A significant winter storm is bearing down on Colorado and the state is blanketed with watches and warnings. The system has the potential to deliver our biggest snowfall of the 2015 / 2016 season thus far.
The National Weather Service has said 6 to 12 inches will be possible between Sunday night and Tuesday morning. Areas north of I-76 like Thornton will likely be at the lower end of the range but even at that it would be a healthy shot of snow.
Throughout the period we will of course be monitoring the system and posting regularly to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can follow along in real time below. We are also on Google+ here.
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.
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)
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.
Thornton, Colorado’s December 2015 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado’s December 2015 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
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.
Fresh snow created a beautiful scene in this Thornton backyard. (Michelle Jones)
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, 2015
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=”72157662064667211″]
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.
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.
White Christmas probability map for the contiguous United States. Click for larger view. (NOAA)
With our most recent snowstorm, the Colorado Front Range is likely to enjoy a white Christmas (defined as 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day). Other locations in the United States of course are not quite so lucky and historically, Colorado can be quite hit or miss.
Below is the latest narrative from NOAA. To the right is a probability map – click it to view full size.
Minnesota. Maine. Upstate New York. The Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Practically anywhere in Idaho. And of course, the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada Mountains. These are the places where weather history suggests you want to be if you’re looking for the best chance of a white Christmas.
The map at right shows the historic probability of there being at least 1-inch of snow on the ground in the Lower 48 states on December 25 based on the latest (1981-2010) U.S. Climate Normals from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. Dark gray shows places where the probability is less than 10 percent, while white shows probabilities greater than 90 percent.
The 1981–2010 Climate Normals are the latest three-decade averages of several climatological measurements. This dataset contains daily and monthly Normals of temperature, precipitation, snowfall, heating and cooling degree days, frost/freeze dates, and growing degree days calculated from observations at approximately 9,800 stations operated by NOAA’s National Weather Service.
While the map shows the climatological probability that a snow depth of at least one inch will be observed on December 25, the actual conditions this year may vary widely from these probabilities because the weather patterns present will determine the snow on the ground or snowfall on Christmas day. These probabilities are useful as a guide only to show where snow on the ground is more likely. For prediction of your actual weather on Christmas Day, check out your local forecast at Weather.gov.
You can locate Normals data for the observing station closest to you using the NCDC’sinteractive map.
If you would like to keep track of the snowfall across the United States on a daily basis, see the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center’s National Snow Analyses. For a more detailed assessment of the probability of a white Christmas as well as documentation of the methodology used to calculate the map’s underlying climatological statistics, see the scientific paper, White Christmas? An Application of NOAA’s 1981-2010 Daily Normals, by NCEI scientists and published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. You can also download a spreadsheet to see the full list of stations and their historic probabilities.
This post was adapted from an article first published by the National Climatic Data Center. It was first published on December 11, 2013, and is reviewed each year and updated as needed.
Mild, dry conditions started the month of November 2015 in Thornton. That however soon gave way to colder temperatures and moisture in the form of snow, something that repeated itself multiple times during the month.
The first three days saw temperatures well above normal and in the 70s with no precipitation. That changed however with our first snowfall of the season coming on the 5th of the month.
The balance of the month was an active one as a series of troughs moved through and cold fronts dug in from the north. A general pattern of a few mild days followed by a few unsettled days was the pattern. By the time all was said and done, the month more than made up for the lack of snow in October.
In terms of temperatures, Thornton’s overall temperature for the month was 36.9 degrees. Out at DIA where Denver’s official records are kept, the reading was a good bit warmer at 38.5 degrees. While that meant the Mile High City was 0.2 degrees above average, Thornton was clearly a good bit cooler than normal.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 75.5 degrees on the third of the month down to a low of 6.7 degrees on the morning of the 27th. DIA saw a maximum of 75 degrees and a minimum of 3 degrees on those same dates.
Precipitation was well above the November average of 0.61 inches at both locations. Thornton saw 1.65 inches of liquid precip while Denver bested us with 2.13 inches.
Snow was the primary source of precipitation for the month. Thornton recorded a very healthy 14.5 inches of the white stuff. The airport lagged with 11.3 inches. Both were well above the November average of 8.7 inches.
