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Carol Rasmussen, NASA Using satellite data on how water moves around Earth, NASA scientists have solved two mysteries about wobbles in the planet’s rotation – one new and one more than a century old. The research may help improve our knowledge of past and future climate. Although a desktop globe always spins smoothly around the axis… Continue reading Two Mysteries About Wobbling Earth Have Been Solved |
Category Archives: Climatology
March 2016 weather recap: A bit warmer than normal, much wetter and snowier
The month of March 2016 in Thornton was a bit of a tale of two halves. The first, mild and dry. The second, colder and much, much wetter.
We started out with above normal temperature readings dominating the daily temperatures. In fact 12 of the first 14 days of the month saw high temperatures above average, some well above. Other than a nice bit of rain on the 7th, those first two weeks were dry as well. All were courtesy of strong high pressure staying over the region.
Things cooled down briefly for the next few days and we received a nice bit of snow on the 17th and 18th. However, warm weather returned with back to back 70+ degree days on the 21st and 22nd.
March is however our snowiest month and Mother Nature delivered a walloping reminder of that on the 23rd. Blizzard conditions arrived early in the morning and persisted through the day. Schools and businesses shuttered as did the airport and major interstates.
Cool, unsettled weather conditions finished out the month. Another, light show of snow came on the 26th followed by flurries on the 31st.
Thornton’s overall average temperature for March was 41.4 degrees. This was very close to Denver’s official measurement of 41.6 degrees as taken out at DIA. The average monthly temperature for March is 40.4 degrees.
Thornton saw a maximum mercury reading of 72.4 degrees on the 21st and a low of 13.5 degrees on the 24th. Out at the airport, Denver saw its highest reading of 74 degrees on the 11th and a low of 10 degrees on the 24th.
In terms of precipitation, rain and snow combined to bring Thornton a wet 3.21 inches. The long term average for Denver in March is 0.92 inches.
Denver’s automated system claims a mere 0.90 inches of liquid precipitation at the airport. It is clear that they had a very incorrect reading from the blizzard on the 23rd. Their climate report for the month makes the note, “the precipitation for March 23rd is too low due to undercatch from blizzard. This value is under review. This could change the values below.”
Snowfall was abundant for the month and far exceeded the average of 10.7 inches for Denver. Here in Thornton we received 30.1 inches – our second highest monthly total in 10 years. The airport lagged considerably due to their location out in the middle of nowhere with 18.4 inches.
Click here to view Thornton’s March 2016 climate report.
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
1255 PM MDT FRI APR 1 2016
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2016...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2016
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 84 03/26/1971
LOW -11 03/28/1886
HIGHEST 74 03/11 73 1 81 03/16
LOWEST 10 03/24 11 -1 2 03/05
AVG. MAXIMUM 54.9 54.4 0.5 58.9
AVG. MINIMUM 28.3 26.4 1.9 31.2
MEAN 41.6 40.4 1.2 45.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 1 1.9 -0.9 2
DAYS MIN <= 32 21 23.6 -2.6 12
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.1 -0.1 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.56 1983
MINIMUM 0.03 2012
*THE PRECIPITATION FOR MARCH 23RD IS TOO LOW DUE TO UNDERCATCH
FROM BLIZZARD. THIS VALUE IS UNDER REVIEW. THIS COULD CHANGE
THE VALUES BELOW.
TOTALS 0.90* 0.92 -0.02* 0.79
DAILY AVG. 0.03* 0.03 0.00* 0.03
DAYS >= .01 9 5.9 3.1 5
DAYS >= .10 2 2.4 -0.4 3
DAYS >= .50 0 0.3 -0.3 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0* 0.1 -0.1* 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.49* 03/23 TO 03/23 03/19 TO 03/19
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 18.4 10.7
RECORD MARCH 35.2 2003
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 716 763 -47 611
SINCE 7/1 4704 5202 -498 4724
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..........................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 11.7
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/238
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 53/340 DATE 03/23
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 59/340 DATE 03/23
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 3
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 20
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 8
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 48
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 4 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 1
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 4
LIGHT SNOW 8 SLEET 0
FOG 11 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 2
HAZE 3
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
February 2016 weather recap: Month offered wetter, warmer than normal conditions
The month of February was a bit of a mixed bag of weather conditions for Thornton. While it started out cold and snowy, it finished quite warm.
