A double shot of high temperature records for the Mile High City today.
As measured at Denver International Airport, Denver saw a high today of 81 degrees at 12:56pm. This easily bested the record high temperature for November 27 of 74 degrees set in 1950 and 1903.
Additionally, the 81 degree reading is the warmest reading ever seen in the month of November. The old record was 80 degrees on the 8th of 2006 & the 16th of 2016.
Of course the key to all of the above is the “as measured at Denver International Airport.” Since moving Denver’s official weather station to the airport far east of its historical locations, we have seen similar occurrences of temperature extremes that don’t mate up with stations close to the city.
Today for example, the station at the Denver City Park recorded a high of 78 degrees. Still a record but a far cry from what the airport reported. As a result, these new records really should come with an asterisk.
Here in Thornton, we saw a high of 77.5 degrees at 1:24pm.
Pretty big changes are on the way tonight when a cold front arrives. That will send temperatures down and bring us a chance for snow overnight. Details in the extended forecast here.
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November 3, 2017 – A stunning sunrise in Thornton. (Jessica Bloom)
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 26, 2017
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=”72157666065676609″]
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.
The unusually warm temperatures we have seen this month definitely make it hard to believe we are now at the end of November. Today continued the trend as the mercury climbed into record-setting territory.
At 2:16pm the temperature topped out at 74 degrees at Denver’s official station at Denver International Airport. These easily bested the record high temperature for the date of 72 degrees set in 1998.
Here in Thornton we were just a touch warmer with a high of 74.5 degrees.
Weather Geek Stuff is a great place to shop for gifts for weather enthusiasts, weather geeks and weather lovers.
Not everyone gets excited about blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes and other types of extreme weather but many folks out there are passionate about Mother Nature. Weather Geek Stuff is an online shop just for those whose hearts race with the thrill of severe weather and they are offering special deals through the holiday season.
Weather Geek Stuff is an online store that provides a host of clothing items and novelties just for weather buffs. From the store’s custom ‘Weather Geek’ and ‘Weather Diva’ logoed merchandise to items imprinted with amusing weather warnings signs as well as Skywarn storm spotter logos, there is something there sure to please any weather lover.
Weather Geek Stuff’s merchandise was shown on the Weather Channel as a recommended gift so you know the quality is good. Stu Ostro, Weather Channel’s Senior Director of Weather Communications even sports a ‘Weather Geek’ t-shirt on his Twitter profile.
Kids and dogs aren’t left out of the weather fun either. There is a wide variety of clothing items sized just right for the little ones from babies to bigger kids. Canine companions as well can get shirts and bowls emblazoned with a weather-related logo.
The selection goes far beyond clothing too. Water bottles, clocks, mugs, bags and other novelties are part of the store’s offerings. For the tech types, cases for iPhones and iPads are available. Recently added products include laptop skins, clipboards and throw blankets.
Weather Geek Stuff is owned and operated by the same folks that run ThorntonWeather.com. We provide ThorntonWeather.com as a no-cost service to the community and use the minimal amount of money made from Weather Geek Stuff to support the costs of running this website and the associated equipment. So remember, if you have a weather buff on your shopping list, by buying from Weather Geek Stuff you are supporting ThorntonWeather.com! You can also donate directly to fund the site here.
The month of October certainly saw its fair share of varying temperatures. We seemed to go back and forth between unseasonably warm to unseasonably cold readings. The month also brought us our first measurable snow of the season and a good bit of precipitation.
The month started with comfortable readings and dry conditions. On the 9th of the month though things turned considerably colder and Thornton recorded 4.1 inches of snow.
We immediately rebounded though and warmer weather returned. A string of 70 plus degree days from the 16th to the 20th were quite nice. We also stayed dry until the last week of the month.
On the 25th we saw a record-setting high temperature but then 72 hours saw our coldest reading of the month (19.4 degrees). There again, we bounced back with a warm day on the 29th before finishing up with much colder weather the last two days of the month. We did see some minimal rain on the 26th and 30th to add to the precipitation total for the month.
Thornton saw an overall average monthly temperature of 48.6 degrees. This was a good ways below Denver’s long term October average of 50.9 degrees. Out at DIA where the Mile High City’s official measurements are taken, they were warmer with an average of 50.1 degrees.
Our mercury readings ranged from a high of 84.9 degrees on the 25th down to the 19.4 degree reading on the 27th. DIA saw similar extremes with a maximum of 84 degrees and a minimum of 13 degrees on those same dates. The reading of 84 degrees on the 25th was a record high for the date.
In terms of precipitation, Thornton recorded 1.71 inches. Denver lagged considerably with 0.96 inches for the month. Those put Thornton well above, Denver just below the October average of 1.02 inches.
