This year on September 3 Denver reached an official high temperature of 94 degrees. Here in Thornton we topped out at 95 degrees.
Providing a stark contrast is a look back at this date 52 years ago.
On September 3, 1961 a winter-like system delivered 4.2 inches of snow to the Mile High City with the foothills receiving a foot of the white stuff. This is the earliest date for a seasonal snowfall on record. Temperatures that day dropped to 33 degrees, the earliest in the season it has ever been that cold.
The comparison highlights the extremes that Colorado can experience in September (much like most other months). Which would you prefer? Heat or snow?
Mother Nature can be fickle, especially in Colorado, dropping heavy rain in one location and nothing in a spot nearby. Such was the case this afternoon and evening when Denver International Airport received nearly two inches of rain and Thornton recorded nothing.
As officially measured at DIA, Denver recorded an amazing 1.94 inches of precipitation on August 22. This easily bests the record for the date of 0.75 inches set in 1953. It also ranks as the 34th biggest single day precipitation total for the city on record.
Here in Thornton we weren’t so lucky as the storms stayed south and east of us. We recorded absolutely nothing in the rain bucket on this date.
Denver’s Top 50 Single Day Precipitation Totals (National Weather Service)
The lowest temperature today was a very mild 70 degrees at 1:50 a.m. This is a new record high minimum for August 20 easily besting the old record of 67 degrees set in 2007 and previous years.
Denver officially set another high temperature record. However, is it accurate to compare measurements taken at DIA with historical records taken 14 miles away?
Summer 2013 had been a relatively cool one – up until this latter half of August. The Mile High City set another record high temperature and while it was assuredly hot, questions continue to arise over the comparison of measurements at DIA with Denver’s historical records.
At 1:34 p.m. the mercury climbed to 99 degrees at Denver International Airport. This beats the previous record high temperature for the date of 98 degrees set in 1987 at the old Stapleton International Airport.
Here in Thornton we were just a bit cooler with the mercury topping out at 97.8 degrees at 2:23 p.m. This was in fact our second highest temperature of the year. On June 11 we measured 99.2 degrees. Click here to view Thornton’s 2013 temperature records.
At midnight tonight we may see yet another record fall. The record high minimum for today’s date is 67 degrees. This morning the temperature only dropped to 71 degrees at DIA. If by midnight we don’t drop to the 67 degree mark, that will be another record for the Mile High City.
Today’s record is the third in the past four days. On Sunday, August 18 we tied the record high for that date of 98 degrees. That followed a record-breaker on Saturday the 17th when the mercury topped 97 degrees, breaking the old record for that date of 96 degrees.
One thing these records do continue to teach us is how invalid it is to compare records at Denver International Airport compared to historical locations where Denver’s official temperature was measured prior to 1994.
Today for instance, the station at Denver City Park recorded 97 degrees.
Hot yes. Record-setting no.
Similarly, on Sunday the 18th City Park recorded 95 degrees versus DIA’s mark of 98 degrees. On Saturday when DIA recorded a record-breaking 97 degrees, City Park saw 96 degrees.
The difference in measurements is something we have seen repeatedly since 1994. The move of Denver’s official monitoring station is corrupting the city’s climate record and has wide implications.
With a location 14 miles east of where official temperatures were measured prior to DIA, it is in an entirely different microclimate and as a result it experiences different conditions – sometimes considerably different – to locations closer to downtown.
If we can’t accurately compare our temperatures, how are we to believe climate change alarmists that warn of global warming?
For more on the topic of Denver’s problematic weather station, see these previous stories:
At 3:08 p.m. the mercury climbed to 98 degrees. The last time the date saw readings that high was in 2011.
Here in Thornton we were a bit cooler – but not by much. Our temperature topped out at 95 degrees at 3:19 p.m. This mirrored our high temperature yesterday.
We expect at least a couple more days of these well-above normal temperatures as we head into the workweek. After that we should start to cool down a bit. Click here to view the extended forecast.
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The mercury climbed with great efficiency today leading to a record-breaking temperature for the date. As measured at Denver International Airport, Denver’s temperature topped out at 2:28 p.m. reaching 97 degrees. This breaks the old record for August 17 of 96 degrees set most recently in 1994.