Snow and cold were the main features for the month initially as we received our biggest snowfall of the season on the 1st and 2nd. Thornton recorded a healthy 11.1 inches from the system while Denver officially saw 11.6 inches.
The white stuff and the cold with it did not last long however. Cold did linger for a few days but an extended period from the 9th to the 20th saw dry conditions and warmer than normal temperatures.
A very brief interlude then arrived cooling things down and delivering light snow on the 23rd. From there, the warm and dry conditions returned and closed out the month.
Thornton saw an average monthly temperature of 38.5 degrees for the month. Out at the airport where Denver’s official measurements are taken, the month averaged 37.8 degrees. Both were well above the historical February average of 32.5 degrees.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 74.5 degrees on the 18th down to a low of 3.3 degrees on the morning of the 3rd. Denver’s maximum reading for the month was 73 degrees and its lowest 1 degree, both occurring on the same day as Thornton’s. The Mile High City’s reading on the 18th was a record high for the date.
In terms of precipitation, Denver averages 0.37 inches during what is usually a relatively dry month. Thornton saw 0.53 inches of liquid precip while DIA recorded 0.48 inches. For both locations, the bulk of the moisture occurred with the snowstorm that started the month.
Snowfall was well above normal for February 2016. Thornton saw 11.9 inches and Denver 11.6 inches. Average for February is 5.9 inches.
Click here to view Thornton’s February 2016 climate report.
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
1035 AM MST TUE MAR 1 2016
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2016...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2016
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 77 02/28/2006
02/04/1890
LOW -25 02/01/1951
02/08/1936
HIGHEST 73 02/18 68 5 74 02/07
LOWEST 1 02/03 5 4 -6 02/27
AVG. MAXIMUM 52.2 46.2 6.0 46.6
AVG. MINIMUM 23.4 18.9 4.5 21.0
MEAN 37.8 32.5 5.3 33.8
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 3 3.9 -0.9 7
DAYS MIN <= 32 25 26.9 -1.9 24
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 1.3 -1.3 2
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 2.01 1934
MINIMUM 0.01 1970
TOTALS 0.48 0.37 0.11 1.25
DAILY AVG. 0.02 MM MM 0.04
DAYS >= .01 2 5.3 -3.3 10
DAYS >= .10 2 0.7 1.3 5
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.45 02/01 TO 02/02 02/15 TO 02/16
02/21 TO 02/21
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 11.6 5.7
RECORD FEBRUARY 22.4 2015
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 780 908 -128 864
SINCE 7/1 3988 4468 -480 4113
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 11.3
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/217
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 43/220 DATE 02/18
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 53/230 DATE 02/18
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 8
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 18
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 3
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 50
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 0 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 2
LIGHT SNOW 3 SLEET 0
FOG 4 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3
HAZE 2
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Thornton’s March preview: Our snowiest month also brings much warmer temps
The month of February was quite generous in terms of snowfall at the start. However things quickly transitioned to drier and warmer conditions that lasted most of the rest of the month.
March usually offers healthy snowfall giving us an opportunity to add to those numbers. While there is good snow potential in March, the month also typically brings much warmer temperatures.
March is historically Denver’s snowiest month and brings about 20% of our annual snowfall. Heavy, wet spring snow storms can oftentimes bring the entire month’s snowfall total in one monstrous snow.
We also start the transition to spring and severe weather season and the month typically brings our first thunderstorms of the year. Temperatures climb throughout the month and by the end our average daytime highs are near 60 degrees.
For a complete look at what lies ahead in March 2016, click here.
Thornton’s February weather preview: Month usually brings warmer temps, drier conditions
February in Colorado typically brings to an end an extended period when average temperatures are at their lowest. Winter begins to loosen its grip and temperatures get warmer but precipitation is not a particularly common event during the month.
Thus far our snow season is looking in pretty good shape with most basins in the high country reporting above normal snowpack. At lower elevations, we are running above average as well. That is a good thing as February is only our sixth snowiest month so we may not see much snowfall for the balance of the month.