Denver averages 4.0 inches of snowfall in October. Thornton bested that by just a bit with 4.6 inches, the majority of which came on the 9th. Out at the airport, they could only tally 2.8 inches of the white stuff.
Thornton, Colorado October 2017 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado October 2017 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
303 AM MDT WED NOV 1 2017
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2017...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2017
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 89 10/16/1991
10/10/1910
LOW -2 10/29/1917
HIGHEST 84 10/25 83 1 86 10/16
LOWEST 13 10/27 22 -9 25 10/20
AVG. MAXIMUM 64.5 65.3 -0.8 74.5
AVG. MINIMUM 35.7 36.6 -0.9 41.2
MEAN 50.1 50.9 -0.8 57.8
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.4 -0.4 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 11 8.5 2.5 3
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.17 1969
MINIMUM T 1934
TOTALS 0.96 1.02 -0.06 0.26
DAILY AVG. 0.03 0.03 0.00 0.01
DAYS >= .01 5 5.3 -0.3 3
DAYS >= .10 4 2.4 1.6 1
DAYS >= .50 0 0.5 -0.5 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.1 -0.1 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.35 10/09 TO 10/09 10/05 TO 10/06
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 2.8
TOTALS 2.8 4.0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 455 440 15 231
SINCE 7/1 585 581 4 310
COOLING TOTAL 1 5 -4 17
SINCE 1/1 881 769 112 878
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/09 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.3
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/232
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 46/300 DATE 10/14
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 59/300 DATE 10/14
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 11
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 15
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 5
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 48
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 3 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 1
LIGHT RAIN 8 FREEZING RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 1 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 4
LIGHT SNOW 4 SLEET 0
FOG 10 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 5
HAZE 6
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
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 tonight 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 7:32am but on Sunday it will be at 6:33am. Similarly, sunset will occur at 5:54pm on Saturday but on Sunday the sun will disappear over the horizon at 4:53pm.
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 11, 2018 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.
Old Glory and fall foliage along Colorado’s Peak to Peak Highway. (Ed Dalton)
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 26, 2017
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=”72157685921181422″]
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.
We figured we would tie or just break the high temperature record today and in fact we pretty much crushed it. If you liked the warmth, don’t get too excited though as a big change is on the way.
The Mile High City’s official high temperature, as measured at Denver International Airport, topped out at 84 degrees today at 3:52pm. This easily bested the previous record for the date of 80 degrees set in 2014, 2007 and 1959. Average for today’s date is 62 degrees.
Here in Thornton, we were just a bit warmer with a high of 85 degrees coming at 3:07pm.
Stay up to date with Thornton’s weather: Be sure to ‘like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add us to your Google+ circles.
That warmth though will soon be nothing but a memory as much colder weather is on the way tomorrow. The high temp tomorrow will likely come at midnight and from there it will downhill. By tomorrow evening the mercury readings will be at or even below 40 degrees.
Snow, unfortunately, will not amount to much from this system. Current indications point to maybe some rain by late morning tomorrow followed by some snow in the afternoon and evening. Accumulations will likely be less than half an inch.
The month of September 2017 saw significant differences between the start and the end. The first two-thirds of the month were extraordinarily dry with temperatures well above normal. The last 10 days brought a big change though with damp conditions and much cooler conditions.
High pressure dominated the region for the first few weeks of the month. During this period when we normally see cooler temperatures, we instead saw highs oftentimes at or above 90 degrees and a couple of record high readings. Additionally, it was exceedingly dry with Thornton only received 0.03 inches of precipitation through the first 22 days of the month.
Big changes arrived and the last nine days of the month stood it stark contrast to the rest of September. Low pressure and a series of disturbances brought much cooler temperatures and much-needed precipitation, including snowfall in the high country. Seven out of the last eight days saw below normal high temperature readings and enough precipitation fell to push us to just above normal.
Thornton’s overall average temperature for the month came in at 62.4 degrees. This was a full degree cooler than Denver’s long term September average of 63.4 degrees. Out at DIA where Denver’s official measurements are taken, it was a good bit warmer with an average temperature of 65.1 degrees.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 98.5 degrees on the third and a low of 40.9 degrees on the morning of the 29th. Denver saw their high of 97 degrees on the third as well and their coldest reading of 40 degrees on the 20th.
Two record high temperatures were officially set or tied for the Mile High City. The high temperature of 97 degrees on the third tied the record high for the date. A reading of 92 degrees on the 21st set a new record high for that date.
In terms of precipitation, Denver averages 0.96 inches during September. Thornton tallied 1.05 inches in the rain bucket while Denver bested us with 1.26 inches.
