Denver set a temperature record for today, May 19.
It’s official. At 1:24pm today the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 90 degrees setting a new record high temperature for May 19. This breaks the previous record high for this date of 89 degrees set in 2006.
Wtih some cloud cover moving in and a chance for thunderstorms in the forecast, it appears that is as high as the mercury will climb today.
But is it truly a record?
One does have to wonder though, is it truly fair to call this a record? When the National Weather Service moved Denver’s official monitoring station from Stapleton to Denver International Airport, some say the city’s climate records were forever altered. For more information and analysis of the controversy, check out this story: Do Denver weather and climate records have an asterisk attached?
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April 26 to May 2 - This week in Denver weather history
This week in Denver weather history shows the extremely wide variety of conditions we can have this year. From major snow storms to hail dropping thunderstorms, we can see it all.
IN 1924…POST-FRONTAL RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW…WHICH BECAME HEAVY AND TOTALED 10.2 INCHES OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON THE GROUND WAS 6.0 INCHES ON THE 25TH DUE TO MELTING. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 38 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 42 MPH ON THE 24TH.
25-26
IN 1985…A SPRING STORM BROUGHT MUCH RAIN AND SNOW TO METRO DENVER. THE FOOTHILLS WERE BURIED WITH 15 INCHES OF SNOW AT CONIFER AND 12 INCHES AT EVERGREEN. AT LOWER ELEVATIONS… AN INCH OR MORE OF RAIN FELL IN DENVER AND BOULDER. THE HEAVY PRECIPITATION CAUSED BRIEF POWER OUTAGES IN THE DENVER AREA. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.06 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…INCLUDING ONLY 0.7 INCH OF SNOWFALL.
25-27
IN 1877…SNOW ENDED AROUND 7:00 AM ON THE MORNING OF THE 27TH… AFTER FALLING CONTINUOUSLY FOR 48 HOURS AND TOTALING AN ESTIMATED 13 INCHES IN THE CITY. THE STORM…LIKELY ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG WINDS…CAUSED TRAINS TO BE DELAYED FOR 2 TO 3 DAYS. ONE OR TWO ROOFS OF SMALL BUILDINGS WERE CRUSHED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE SNOW…AND MANY TREE BRANCHES WERE BROKEN IN THE CITY. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF REPORTS OF LIVESTOCK LOSSES. ONE STOCKMAN LOST 17 HORSES AND SEVERAL CATTLE FROM THE SNOW AND COLD. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.30 INCHES FROM THE STORM.
26
IN 1965…WHILE ONLY 0.40 INCH OF RAIN FELL AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…SOME COMMUNITIES IN THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER REPORTED OVER 30 INCHES OF SNOW FROM THE STORM.
IN 1972…A SPRING SNOW STORM ACCOMPANIED BY THUNDER DUMPED 15.8 INCHES OF HEAVY WET SNOW ON METRO DENVER. STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 35 MPH PRODUCED BLOWING SNOW. THE STORM WAS QUITE INTENSE AND GREATLY HAMPERED TRAVEL. HIGH WINDS CAUSED DRIFTS 10 TO 15 FEET DEEP IN SOME AREAS… BLOCKING ROADS AND STRANDING HUNDREDS OF MOTORISTS. AN ESTIMATED 500 TO 600 PEOPLE WERE STRANDED IN THE CASTLE ROCK AREA. RESCUE SERVICE WAS PROVIDED BY HEAVY ARMY EQUIPMENT FROM FORT CARSON. POWER LINES WERE DOWNED…POWER POLES WERE TOPPLED…AND A NUMBER OF STEEL TOWERS CARRYING HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. SOME AREAS NORTHEAST OF DENVER WERE WITHOUT POWER FOR A WEEK. A LARGE NUMBER OF CATTLE AND SHEEP WERE KILLED BY THE STORM. THE GREATEST SNOW DEPTH ON THE GROUND AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WAS 12 INCHES. WARM TEMPERATURES FOLLOWING THE STORM QUICKLY MELTED THE SNOW.