Temperatures however do usually see a nice rebound during the month. Average high temperatures climb from an average of 44 degrees at the start to 50 degrees by the end of February.
January 2016 weather recap: Average temperatures, just a bit drier than normal
January 2016’s weather was notable for only one thing – its lack of anything notable. All in all the month failed to produce anything particularly dramatic. While it was just a bit dry, it wasn’t by much and temperatures came in right near normal.
Only three periods of snowfall occurred during the month. The heaviest of these was on the 7th and 8th but it only amounted to a few inches. High and low temperatures failed to produce any extremes either. We had a few mild days but also lacked extreme cold with no days dipping below zero.
Thornton’s average temperature for the month came in at 30.5 degrees. This was just slightly below Denver’s long term January average of 30.7 degrees. Officially, the Mile High City’s average was warmer than ours at 31.8 degrees.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 68.5 degrees on the 30th down to a low of 1.1 degrees on the morning of the 1st. Denver saw a maximum of 65 degrees on the 30th and a low of 5 degrees on the 10th.
In terms of precipitation, we recorded 0.34 inches in Thornton. Out at the airport, Denver was wetter with 0.50 being recorded by their bucket. The January average for Denver is 0.41 inches.
While we did see some snow during the month, no single storm was extraordinary and monthly totals came in below normal. Average for Denver during the month is 7.0 inches. Thornton saw 5.3 inches of the white stuff while Denver was just a bit behind at 4.6 inches.
Click here to view Thornton’s January 2016 climate report.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
308 PM MST MON FEB 1 2016
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2016...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2016
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 76 01/27/1888
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 65 01/30 76 -11 75 01/27
LOWEST 5 01/10 -29 34 -10 01/04
AVG. MAXIMUM 43.5 44.0 -0.5 46.7
AVG. MINIMUM 20.1 17.4 2.7 21.0
MEAN 31.8 30.7 1.1 33.9
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 3 5.5 -2.5 5
DAYS MIN <= 32 30 29.4 0.6 27
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 1.7 -1.7 3
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 2.35 1883
MINIMUM 0.01 1933
1934
1952
TOTALS 0.50 0.41 0.09 0.38
DAILY AVG. 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.01
DAYS >= .01 5 4.1 0.9 5
DAYS >= .10 3 0.9 2.1 1
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.32 01/07 TO 01/08
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTAL 4.6 7.0
RECORD
TOTAL 24.3 1992
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 1021 1063 -42 958
SINCE 7/1 3208 3531 -323 3249
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.5
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 4/204
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 32/270 DATE 01/14
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 38/270 DATE 01/14
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 6
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 19
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 6
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 57
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 0 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 1
LIGHT SNOW 10 SLEET 0
FOG 10 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 2
HAZE 5
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
2015 Thornton annual weather recap: Above normal temps, lots of precipitation
The year that was lacked any major drama in terms of the weather. Winter and severe weather conditions during their seasons were pretty typical. Overall, the year saw temperatures and precipitation end above average.
Thornton’s average annual temperature for 2015 came in at 51.1 degrees. That was a bit above Denver’s historical average of 50.5 degrees. Out at DIA where the Mile High City’s official measurements were taken, the average was 52.0 degrees. Denver’s reading made the year the 18th warmest on record.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 98.1 degrees on August XX down to a low of -3.7 degrees on January XX. We saw 44 days of high temperatures at or above 90 degrees and 131 days with low temperatures below the freezing mark.
Out at the airport, Denver saw a maximum of 98 degrees on August 15 and a low of 10 degrees below zero on January 4. Officially the city saw 48 90 degrees days and 126 days with lows below freezing.
Denver averages 39.6 days of 90 degrees temperatures and 156.9 days with lows below 32 degrees.
In terms of precipitation, both Thornton and Denver saw their rain buckets record above normal levels. Thornton measured 20.81 inches while DIA was drier with 18.31 inches. Both marks were well above the annual average of 14.30 inches. For Denver, it was the 25th wettest year on record.
Snow as well finished above normal for the calendar year. Average is 53.8 inches. Thornton recorded a hefty 72.1 inches of the white stuff. Denver lagged us but was still above average with 64.4 inches. February was the snowiest month for both locations with Thornton recording 26.7 inches and Denver 22.4 inches.
