Category Archives: Thornton Weather

Thornton Weather

December 2016 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow

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Winter's light on McKay Lake in Broomfield. (David Canfield)
Winter’s light on McKay Lake in Broomfield. (David Canfield)

The month of December can offer everything from bone dry conditions to bone chilling cold and monstrous snowstorms.  The weather and wildlife all afford an abundance of photo opportunities as our December photo slideshow shows.

Leaves have fallen from trees now and the landscape can sometimes look quite stark.  However it only takes a quick shot of snow to change that picture greatly.  Throw in gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, plenty of wildlife big and small, kids playing and much more and the month can be quite colorful and eventful.

  • Slideshow updated December 31, 2016
  • 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=”72157673879579814″]

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!

Thornton Weather

A white Christmas in Thornton? Chances not great but not bad either

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For many, the holiday season isn’t complete without a chill in the air and snow on the ground. Here in Denver we historically enjoy a better chance of experiencing the proverbial white Christmas than many places in the nation.

However, how the Mile High City fares in experiencing a white Christmas does depend on your definition of one.

If it 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.

Historical Probability of a White Christmas. (NOAA)
Historical Probability of a White Christmas. (NOAA)
Thornton Weather

Denver sets record low temperature for December 17

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Record Cold TemperaturesWe knew it was going to be cold today in the wake of our overnight snow and sure enough, the numbers bear that out.

Denver recorded a low temperature of 15 degrees below zero at 7:14pm.  This easily bests the record low for December 17 of 13 degrees below zero set in 1909.

Here in Thornton, we managed to stay warmer, although with these extremes, that isn’t saying much. Thornton hit a low of 10.7 degrees below zero at 5:57pm.

The storm system brought 5.8 inches of snow to Thornton, our biggest snowfall of the season. Out at DIA where Denver’s official measurements are kept, 8.0 inches fell.

  • 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.
Thornton Weather

November 2016 weather recap: Month was much warmer than normal, offered little precip

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The month of November 2016 was certainly an unusual one for Thornton.  Despite a turn toward colder weather at the end, the extraordinary warmth at the start was the dominating feature. We did finally receive our first snow of the season although we are far behind normal for the season.

Dominating high pressure was a recurring theme for the first half of the month.  This kept storm systems and colder temperatures at bay bringing unseasonably warm mercury readings.  Every one of the first 16 days of the month saw temperatures in excess of 60 degrees, five saw readings warmer than 70 degrees and one even hit over 80 degrees.

A series of troughs and cold fronts finally brought an end to the record-setting warmth.  After recording 81.5 degrees of the 16th, we followed with a 40.9 degree high on the 17th.  The 17th also brought our first, and thus far only, snowfall of the season.  The balance of the month saw things return to a more typical November weather pattern.

Thornton’s average monthly temperature for November 2016 came in at 43.9 degrees.  This was far above Denver’s historical average for the month of 38.3 degrees.  Out at the airport where the Mile High City’s official measurements are kept, the average came in warmer still at 45.1 degrees.  That put November 2016 into the books at the 10th warmest November in Denver weather history.

Temperatures in Thornton ranged from the aforementioned high of 81.5 degrees on the 16th down to a low of 13 degrees on the morning of the 30th.  DIA’s high was 80 degrees and its low 10 degrees, each on the same day as Thornton’s maximum and minimum.  The 80 degree reading on the 16th was not only a record for the date but also the latest 80 degree temperature ever recorded in Denver.

In terms of precipitation, Denver averages 0.61 inches during the month of November.  Thornton fell far short of that with a mere 0.24 inches of precip in the bucket. Out at the airport, Denver fared better with 0.52 inches.

Thornton recorded 2.2 inches of snow for the month while Denver ended with 1.7 inches.  Both were far below the November average of 8.7 inches and comprise the only snowfall we have seen this season.  The snow on the 17th was the third latest first seasonal snowfall on record in Denver.

Click here to view Thornton’s November 2016 climate report.