IN 1995…THE THIRD MAJOR SNOW STORM OF THE MONTH DUMPED HEAVY SNOW IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. SIX TO 12 INCHES OF HEAVY WET SNOW FELL IN THE WESTERN METRO SUBURBS WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS ABOVE 6 THOUSAND FEET. BOTH BOULDER AND GOLDEN MEASURED 10 INCHES OF SNOW. ONLY 2.4 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WERE MEASURED AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTH WINDS GUSTED 28 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1998…THE LAST IN A SERIES OF APRIL STORMS BLANKETED THE FOOTHILLS WITH HEAVY SNOW. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS INCLUDED: 17 INCHES NEAR BLACKHAWK…15 INCHES AT IDAHO SPRINGS…14 INCHES AT GEORGETOWN…11 INCHES NEAR CONIFER AND MORRISON. ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 28 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
As we begin to dry out from an incredibly wet April storm, we can take a look at some of the numbers from the three day event. Being on the warmer east side of the Denver area, Thornton did not receive a tremendous amount of snow as temperatures here simply remained too warm. What we did get though was rain – and LOTS of it.
ThorntonWeather.com measured 3.06 inches of precipitation – the most we have recorded for a single weather event since we went operational in October 2006. Friday was the wettest of the three days with 1.86 inches recorded – not a single day record for ThorntonWeather.com but still a great amount for our arid climate. The steady and more or less constant rain brought much needed moisture and helps to make up for what has been a dry snow season thus far.
Denver did officially set a record for Friday when 1.16 inches of precipitation was recorded at Denver International Airport – the most ever on April 17th. The old record was 1.00 inch set in 1920.
While we remain well behind normal on snow for the season, for the calendar year thus far, the storm put Denver ahead of the curve on precipitation. Normally by this date we would have had 3.36 inches of precipitation. Since January 1 Denver has now recorded 3.61 inches, 0.25 inch above normal, so that is definitely good news.
As we mentioned, Thornton did not receive a lot of snow from this event. We recorded 3.1 inches total as the rain / snow mix we saw at many times resulted in what snow did fall being compacted by rain immediately thereafter. Other areas of the Front Range however, those primarily west and south, were a touch colder and received a great deal of snow. A quick look at a few of the snow totals from the event:
Pinecliffe – 52 inches
Rollinsville – 51 inches
Nederland – 37 inches
Blackhawk – 36 inches
Evergreen – 29 inches
Cherry Creek Dam – 15.3 inches
Parker – 14 inches
Highlands Ranch – 13.4 inches
Boulder – 10 inches
Broomfield – 9.3 inches
Arvada – 8.8 inches
Denver, Stapleton – 3.3 inches
ThorntonWeather.com – 3.1 inches
Denver International Airport – 2.6 inches (Denver’s official site)
All of that moisture and a coming week of temperatures in the 70’s are sure to truly start greening up the landscape. It won’t be long now for sure and you will be mowing the lawn!
April 19 to April 25 - This week in Denver weather history
This week in Denver weather history is one to truly showcase the incredible variety of weather Colorado can receive. Major snow storms, high winds, warm temperatures in the 80’s and even three reports of tornadoes – one near Thornton 21 years ago – have all been seen this time of year.