Click here to view Thornton’s 2015 climate summary report.
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
730 AM MST SAT JAN 2 2016
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2015...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2015
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 105 06/26/2012
06/25/2012
07/20/2005
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 98 08/15 64 34 100 07/07
LOWEST -10 01/04 36 -46 -19 12/30
02/05
AVG. MAXIMUM 65.4 64.7 0.7 64.6
AVG. MINIMUM 38.6 36.3 2.3 36.5
MEAN 52.0 50.5 1.5 50.5
DAYS MAX >= 90 48 39.6 8.4 29
DAYS MAX <= 32 29 20.0 9.0 24
DAYS MIN <= 32 126 156.9 -30.9 150
DAYS MIN <= 0 7 5.8 1.2 14
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 23.31 1967
MINIMUM 7.29 2008
TOTALS 18.31 14.30 4.01 18.77
DAILY AVG. 0.05 0.03 0.02 0.05
DAYS >= .01 107 79.7 27.3 98
DAYS >= .10 49 34.9 14.1 44
DAYS >= .50 10 7.6 2.4 10
DAYS >= 1.00 2 2.3 -0.3 4
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.41 04/16 TO 04/17 2.85 07/29 TO 07/30
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 115.9 1913
24 HR TOTAL 23.6 12/24/1982 TO 12/24/1982
SNOW DEPTH MM MM
TOTALS 64.4 53.8 10.6 46.1
LIQUID EQUIV 6.44 5.40 1.04 4.61
SINCE 7/1 22.6 22.5 0.1 16.0
LIQUID 7/1 2.26 2.20 0.06 1.60
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= TRACE 51 33.3 17.7 55
DAYS >= 1.0 25 16.3 8.7 17
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 9 02/23 6 12/31
STORM TOTAL 10.5 5.9
(MM/DD(HH)) 02/20 TO 02/23 12/29 TO 12/30
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 5479 6059 -580 5844
SINCE 7/1 2187 2468 -281 2291
COOLING TOTAL 877 769 108 701
SINCE 1/1 877 769 108 701
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.6
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/195
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 46/350 DATE 11/17
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 60/330 DATE 07/15
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 80
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 208
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 77
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 56
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 71 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 14 RAIN 36
LIGHT RAIN 101 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 4 HAIL 5
HEAVY SNOW 9 SNOW 31
LIGHT SNOW 53 SLEET 1
FOG 111 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 40
HAZE 58
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
_____________________________________________________________________
..........2015 WAS WETTER AND WARMER THAN NORMAL..........
.........................TEMPERATURES...........................
TEMPERATURES FOR 2015 FINISHED ABOVE NORMAL WITH A MEAN OF 52.0
DEGREES F. WHICH IS 1.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS MAKES 2015 THE
18TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THERE WERE 48 DAYS IN WHICH THE
TEMPERATURE REACHED OR EXCEEDED 90 DEGREES AND NO DAYS REACHING THE
CENTURY MARK. AUGUST 15TH WAS THE HOTTEST DAY OF YEAR WITH A
TEMPERATURE OF 98 DEGREES. THERE WERE 4 DAYS DURING THE YEAR IN
WHICH THE TEMPERATURE FELL BELOW ZERO. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE
RECORDED FOR THE YEAR OCCURRED ON JANUARY 4TH WITH A READING OF TEN
DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
MONTH MEAN TEMP DEPARTURE WARMEST COLDEST
(DEGREES F)FROM NORMAL (DEGREES F) (DEGREES F)
JANUARY 33.0 +3.2 40.3(1986) 16.8(1930)
FEBRUARY 33.8 +1.3 43.7(1954) 17.7(1899)
MARCH 45.0 +4.6 50.4(1910) 26.4(1912)
APRIL 48.7 +1.3 56.4(1981) 38.8(1920)
MAY 53.0 -4.1 64.7(1934) 48.7(1917)
JUNE 69.5 +2.1 75.0(2012) 60.6(1967)
JULY 72.8 -1.4 78.9(2012) 67.3(1895)
AUGUST 74.0 +1.5 77.0(2011) 66.5(1915)
SEPTEMBER 69.4 +6.0 69.4(2015) 54.7(1912)
OCTOBER 56.5 +5.6 59.9(1950) 38.9(1969)
NOVEMBER 38.5 +0.2 50.9(1949) 22.0(1930)
DECEMBER 29.4 -0.6 43.8(1933) 17.4(1983)
ANNUAL 52.0 +1.5 54.9(1934) 47.8(1912)
.......................PRECIPITATION............................