Here in Thornton we were a bit cooler – but not by much. Our temperature topped out at 95 degrees at 2:43 p.m.
Above normal temperatures, but probably not record-setting, are expected to stay with us through at least the first half of the week. Tomorrow and Monday do offer just a slight chance for thunderstorms. Click here to view the extended forecast: http://www.thorntonweather.com/forecast.php
Don’t miss a thing when it comes to our ever changing weather! Be sure to ‘like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add us to your Google+ circles.
Following two hot and dry months in May and June, July brought some relief in the form of near normal temperatures and precipitation.
Cooler than normal temperatures started the month during the first couple of days of July. That changed for the following 10 days when temperatures bounced to above normal levels with Thornton recording eight 90+ degree days during the period.
The next few days from the 14th to the 16th brought much cooler conditions and much-needed precipitation. Seasonal temperatures then settled in through the 23rd. As the month came to a close, temperatures became more moderate and we even saw three days (the 27th, 28th, and 29th) with highs in the 70s. Most notably we once again saw some precipitation.
Thornton saw an average temperature during July of 72.1 degrees. This was a good bit below the long term Denver historical average of 74.3 degrees. Officially at DIA the average temperature for the month was 74.2 degrees.
We recorded 14 days with temperatures at or equal to 90 degrees. Temperatures ranged from a high of 98.5 degrees on the 11th down to a low of 52.6 degrees on the 27th.
A reasonable 1.61 inches of precipitation fell into Thornton’s rain bucket during the month. This was a bit below the average for July of 2.16 inches. Out at the airport, Denver fared a bit better with 1.98 inches.
Thornton, Colorado July 2013 Temperatures.Thornton, Colorado July 2013 Precipitation.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
210 AM MDT THU AUG 1 2013
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2013...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2013
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 105 07/20/2005
LOW 42 07/04/1903
07/31/1873
HIGHEST 100 07/11 105 -5 102 07/21
LOWEST 55 07/02 42 13 57 07/26
AVG. MAXIMUM 88.2 89.4 -1.2 94.4
AVG. MINIMUM 60.4 58.9 1.5 63.4
MEAN 74.3 74.2 0.1 78.9
DAYS MAX >= 90 17 16.0 1.0 27
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 6.41 1965
MINIMUM 0.01 1901
TOTALS 1.98 2.16 -0.18 0.48
DAILY AVG. 0.06 0.07 -0.01 0.02
DAYS >= .01 7 8.3 -1.3 6
DAYS >= .10 4 4.3 -0.3 2
DAYS >= .50 2 1.4 0.6 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.7 -0.7 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.87 07/15 TO 07/15 07/06 TO 07/07
07/14 TO 07/15 07/31 TO 07/31
07/15 TO 07/15 07/31 TO 07/31
STORM TOTAL MM MM
(MM/DD(HH)) MM 07/07(00) TO 07/07(00)
07/31(00) TO 07/31(00)1
07/31(00) TO 07/31(00)1
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL MM MM
TOTALS 0.0 0.0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 0 6 -6 0
SINCE 7/1 0 6 -6 0
COOLING TOTAL 295 289 6 438
SINCE 1/1 558 444 114 803
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.3
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/163
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 45/050 DATE 07/20
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 58/040 DATE 07/20
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 5
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 24
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 2
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 50
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 3
LIGHT RAIN 13 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 6 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 13
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Thornton 8 is now available for live, online streaming on the city’s website and ThorntonWeather.com. (City of Thornton)
The City of Thornton’s KTTV-8 television channel can be a great resource for information as to what is going on in our fine city. Unfortunately watching the channel required you subscribed to Comcast cable – until now.
We were browsing the city’s website today and noticed they have added a live Internet feed of the channel. This is a great development and one that allows all Thornton residents with Internet access to view the station and get the latest city news and information.
Alternatively, we have added a page on our website where you can watch the live feed. You will find it under the ‘Area Information’ button to the left or click here to view it.
Please note: ThorntonWeather.com is not endorsed by or an official website of the City of Thornton.