Thornton, Colorado’s November 2015 Temperatur?e Summary. (ThorntonW?eather.com?)Thornton, Colorado’s November 2015 Precipitat?ion Summary. (ThorntonW?eather.com?)
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
1147 AM MST TUE DEC 1 2015
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 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 80 11/08/2006
LOW -18 11/29/1877
HIGHEST 75 11/03 73 2 72 11/29
11/01
LOWEST 3 11/27 -6 9 -14 11/13
AVG. MAXIMUM 51.2 52.1 -0.9 50.6
AVG. MINIMUM 25.7 24.5 1.2 21.8
MEAN 38.5 38.3 0.2 36.2
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 5 2.3 2.7 5
DAYS MIN <= 32 24 23.4 0.6 22
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.6 -0.6 4 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 3.21 1946 MINIMUM T 1899 1901 1949 TOTALS 2.13 0.61 1.52 0.76 DAILY AVG. 0.07 0.02 0.05 0.03 DAYS >= .01 11 4.7 6.3 6
DAYS >= .10 6 1.6 4.4 3
DAYS >= .50 1 0.0 1.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.88 11/04 TO 11/05
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 11.3 8.7
RECORD NOVEMBER 42.6 1946
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 789 801 -12 857
SINCE 7/1 1090 1382 -292 1254
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 11/05 10/07
LATEST 05/05
....................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.4
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/225
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 46/350 DATE 11/17
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 57/290 DATE 11/18
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.40
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 11
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 14
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 5
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 55
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 3
LIGHT RAIN 3 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 2 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 8
LIGHT SNOW 11 SLEET 0
FOG 13 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3
HAZE 5
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Sunny skies followed a Veterans Day snow making for a very happy dog in Thornton. (Michelle Jones)
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 29, 2015
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=”72157661038528596″]
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.
November 29 to December 5: This week in Denver weather history
As always, our look back at Denver’s weather history books is very eventful. As we start to get closer to winter, we begin to see many more multi-day snow events that are notable and this week’s look is no different. We see many major snow events and also of note are the damaging high wind events.
From the National Weather Service:
25-29
In 1985…dense fog with visibilities as low as 1/8 mile occurred on five consecutive days at Stapleton International Airport. The fog was at times accompanied by light snow… Light freezing drizzle…or ice crystals. Fog occurred all day on both the 26th and 29th.
28-29 in 1908…heavy snowfall overnight and for most of the day on the 29th totaled 12.5 inches. Precipitation was 1.09 inches. Northwest winds were sustained to 26 mph on the 29th.
In 1928…a major storm dumped 15.5 inches of snowfall on downtown Denver. North winds were sustained to 18 mph with gusts to 19 mph on the 28th.
In 1992…an upper level storm system moved across metro Denver…but left only a dusting of snow. Snowfall totaled only 1.6 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 25 mph. Other snow amounts included: 8 inches at Conifer…6 inches at Lake Eldora…3 inches at Rollinsville and in southeast Denver.
In 1997…a storm system tracking across northern New Mexico produced strong north to northeast upslope flow against the eastern slopes of the Front Range and Palmer Ridge. Snowfall totals in Jefferson County included: 14 inches near Deckers; 12 inches at Castle Rock and Sedalia; 10 inches near Conifer…11 miles southwest of Morrison…and at Buffalo Creek. Elsewhere…snow accumulations were less. Snowfall totaled only 0.7 inch at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport on the 27th and 28th.
In 2004…heavy snow fell in the foothills and across metro Denver. In the foothills…snowfall totals included: 13 inches at Roxborough State Park and Eldorado Springs… 11.5 inches near Conifer…11.0 inches near Nederland…and 10 inches near Indian Hills. Across metro Denver snowfall totaled 14 inches near Sedalia…9 inches near Louisville… 8 inches at Ralston Reservoir…and 5.1 inches in the Stapleton area of Denver. Northeast winds gusted to 28 mph at Denver International Airport on the 28th.
