Category Archives: Thornton Weather

Thornton Weather

Saturday storms bring heavy rain, funnel cloud

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This funnel cloud was over north central Aurora Saturday afternoon. Photo was taken from the Bennett area.
This funnel cloud was over north central Aurora Saturday afternoon. Photo was taken from the Bennett area.

Saturday afternoon’s thunderstorms brought some pretty interesting weather to Denver and the Front Range.  Our wettest and cloudiest month seems to be intent on finishing out right on par with what we would expect this time of year. 

Thunderstorms and showers moved across the metro area in the late afternoon Saturday producing thunder, lightning and rain across much of the area.  Some stations on the Rocky Mountain Weather Network reported quite heavy rain, particularly those on the west side of town.  Some of the rain totals along the Front Range since yesterday:

In yesterday’s forecast we warned of the possibility of landspouts which are small, short-lived tornadoes.  None were observed however a funnel cloud was reported over north central Aurora about three miles south of DIA at 4:50pm.  The funnel lasted about two minutes and never touched down and did not cause any damage.

Climatology, Thornton Weather

Denver officially breaks high temperature record for this date

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Denver set a temperature record for today, May 19.
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?

Thornton Weather

Winter-like storm brings more than 3 inches of precipitation to Thornton

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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!

Climatology, Thornton Weather

A Preview of Denver’s April Weather – Something for Everyone

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Do April showers bring May flowers? Find out in our April 2009 weather preview!
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.

Get all the details here in our complete April 2009 preview.

Thornton Weather

Denver blizzard moves out as the digging out begins

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Thornton begins digging out from the March Blizzard of 2009.
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:

For a complete recap on Denver’s March Blizzard of 2009, see our story on Examiner.com.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Thornton Weather

Thornton’s March Blizzard 2009 – Time lapse videos

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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:

East Webcam Time Lapse – 3/26/09

West Webcam Time Lapse – 3/26/09

Thornton Weather

City of Thornton will plow residential streets in wake of blizzard

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City of ThorntonThe 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.

For more information from the city, please see their storm update page.

Continue reading City of Thornton will plow residential streets in wake of blizzard →

Thornton Weather

Major snowstorm starts to hit Thornton, Blizzard Warning issued

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A Blizzard Warning is in effect for all of eastern Colorado, including Thornton.
A Blizzard Warning is in effect for all of eastern Colorado, including Thornton.

Thornton and Denver are preparing for what will be its biggest snowstorm of the season today as the National Weather Service has now issued a Blizzard Warning for all of eastern Colorado.  The major storm we had been watching in recent days is now arriving over the Front Range and snow is starting to fall and will become widespread by 7:00am.  Initially the snow will melt as it hits the ground but as it gets heavier, it will begin to accumulate.

March is our snowiest month and this is setting up to be a classic late winter / early spring storm with lots of Pacific moisture and a Canadian cold front dipping down from the north.  Winds are now starting to come out of the east and northeast providing the required upslope conditions that will slow the storm down and hold it over the Front Range.

Between noon and about 9:00pm the snow will be at its heaviest as will the wind which will cause significant drifting and road travel will become treacherous – the afternoon rush hour is almost certainly going to be a big mess.  Road closures are likely to happen at some point later today, particularly south and east.  Areas along the Palmer Divide, the foothills and the south metro area will have the most snow with lower amounts as you move north.  The Denver metro area can look for snowfall totals between 8 and 16 inches while there could be up to two feet of snow in areas south and west.

Remember, a Blizzard Warning means that severe conditions are expected and winds can gust in excess of 35 mph coupled with significant snowfall.  Visibilities may be reduced to a quarter of a mile or less and travel will be extremely dangerous and is discouraged.  Be sure you are prepared if you do travel and should you get stranded, stay with your vehicle – do not head out and seek help!  Going through these storms is always a major task.  We ask that you please be careful if you are on the roads and if you have folks in your area that need a bit of help digging out, lend them a hand.

Since January, Denver has had 15% of its normal precipitation and for the snow season we are at a mere 41%.  While the snow will be troublesome, we are truly in need of moisture so this is a welcome sight in some respects.

Thornton Weather

Major storm continues on path, Denver could get 12+ inches of snow

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A major spring storm could bring more than 12 inches of snow to Denver and Thornton.
A major spring storm could bring more than 12 inches of snow to Denver and Thornton.

The major winter storm we have been tracking for the last couple of days continues on its path toward Denver and the Front Range and before it is over, Denver could see more than a foot of snow.  The latest computer models indicate the storm is coming a bit further north than previously thought which increases the changes for what will be a very significant snow event for us. 

Snow in the mountains tonight will begin to spread to Denver and the Front Range Thursday morning and it will last through Thursday evening and beyond.  Highlighting the significance of the storm, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning (see below for text of warning) for all of northeastern Colorado including Denver. 

The NWS is forecasting snow totals from 8 to 15 inches for the metro area (see image below) and from 1 to 2 feet along the Palmer Divide.  I think that may be a bit optimistic myself but there is little doubt we are in for our biggest storm of the snow season.  Areas south and west like Highlands Ranch, Parker and Golden will almost certainly experience the most snow in the metro area.  See the image below for potential snow totals.

Continue reading Major storm continues on path, Denver could get 12+ inches of snow →