A view of the thunderstorm on Saturday, July 20, 2013 after it passed Thornton. View more imagery in the slideshow below. (ThorntonWeather.com)
The forecast called for a chance for thunderstorms and Mother Nature obliged on Saturday. Heavy rain and gusty winds struck the north metro area but what followed was perhaps more interesting.
In all, Thornton recorded 0.29” of rain in a very short period from 4:30 to 4:55pm. Some small hail accompanied the storm as did strong wind gusts. There were some reports of broken tree limbs from the powerful gusts.
After the storm moved to the southeast, it continued to intensify. From almost any vantage point in Thornton, the scene was amazing.
Initially the bright while tops of the storm cells were stark and beautiful to watch. A nearly full moon then began to rise in the east behind the storms and the scene was stunning. As the sun went down, the clouds turned a shade of amber providing a colorful scene with the rising moon.
The slideshow below has a nice little compilation of image taken by ThorntonWeather.com and some of our fans on Facebook.
In writing the history of the weather for the area for June 2013 two words come to mind: hot and dry. While both conditions were certainly prevalent, we can at least be consoled by the fact that it could have been worse.
The month actually started cooler than normal with six of the first seven days recording below average temperatures. Soon though high pressure built over the area and temperatures began to climb with many days for the balance seeing above normal mercury readings.
June 2013 wrapped up with an average temperature in Thornton of 70.5 degrees. This was well above Denver’s historical average for the month of 67.4 degrees. Officially Denver’s average temperature last month was 71.1 degrees, warm enough to put it in a tie for the 10th warmest June in Denver history.
In all, Thornton recorded 10 days with mercury readings above 90 degrees. Denver saw 14.
The warmest temperature of the month in Thornton was 99.2 degrees on the 11th. That same day Denver hit 100 degrees, its high reading of the month.
Thornton’s coldest temperature came on the 6th when the temperature dropped to 41.6 degrees. Denver’s officially bested that with a low temperature for the month of 39 degrees on the 2nd.
Denver officially broke three temperature records during the month:
In terms of precipitation the month was certainly dry but not the worst we have seen. Thornton recorded a scant 0.49 inch in the rain bucket. Denver bested us slightly by recording 0.75 inches. Both measurements were far below the 1.98 inch historical average for June but certainly better than the driest June on record in 1890 when only a trace was recorded.
Thornton, Colorado June 2013 Temperatures.Thornton, Colorado June 2013 Precipitation.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
210 AM MDT MON JUL 1 2013
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2013...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2013
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
54/01/2206
LOW 30 06/02/1951
HIGHEST 100 06/11 104 -4 105 06/26
06/25
LOWEST 39 06/02 30 9 43 06/11
AVG. MAXIMUM 87.8 82.4 5.4 91.7
AVG. MINIMUM 54.3 52.3 2.0 58.4
MEAN 71.1 67.4 3.7 75.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 14 7.9 6.1 17
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.96 1882
MINIMUM T 1890
TOTALS 0.75 1.98 -1.23 1.22
DAILY AVG. 0.03 0.07 -0.04 0.04
DAYS >= .01 4 8.4 -4.4 2
DAYS >= .10 2 4.6 -2.6 2
DAYS >= .50 1 1.4 -0.4 2
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.3 -0.3 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.51 06/23 TO 06/23 06/06 TO 06/07
06/22 TO 06/23 06/23 TO 06/23
06/23 TO 06/23 06/23 TO 06/23
STORM TOTAL MM MM
(MM/DD(HH)) MM 06/07(00) TO 06/07(00)
06/23(00) TO 06/23(00)3
06/23(00) TO 06/23(00)3
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL MM MM
TOTALS 0.0 0.0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 29 62 -33 6
SINCE 7/1 6084 6058 26 5399
COOLING TOTAL 221 133 88 314
SINCE 1/1 263 155 108 365
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 03/01 10/07
LATEST 04/24 05/05
....................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.7
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/156
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 64/060 DATE 06/18
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 97/040 DATE 06/18
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 6
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 23
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 1
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 42
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 3 RAIN 2
LIGHT RAIN 7 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 0
HAZE 6
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
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