2015 WAS A GOOD YEAR FOR PRECIPITATION IN DENVER. THE FINAL TALLY
FOR THE YEAR WAS 18.31 INCHES WHICH IS 4.01 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL
OF 14.30 INCHES. THIS MAKES 2015 THE 25TH WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD.
MONTH PRECIP DEPARTURE WETTEST DRIEST
(INCHES) FROM NORMAL (INCHES) (INCHES)
JANUARY 0.38 -0.03 2.25(1883) 0.01 (1952...1934...1933)
FEBRUARY 1.25 +0.88 2.01(1934) 0.01(1970)
MARCH 0.79 -0.13 4.56(1900) 0.03(1963)
APRIL 2.65 +0.94 8.24(1900) 0.03(1963)
MAY 3.76 +1.64 8.57(1876) 0.06(1974)
JUNE 2.53 +0.55 4.96(1882) T (1890)
JULY 1.06 -1.10 6.41(1965) 0.01(1901)
AUGUST 1.18 -0.51 5.85(1979) 0.02(1924)
SEPTEMBER 0.11 -0.85 5.61(2013) T (1892...1944)
OCTOBER 1.76 +0.74 4.17(1969) T (1934)
NOVEMBER 2.13 +1.52 3.21(1946) T (1899...1901...1949)
DECEMBER 0.71 +0.36 5.21(1913) 0.00(1881)
ANNUAL 18.31 +4.01 23.31(1967) 7.29(2008)
...........................SNOWFALL..............................
64.4 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN 2015...WHICH IS 10.6 INCHES ABOVE THE
NORMAL OF 53.8 INCHES. FEBRUARY 2015 WAS SNOWIEST FEBRUARY ON
RECORD WITH 22.4 INCHES OF SNOW MEASURED AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. SNOW ALSO FELL IN DENVER ON CHRISTMAS DAY...WITH 2.3
MEASURED AT THE AIRPORT.
MONTH SNOWFALL DEPARTURE SNOWIEST LEAST SNOWIEST
(INCHES) FROM NORMAL (INCHES) (INCHES)
JANUARY 7.2 -0.2 24.3(1992) T (2003...1934)
FEBRUARY 22.4 +16.7 22.4(2015) T (2009)
MARCH 2.9 -7.8 35.2(2003) T (2012...1995)
APRIL 5.3 -1.5 33.8(1933) 0 (1995...1992...1943...1930)
MAY 4.0 +2.9 15.5(1898) 0 (NUMEROUS YEARS)
SEPTEMBER 0.0 -1.3 17.2(1971) 0 (NUMEROUS YEARS)
OCTOBER 0.0 -4.0 31.2(1969) 0 (NUMEROUS YEARS)
NOVEMBER 11.3 +2.6 42.6(1946) 0 (1995)
DECEMBER 11.3 +2.8 57.4(1913) 0 (1881)
ANNUAL 64.4 +10.6 115.9(1913) 18.9(1887)
December 2015 weather recap: Average temperatures, above normal precipitation
Warm and dry were the key weather words for the start of December 2015. That however changed as the month progressed and colder, wetter weather arrived.
High pressure dominated the start of the month leading to 10 out of the first 11 days of the month seeing above normal temperatures. No precipitation was recorded over that period as well.
Things began to change on the 12th of the month as Thornton saw a couple of inches of snowfall and temperatures dropped. A second, far more potent storm arrived on the 15th giving the Mile High City its heaviest snowfall of the season to that point.
Warmer and drier conditions returned up until Christmas. For the holiday, temperatures were over 15 degrees below normal and the afternoon and evening brought a white Christmas with moderate snowfall.