17-19
IN 1920…SNOW FELL ACROSS THE CITY CONTINUOUSLY FOR 57 HOURS… FROM THE EARLY MORNING OF THE 17TH UNTIL 11:40 AM ON THE 19TH. THE HEAVY WET SNOWFALL TOTALED 18.2 INCHES WITH THE GREATEST ACCUMULATION ON THE GROUND OF 12 INCHES. WINDS DURING THE STORM WERE STRONG WITH SUSTAINED SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 27 MPH FOR OVER 40 CONSECUTIVE HOURS…WHICH CREATED NEAR-BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. THE HIGHEST RECORDED WIND SPEEDS WERE 44 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH FROM THE NORTH ON THE 17TH AND 39 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 48 MPH FROM THE NORTHWEST ON THE 18TH. THE STRONG WINDS PILED THE SNOW INTO HIGH DRIFTS WHICH STOPPED ALL DENVER TRAFFIC. RAILROADS WERE BLOCKED WITH ONLY ONE TRAIN ENTERING THE CITY ON THE 19TH. ALL INTERURBAN TRAINS WERE BLOCKED…AS WERE THE 13 TROLLEY LINES. THUS…MANY WORKERS WERE UNABLE TO GET HOME AT NIGHT AND FILLED ALL OF THE DOWNTOWN HOTELS TO CAPACITY. NO GROCERY OR FUEL DELIVERIES WERE POSSIBLE… EXCEPT MILK AND COAL TO HOSPITALS AND TO FAMILIES WITH BABIES. NO LIVES WERE LOST IN THE CITY…BUT SEVERAL PEOPLE PERISHED IN SURROUNDING DISTRICTS. STOCK LOSSES WERE HEAVY ON THE PLAINS. TEMPERATURES DURING THE STORM WERE IN THE 20’S.
18-19
IN 1884…A MAJOR STORM DUMPED 13.8 INCHES OF SNOWFALL ON DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW…10.0 INCHES…FELL ON THE 18TH. LIGHT RAIN ON THE EARLY MORNING OF THE 18TH CHANGED TO HEAVY SNOW AT 8:00 AM AND BECAME LIGHT AFTER 2:00 PM BUT CONTINUED UNTIL 4:00 AM ON THE 19TH. THE SNOW MELTED NEARLY AS FAST AS IT FELL. THERE WERE ONLY 3 INCHES ON THE GROUND EARLY ON THE MORNING OF THE 19TH.
IN 1941…HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 8.4 INCHES OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 17 MPH.
IN 1993…SPORADIC HIGH WINDS OCCURRED ACROSS METRO DENVER. SIGNIFICANT WIND GUSTS INCLUDED 97 MPH AT ROLLINSVILLE… 80 MPH IN SOUTHWEST BOULDER…AND 55 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE STRONG WINDS SNAPPED A PINE TREE TOP…ABOUT 15 FEET LONG AND 8 INCHES IN DIAMETER…WHICH CRASHED THROUGH THE ROOF OF A CHURCH IN EVERGREEN…CAUSING ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGE. WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH CAUSED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO 3 HOMES UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN BROOMFIELD. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 55 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1995…THE SECOND SPRING STORM OF THE MONTH DUMPED HEAVY SNOW IN THE FOOTHILLS. THE UPSLOPE FLOW ALONG WITH AREAS OF THUNDER SNOW DROPPED 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER AND BOULDER. SNOWFALL TOTALED 4.6 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…BUT MOST OF THE SNOW MELTED AS IT FELL. EAST WINDS GUSTED TO 29 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 18TH.
April 12 to April 18 - This week in Denver weather history
A look back at this week in Denver weather history shows quite the variety of weather conditions. We have seen everything from high winds and snowstorms to hail, thunderstorms and sub-freezing temperatures.
From the National Weather Service:
7-12
IN 1959…SNOW FALLING OVER A 5-DAY PERIOD TOTALED 20 TO 30 INCHES JUST EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS…WHILE OVER THE PLAINS BLIZZARD CONDITIONS CLOSED SCHOOLS AND BLOCKED HIGHWAYS. THE SECOND BIG STORM IN TWO WEEKS DUMPED 16.4 INCHES OF SNOWFALL ON STAPLETON AIRPORT WITH THE MOST…11.6 INCHES… OCCURRING ON THE 8TH. EAST WINDS GUSTED TO 37 MPH ON THE 9TH. TEMPERATURES DIPPED INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ON THE MORNINGS OF THE 7TH AND 12TH WHEN 7 DEGREES WERE REGISTERED. LOW TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR THE DATES WERE SET ON THE 9TH…10TH… AND 12TH. THE COLD TEMPERATURES CAUSED STREETS TO GLAZE WITH ICE…RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF A PEDESTRIAN WHO WAS STRUCK BY A CAR IN DENVER. THREE PEOPLE DIED FROM HEART ATTACKS WHILE SHOVELING THE HEAVY… WET SNOW.