Thornton, Colorado’s September 2017 Temperature Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado’s September 2017 Precipitation Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
244 AM MDT SUN OCT 1 2017
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2017...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2017
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 97 09/03/2017
09/06/2013
09/05/2013
LOW 17 09/29/1985
HIGHEST 97R 09/03 91 6 93 09/05
LOWEST 40 09/20 35 5 37 09/10
AVG. MAXIMUM 79.0 78.5 0.5 82.3
AVG. MINIMUM 51.3 48.3 3.0 49.7
MEAN 65.1 63.4 1.7 66.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 9 3.4 5.6 6
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.8 -0.8 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 5.61 2013 MINIMUM T 1892 1944 TOTALS 1.26 0.96 0.30 0.28 DAILY AVG. 0.04 0.03 0.01 0.01 DAYS >= .01 6 6.5 -0.5 4
DAYS >= .10 2 3.3 -1.3 1
DAYS >= .50 1 0.6 0.4 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.1 -0.1 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.83 09/23 TO 09/23 09/12 TO 09/12
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 0.0
TOTALS 0.0 1.3
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 122 125 -3 64
SINCE 7/1 130 141 -11 79
COOLING TOTAL 131 76 55 99
SINCE 1/1 880 764 116 861
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 2/165
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 40/020 DATE 09/19
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 48/030 DATE 09/19
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 9
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 15
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 6
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 48
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 1
LIGHT RAIN 10 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 8 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 10
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Rocky Mountain National Park is a prime spot for viewing the fall foliage. (Tony’s Takes)
This time of year many folks start thinking about heading to the hills west of Denver in search of gold – fall foliage gold.
Where to go? Below are five of ThorntonWeather.com’s favorite ones near Denver – plus a few further out and some bonus ideas. After that, we will tell you where you can find a great website that provides regular updates on viewing conditions.
I-70 Corridor – If you’re looking for the easiest route, then this one is for you. Simply head west on I-70 about 110 miles to Avon. Between Vail and Avon, both sides of I-70 are lined beautifully with aspen.
Rocky Mountain National Park – One of the most popular summer destinations in the state is of course also a prime spot to view aspen in all their glory. Once in the park head toward Bear Lake. Glacier Gorge Junction provides a beautiful spot and you of course also get to enjoy all the splendor that Rocky Mountain National Park has to offer. Extend your viewing by taking Trail Ridge Road all the way through to the west side of the park and the Grand Lake and Granby area.
Peak to Peak Highway – This little road trip can be a dual purpose trip – gambling and fall foliage viewing! Take U.S. 6 through Clear Creek Canyon and then 119 through Blackhawk and Central City. You can of course stop there if your wallet is fat enough and donate some money to the casinos. From there continue on 119 toward Nederland. Take highway 72 toward Ward and Allenspark. There you will find more golden aspen than you can imagine, all with the Continental Divide nearby.
Colorado Fall Foliage – Average Date of Peak Aspen Colors. Click for larger view. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Poudre Valley Canyon – Heading north on I-25 take Colorado 14 west and into Poudre Canyon and Roosevelt National Forest. As you continue west you will come very near timberline as you come to Cameron Pass. Amazing views abound!
Guanella Pass – This is a nice, relatively short drive from Denver. From C470 take 85 through Bailey and Conifer, a nice drive unto itself. When you come to the town of Grant, take the Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway north to Georgetown. The air is pretty thin along the way as you climb in excess of 11,500 views through the Pike and Arapahoe National Forests.
A couple other possibilities further from the Front Range:
Leadville / Aspen – From Denver take I-70 west to Copper Mountain and then Colorado 91 south over Freemont Pass to Leadville. Along the way there are plenty of viewing opportunities and Leadville is a nice little town to make a stop. From here you can take Highway 24 north back through Minturn and Vail. To extend the drive, take Highway 24 south to Colorado 82 and head toward Aspen. You can stop by the Maroon Bells in White River National Forest to view some of the most photographed mountains in Colorado.
Cottonwood Pass – From Denver take Highway 285 to Buena Vista. Head west on Main Street for seven miles then west on County Road 344 / Colorado 82. From there you start the climb up Cottonwood Pass with absolutely stunning views from the top. If you are up for it, you can continue down the west side of the pass into the Taylor Park area. Be forewarned though that the western half of the pass is unpaved and twisty. Editor’s note: The west side of Cottonwood Pass is closed until Summer 2018 so that it can be paved.
Honorable mentions worth considering:
Boreas Pass between Breckenridge and Como (County Road 10)
Kenosha Pass on Highway 285 between Bailey and Fairplay
Independence Pass (Colorado 82 between Aspen and Twin Lakes)
Colorado 103 from Evergreen to Echo Lake. Throw in a drive up Mount Evans for a bonus.
If you do head out, be sure to send us your pictures for inclusion in our monthly photo slideshows!
A double shot of high temperature records for the Mile High City today.