Thornton, Colorado's November 2016 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado’s November 2016 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado's November 2016 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado’s November 2016 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)

From the National Weather Service:

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
638 AM MST THU DEC 1 2016

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

...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 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              80   11/16/2016
                        11/08/2006
 LOW              -18   11/29/1877
HIGHEST            80R  11/16        73       7       75  11/03
LOWEST             10   11/30         6       4        3  11/27
AVG. MAXIMUM     59.9              52.1     7.8     51.2
AVG. MINIMUM     30.4              24.5     5.9     25.7
MEAN             45.1              38.3     6.8     38.5
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      1               2.3    -1.3        5
DAYS MIN <= 32     15              23.4    -8.4       24
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.6 -0.6 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 3.21 1946 MINIMUM T 1899 1901 1949 TOTALS 0.52 0.61 -0.09 2.13 DAILY AVG. 0.02 0.02 0.00 0.07 DAYS >= .01         2               4.7    -2.7       11
DAYS >= .10         2               1.6     0.4        6
DAYS >= .50         0               0.0     0.0        1
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.0     0.0        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.30   11/22 TO 11/22           11/04 TO 11/05

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL            1.7               8.7
RECORD NOVEMBER  42.5                      1946

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     586               801    -215      789
 SINCE 7/1        896              1382    -486     1090
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1        878               769     109      877

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   3/212
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    33/270    DATE  11/24
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    43/270    DATE  11/27

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.40
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           14
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             12
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          4

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     45

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                0     RAIN                       1
LIGHT RAIN                1     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                1     SNOW                       1
LIGHT SNOW                2     SLEET                      0
FOG                       2     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      1
HAZE                      1

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

Thornton’s December preview: With arrival of winter, cold and snow increase

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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.

We closed out November quite wet and chilly and that is expected to continue into the first part of December.  Long term models then point to a continuation of above normal precipitation but near normal temperatures.

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.

  • 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.
Thornton Weather

November 2016 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow

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An aerial view of sunset in Thornton on November 14, 2016. (Shannon Dizmang)
An aerial view of sunset in Thornton on November 14, 2016. (Shannon Dizmang)

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 28, 2016
  • 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=”72157676627507985″]

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!

Climatology, Thornton Weather

Denver ties all-time record high temperature for month of November

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Record High TemperaturesWe thought the daily high temperature record for November 16 would fall today and indeed it did.  However the Mile High City also managed to tie the record for the warmest temperature ever recorded during the month of November.

At 1:24pm the station at Denver International Airport reported a mercury reading of 80 degrees.

This easily bested the previous record high temperature for November 16 of 77 degrees set in 1941.

Perhaps more notably, the reading also ties the all-time record high temperature for the month of November.  The old mark was 80 degrees set on November 8, 2006.  This is in turn the latest in the year an 80 degree reading has been tallied.

Here in Thornton, we were a bit warmer than DIA.  Our temperature topped out at 81.5 degrees at 1:02pm.

Showcasing the wide swings of weather we experience here in Colorado is the fact that after these records today, high temperatures tomorrow won’t go very far into the 40s.  Check out forecast for the latest.

  • Stay up to date with Thornton’s weather: ‘Like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add us to your Google+ circles
Colorado Weather, National Weather, Thornton Weather, Weather History

Weather and Election Day: Will Mother Nature play a role in the outcome?

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Weather – The true determining factor of who will be president?
Weather – The true determining factor of who will be president?

We oftentimes hear about how weather can affect voter turnout but is there truly a link?  If there is, who does it benefit – Republicans or Democrats?  Studies seem to indicate that what might be thought of as an urban myth is indeed true and could in fact play a role in 2016.

In 2005, political science researchers Brad Gomez, Thomas Hansford and George Krause completed the first comprehensive study on the correlation between weather and voter turnout.  Their paper, “The Republicans Should Pray for Rain:  Weather, Turnout, and Voting in U.S. Presidential Elections” confirmed the conventional wisdom that weather does affect voter turnout, bad weather benefits Republicans and most interestingly, two presidential elections in the last 60 years may have had different results had the weather been different.