In 2006…a slow moving storm system brought heavy snow to the mountains and to the eastern foothills where snowfall ranged from 8 to 18 inches. Some of the more impressive snow totals included: 18 inches at Genesee…17.5 inches near Boulder…17 inches at aspen springs…16.5 inches 10 miles northwest of Golden…15 inches at Eldorado Springs… 14.5 inches in Idaho Springs and near Jamestown…12 inches in grant and near Indian Hills…11.5 inches near Blackhawk… 11 inches at gross reservoir and Eldora…and 10.5 inches in Conifer. Across metro Denver…storm total snowfall generally ranged from 5 to 9 inches with the heaviest amounts near the foothills in Boulder and Jefferson counties. The most impressive totals included: 15.5 inches at Ken Caryl…12 inches in Boulder…7.5 inches near Morrison…and 7 inches near both Chatfield and Ralston reservoirs. Snowfall totaled only 4.2 inches in the Denver Stapleton area. Northeast winds gusted to 31 mph at Denver International Airport on the 28th.
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In 1991…a winter storm dumped heavy snow in the foothills and near the Palmer Divide with 10 inches recorded at Conifer and Golden Gate Canyon…12 inches in Morrison… 6 inches at Castle Rock and Parker. Only 3.4 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusting to 35 mph on the 29th…produced some blowing snow. Some light freezing drizzle also fell on the 28th and 29th.
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In 1877…the all-time lowest recorded minimum temperature in the month of November…18 degrees below zero…occurred. The high temperature for the day was 16 degrees.
In 1899…northwest winds were sustained to 51 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a maximum of 74 degrees…a record high for the date and the warmest of the month that year. The minimum temperature was only 39 degrees.
In 1927…post-frontal rain changed to snow and totaled 5.8 inches over downtown Denver. Northeast winds were sustained to 22 mph.
In 1977…85 mph winds were reported at Wondervu in the foothills southwest of Boulder. Northwest winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1980 strong Chinook winds reached 85 mph in Boulder… Blowing traffic signals and street lights down. Some windows were shattered by the wind. West winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1994…high winds blew across the Front Range eastern foothills. Wind gusts to 92 mph occurred atop squaw mountain…5 miles south of Idaho Springs…and to 82 mph on fritz peak near Rollinsville in the foothills southwest of Boulder. A wind gust to 75 mph was recorded at Jefferson County airport near Broomfield. Northwest winds gusted to only 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport. No damage was reported.
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In 2008…a storm system produced locally heavy bands of snow across Douglas…Elbert and eastern Jefferson counties. Northerly winds gusting to 50 mph caused snow drifts to pile up to 2 feet in depth. Storm totals included: 12 inches just southwest of Kassler…11.5 inches…6.5 miles southwest of Castle Rock; 11 inches…8.4 miles southeast of Aurora and 9 miles west of Littleton; 10 inches at Louviers… 8 inches…2 miles west-southwest of Highlands Ranch and 5 miles south-southeast of Sedalia…and 7.5 inches…14 miles west-southwest of Agate and at Castle Pines. At Denver International Airport…2 inches of snow was observed. North winds gusted to 46 mph on the 30th.
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In 1899…west winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts as high as 48 mph.
In 1903…west winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 54 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 57 degrees.
In 1981…strong winds blasted the foothills. In Wondervu… Winds were clocked to 81 mph with many other locations in the foothills reporting over 60 mph. Northwest winds gusted to 28 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1986…the worst snow storm of the season dumped from 5.0 inches of snow at Stapleton International Airport to 14 inches over the higher southwestern suburbs. On the Sunday after thanksgiving…one of the busiest travel days of the year at Stapleton International Airport…two of the four runways were closed and flights were delayed up to four hours. Near-blizzard conditions prevailed on the plains east of Denver…closing both I-70 and I-76 for a time. North wind gusts to 36 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 2000…strong winds raked metro Denver. In Thornton…a construction worker was critically injured when the scaffolding on which he was standing collapsed…throwing him 25 feet to the ground. West winds gusted to 54 mph at Denver International Airport.
Our most significant winter weather storm is set to impact Thornton and the Colorado Front Range. A Blizzard Warning has been issued and we expect to see significant snowfall and a wide array of impacts.
The National Weather Service has said 10 to 18 inches will be possible for the heavier hit areas. Areas north of I-76 like Thornton will see less. Even lighter amounts coupled with the strong winds are going to create hazardous conditions across the area.
Throughout the period we will of course be monitoring the system and posting regularly to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can follow along in real time below. We are also on Google+ here.
A significant winter storm is bearing down on Colorado and the state is blanketed with watches and warnings. The system has the potential to deliver our biggest snowfall of the 2015 / 2016 season thus far.
