. MAXIMUM     58.5              65.3    -6.8     61.5
AVG. MINIMUM     28.9              36.6    -7.7     36.8
MEAN             43.7              50.9    -7.2     49.2
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      5               0.4     4.6        1
DAYS MIN <= 32     18               8.5     9.5        7
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) 
RECORD
 MAXIMUM 4.17 1969
 MINIMUM T 1934
 TOTALS          0.91              1.02   -0.11     0.99 
DAILY AVG.       0.03              0.03    0.00     0.03 
DAYS >= .01         9               5.3     3.7        9
DAYS >= .10         4               2.4     1.6        3
DAYS >= .50         0               0.5    -0.5        0
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.1    -0.1        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.22   10/29 TO 10/29

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           12.5               4.0
RECORD OCTOBER   31.2   1969

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     653               440     213      487
 SINCE 7/1        675               581      94      565
COOLING TOTAL       1                 5      -4        4
 SINCE 1/1        916               769     147     1026

FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/08/1962
 LATEST       06/08/2007
EARLIEST      10/09             10/07
LATEST                          05/05
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              10.0
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   1/209
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    46/040    DATE  10/09
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    57/030    DATE  10/09

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.40
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           13
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             13
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          5

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     51


-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

Another record falls as Denver sees its coldest Halloween temperature on record

Record Cold Temperatures

The storm might be over but its effects continue to be felt in the form of very cold temperatures. This morning Denver recorded its coldest temperature ever for October 31.

In the pre-dawn hours the temperature at Denver International Airport dropped to 7 degrees. This handily bested the record low temperature for the date of 10 degrees set in 1991.

Here in Thornton we were just a bit colder with a low of 5 degrees.

This is the third cold temperature record set in recent days. It follows a record low maximum on the 29th and a record low yesterday.

October 2019 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow

The Mount Lindo cross glows over the city of Denver at twilight. (Bill Hutchinson)
The Mount Lindo cross glows over the city of Denver at twilight. (Bill Hutchinson)

October in Thornton can bring a wide variety of weather conditions, perfect for the photographer in all of us.

The month brings the changing of the colors at Colorado’s lower elevations and it is also is typically when we see our first freeze and first snow.

Couple those facts with our usual widely varying landscapes and wildlife and we have a month that is sure to bring in plenty of photo opportunities.

  • Slideshow updated October 31, 2019
  • To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.

Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.

Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.

[flickr_set id=”72157711281326282″]

What is missing in the slideshow above?  Your photo!

Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured.  The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.

Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids.  Whimsical, newsy, artsy.  Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard.  You name it, we want to see and share it!

Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State.  We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.

We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.

What do you win for having your image in our slideshow?  We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes.  However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.

To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets.  Links are provided below.

So come on, get those camera’s rolling!

Falling back: Daylight Saving Time comes to an end Sunday, November 3

The United States returns to Standard Time at 2:00am Sunday as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end.
The United States returns to Standard Time at 2:00am Sunday as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end.

The biannual ritual of changing our clocks to adjust for Daylight Saving Time occurs this weekend, providing yet another signal of the changing of seasons.  The United States will ‘fall back’ one hour at 2:00am Sunday morning as we return to Standard Time.

The ritual of changing our clocks twice a year can be met with some resistance as some people struggle to adjust their body’s internal clock.  Others actually like the return to standard time as they get to enjoy an extra hour of sleep.

The time change definitely has big effects on the dawning of daylight and how early it gets dark in the evening.

Sunrise on Saturday occurs at 7:29am but on Sunday it will be at 6:30am. Similarly, sunset will occur at 5:56pm on Saturday but on Sunday the sun will disappear over the horizon at 4:55pm.

For many this means that when they get home from work it will now be dark and outdoor activities will be significantly curtailed as a result.

Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that do not observe Daylight Saving Time and remain on Standard Time year round.    The U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands also do not observe the event.

It won’t be all that long though before Daylight Saving Time returns.  On March 8, 2020 we will ‘spring forward.’

Daylight Saving Time Schedule

The mandated beginning and end of Daylight Saving Time has changed in the United States over the years.

The most recent schedule was set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and took effect in 2007.  We now ‘spring forward’ to begin Daylight Saving Time on the second Sunday in March and ‘fall back’ with the return to Standard Time on the first Sunday in November.

Daylight Savings Time Dates

Year DST Begins 2 a.m.
(Second Sunday in March)
DST Ends 2 a.m.
(First Sunday in November)
2019 10 March 2019 3 November 2019
2020 8 March 2020 1 November 2020
2021 14 March 2021 7 November 2021
2022 13 March 2022 6 November 2022
2023 12 March 2023 5 November 2023
2024 10 March 2024 3 November 2024
2025 9 March 2025 2 November 2025

Octobrrr as Denver sets record low temperature for October 30

Record Cold Temperatures

With the snow yesterday also came unusually cold temperatures. Yesterday’s high temperature was the coldest recorded for the date and now Denver has set a record low temperature.

Denver’s official temperature this morning dropped to 3 degrees as measured at Denver International Airport. That broke the record low temperature for October 30 of 7 degrees set in 1991.

Thornton saw similarly bone-chilling cold with a low of 4 degrees this morning.

Today, temperatures are going to run about 40 degrees below normal. Further, there is a good chance we set another record low temperature tomorrow morning. The record low for October 31 is 10 degrees and current indications are we could dip to near 0 degrees.