Looking back at presidential elections from 1948 to 2008, the study takes into account the weather in 3,000 U.S. counties.  They in turn looked at key areas of the nation and how weather, good and bad, affected voter turnout.  In the end, the study determined that precipitation is the key weather condition to affect voter turnout.

Continue reading Weather and Election Day: Will Mother Nature play a role in the outcome? →

Climatology, Thornton Weather

Thornton’s November 2016 preview: Will we break out of the warm, dry pattern?

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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 is Denver’s second snowiest month 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.

Certainly given how warm and dry we were in October, we could use some relief.  Will that happen?

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

Climatology, Thornton Weather

October 2016 weather recap: An exceedingly warm and dry month

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High pressure was the dominant weather feature for the month of October and that led to a pattern that blocked off moisture and kept temperatures well above normal.  Record-setting highs were made while precipitation was a rare event.

The historical average monthly temperature for the month of October in Denver is 50.9 degrees.  That number was easily eclipsed.  Here in Thornton we saw an average temperature of 55.8 degrees.  Out at DIA where Denver’s official numbers are kept, it was much warmer with an average of 57.8 degrees.

Both averages for October 2016 were far above normal.  Officially the month was so warm it became the fourth warmest October on record in Denver.  The number one spot was quite secure though with an average of 59.9 degrees back in 1950.

Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 84.8 degrees on the 16th down to a low of 27.1 degrees on the morning of the 20th.  Out at the airport, the warmest reading was 86 degrees and the lowest 25 degrees, both on the same days that Thornton saw its warmest and coldest readings.

Denver recorded four record daily high temperatures during the month.  The first record high came on the 15th of the month to be followed by records on the 27th and 28th then a tie for the record high on the 31st.

In terms of precipitation, the same high pressure that kept things warm, kept things dry as well.  Thornton recorded a mere 0.43 inches in its rain bucket, all during the first half of the month. The airport was a bit drier with 0.26 inches recorded.

On average Denver receives 1.02 inches of precipitation in October so both locations were far below normal.  While it was certainly dry, it was not so much so that it was a record-setter as the month failed to make it into the top 20 driest Octobers.

No snow was recorded during the month so we are still awaiting that first event of the season.  This however is not entirely unusual as historically, 27% of Denver’s October fail to see any of the white stuff.

Click here to view Thornton’s October 2016 climate report.

Thornton, Colorado's October 2016 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado’s October 2016 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado's October 2016 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado’s October 2016 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)

From the National Weather Service:

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
244 AM MDT TUE NOV 1 2016

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

...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 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              89   10/16/1991
                        10/10/1910
 LOW               -2   10/29/1917
HIGHEST            86   10/16        83       3       87  10/11
LOWEST             25   10/20        22       3       28  10/28
AVG. MAXIMUM     74.5              65.3     9.2     70.1
AVG. MINIMUM     41.2              36.6     4.6     42.8
MEAN             57.8              50.9     6.9     56.5
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               0.4    -0.4        0
DAYS MIN <= 32      3               8.5    -5.5        1
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         4.17   1969
 MINIMUM            T   1934
TOTALS           0.26              1.02   -0.76     1.76
DAILY AVG.       0.01              0.03   -0.02     0.06
DAYS >= .01         3               5.3    -2.3        6
DAYS >= .10         1               2.4    -1.4        3
DAYS >= .50         0               0.5    -0.5        2
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.1    -0.1        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.22   10/05 TO 10/06           10/20 TO 10/21

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL             MM   MM
TOTALS            0.0               4.0

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     231               440    -209      274
 SINCE 7/1        310               581    -271      301
COOLING TOTAL      17                 5      12       16
 SINCE 1/1        878               769     109      877

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

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              10.0
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   4/197
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    33/260    DATE  10/04
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    42/270    DATE  10/03

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           10
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             17
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          4

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     40

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                0     RAIN                       1
LIGHT RAIN                3     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                0     SLEET                      0
FOG                       4     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      3
HAZE                      0

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