We then wrapped up the month with a string of well below average temperatures. In fact, the mercury remained below the freezing mark for the balance of the month.
Thornton’s average temperature for the month came in at 29.3 degrees. That is just below the long term Denver average of 30.0 degrees. Out at the airport where Denver’s official measurements are made, the average was virtually identical to Thornton’s at 29.4 degrees.
Highs in Thornton ranged from a 66.5 degrees maximum on the 9th down to a low of 00.3 degrees on the morning of the 28th. Denver saw its warmest temperature on the 9th also with a high of 69 degrees. Its low came in at 0 degrees on the 17th and 28th.
In terms of precipitation, Thornton recorded 0.79 inches in the bucket. At DIA, Denver was just a bit drier at 0.71 inches. The December average for Denver is 0.35 inches.
Denver averages 8.7 inches of snowfall during December. Both Thornton and Denver bested the average with 14.2 inches and 11.3 inches respectively.
Click here to view Thornton’s December 2015 climate report.
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
130 PM MST FRI JAN 1 2016
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2015...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2015
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 79 12/05/1939
LOW -25 12/22/1990
12/24/1876
HIGHEST 69 12/09 62 7 66 12/12
LOWEST 0 12/28 -4 4 -19 12/30
12/17
AVG. MAXIMUM 40.9 42.8 -1.9 44.1
AVG. MINIMUM 17.9 17.1 0.8 18.5
MEAN 29.4 30.0 -0.6 31.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 10 5.8 4.2 5
DAYS MIN <= 32 28 29.4 -1.4 31
DAYS MIN <= 0 2 2.0 0.0 2
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 5.21 1913
MINIMUM 0.00 1881
TOTALS 0.71 0.35 0.36 0.59
DAILY AVG. 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.02
DAYS >= .01 5 4.1 0.9 7
DAYS >= .10 3 1.1 1.9 2
DAYS >= .50 0 0.1 -0.1 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.32 12/15 TO 12/15
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 11.3 8.7
RECORD DECEMBER 57.4 1913
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 1097 1086 11 1037
SINCE 7/1 2187 2468 -281 2291
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 877 769 108 701
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.8
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 4/210
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 41/280 DATE 12/09
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 64/290 DATE 12/15
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 5
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 22
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 4
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 58
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 0 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 3
LIGHT SNOW 8 SLEET 0
FOG 12 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3
HAZE 6
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Dreaming of a white Christmas in Denver? Odds are not historically that great
As Christmas gets closer everyone always wonders if we are going to get the proverbial white Christmas. Unfortunately, if you look at Denver and Thornton weather history, the chances aren’t all that good but it also depends on what you define as a white Christmas.
If to you a white Christmas means having actual snowfall on Christmas Day the chances aren’t that good. But, if simply having snow on the ground suffices, the chances improve considerably.
For a complete look at Denver’s Christmas weather statistics, click here.
For the latest Thornton weather forecast for Christmas, check out our forecast page.
Astronomical winter begins with the winter solstice on Monday
Astronomical winter arrives in Thornton tonight and with the solstice also comes the shortest day of the year.
Winter officially begins at 9:49pm today. The Winter Solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted at its furthest from the sun – 23.5 degrees away. This results in the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Here in Denver, with sunrise at 7:17am and sunset at 4:39pm, our day today is 9 hours, 21 minutes and 14 seconds long. Tomorrow it will be one second longer and each day from now through to the Summer Solstice in June will get gradually longer as well.
While we have a short day today, it is nothing like what will be experienced in the Arctic Circle. Areas north of there to the North Pole will have no direct sunlight at all. Conversely, areas south of the Antarctic Circle toward the South Pole will have 24 hours of daylight and have a midnight sun.
Did you know that there is a difference between the astronomical seasons that we are discussing here and meteorological seasons?
Meteorological seasons differ slightly and are geared toward matching the calendar with the annual temperature cycle. This is done primarily for meteorological observing and forecasting and in many ways it is more logical than the astronomical seasons.
For the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological spring covers the months of March, April and May. Summer brings the hottest months of the year and so meteorological summer is June, July and August. Meteorological fall then is September, October and November followed by the coldest months of December, January and February as meteorological winter.