9-12
IN 1901…RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW AND TOTALED 10.8 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER OVER THE 4 DAYS. NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 28 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 31 MPH ON THE 11TH. TEMPERATURES HOVERED IN THE 30`S.
10-12
IN 1997…A PACIFIC STORM PRODUCED HEAVY SNOW ON THE 10TH AND THE 11TH IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS WITH 6 TO 8 INCHES AT LOUISVILLE AND TURKEY CREEK CANYON…5 INCHES AT MORRISON… AND ONLY 3.5 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 24 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE STORM ALSO BROUGHT UNSEASONABLY COLD WEATHER WITH 5 NEW TEMPERATURE RECORDS EQUALED OR BROKEN. RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES OF 8 AND 6 OCCURRED ON THE 11TH AND 12TH. RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES OF 20…19…AND 30 OCCURRED ON THE 10TH…11TH… AND 12TH RESPECTIVELY. THIS WAS ALSO ONLY THE SECOND TIME ON RECORD THAT THE TEMPERATURE HAD FAILED TO REACH THE FREEZING MARK FOR 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN APRIL.
Do April showers bring May flowers? Find out in our April 2009 weather preview!
April marks a transition between winter and summer for most of the country but for Denver it is especially true as we can see a stunning variety of weather. The proverbial April showers are certainly a possibility for Denver. Snow? Tornadoes? Thunderstorms? You bet – all can happen! For good measure throw in a chance for hail and even dust storms and April gives every type of weather condition you could like – or hate.
The good news is that sunshine and warmer temperatures are usually in abundance as the normal highs during the month move up from 57 degrees on the first to 65 degrees on the 30th. It is not unusual to have a number of days well into the 70’s and the low 80’s. We also see the normal lows move above freezing from 30 degrees at the start of the month to 39 degrees by the end. Temperature extremes can hit both ends of the spectrum with a record low of 2 degrees below zero on April 2, 1975 and a record high of 90 degrees on April 30, 1992.
Thornton begins digging out from the March Blizzard of 2009. This image is from our webcam as the storm really began in earnest just before noon.
The sun is already beginning to shine in the wake of Denver’s biggest snowstorm of the 2008 – 2009 winter season. The storm was also Denver’s biggest since December 2007 when a series of storms dumped more than 30 inches on the city. While the snow brings much-needed moisture to the parched Front Range, it was a stark contrast to the 70 degree temperatures of just a few days ago.
Here is Thornton we received 11.4 inches of snow from the storm which increases our season total to 38.1 inches. While yesterday’s snow helps, that is still barely half of what we average in a season so much more is needed if we want to make up lost ground.
Cold and wind were also part of the story. Thornton’s high temperature yesterday was 35 degrees but that occurred before 11:00am. Once the storm arrived, the mercury plummetted 15 degrees and we saw temperatures in the mid-teens. Winds are what made the storm a blizzard and we had plenty of that with gusts to 33 mph. The cold temperatures and wind coupled to give us wind chills in the low single digits and Thornton actually recorded a maximum wind chill of 1.3 degrees below zero.
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out these two Thornton weather stories from the blizzard:
The March Blizzard of 2009 is winding down and it gives us a chance to look at all that happened in the last 36 hours or so. One of the neat things to look at is the 24 hour time lapse video from yesterday. Check out the video from our two webcams:
The city has annnounced that they will be plowing residential streets in accordance with their snow removal plan.
From the City of Thornton:
City of Thornton officials have rated this a Class 3 storm (potential to last more than 24 hours; accumulations of over nine inches) and are treating it as such. This means that the city is bringing in on-call contractors to supplement the city truck efforts. While City Crews are staying on arterials, contractors have plowed secondary streets and are commencing plowing operations in residential neighborhoods.
The city has annnounced that they will be plowing residential streets in accordance with their snow removal plan.