April 9th and 10th brought Denver's first record low temperatures since October 10, 2009. Click the image for a larger view.
While April may normally be associated with showers, Mother Nature sometimes throws us a curveball. Such was the case with the bitter cold temperatures she delivered that broke records, one dating back more than 50 years ago.
Denver’s official temperature as measured at Denver International Airport dropped to 9 degrees just before midnight last night. This sets a new record low temperature for April 9, easily besting the previous record of 12 degrees set in 1959. Here in Thornton our low was 10.4 degrees.
Additionally, a new record low maximum temperature was recorded yesterday as well. The ‘high’ temperature was 22 degrees, recorded shortly after midnight. The previous record low maximum for April 9 was 27 degrees set in 1973. The 22 degree reading was the sixth coldest high temperature ever recorded in April. Thornton was slightly warmer with a high of 24.9 degrees.
As the cold front moved out, the chilly temperatures lingered into the morning of April 10. The mercury at DIA dropped to 6 degrees setting a new record low temperature for the date and making it the fourth coldest low temperature ever recorded in April. The previous record low for the date was 7 degrees set in 1959. In Thornton the temperature hit a low of 6.7 degrees right at 6:00am.
It is interesting to note that these are the first daily cold weather related records Denver has set in more than two years.
Old Man Winter isn’t done with Colorado yet. Monday brought unseasonably warm temperatures and a chance for thunderstorms. Monday night and into Tuesday we can expect a healthy shot of snow and some temperatures tomorrow more like we expect in January.
We will be monitoring monitoring the storm very closely and posting regularly to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can follow along in real time below. We are also on Google+ here.
With snowpack lagging and spring set to arrive, hopes were high that March could bring some relief to Colorado’s parched landscape and Mother Nature did oblige. March 2013 brought above average snowfall and cooler than normal temperatures.
The month started out with near normal temperatures but the first in a series of disturbances throughout the month arrived on the 4th. A couple of inches was delivered to the area on the date which was followed by a few days of mild weather.
The warmth did not last as another storm system which began a repeating pattern across the month with mild temperatures followed by periods of cold and snow.
Thornton’s overall average temperature for the month came in at 38.3 degrees. At Denver’s official weather station at Denver International Airport the month averaged 37.7 degrees. Both locations’ average temperatures were below the March historical average (1981 to 2010) of 40.4 degrees.
We recorded 25 days with low temperatures dropping below the freezing mark. Three days saw high temperatures fail to climb above 32 degrees.
Our warmest temperature during March 2013 was a reading of 78.6 degrees on the 15th. The coldest reading was on the 24th when the mercury dropped to a bone-chilling 2 degrees. Out at DIA, the warmest reading was 76 degrees on the 15th and the coldest was 2 degrees on the 25th.
In terms of precipitation, Thornton saw 1.45 inches in the rain bucket, almost all from snow. Denver’s numbers were near identical at 1.47 inches. Both were well above the March average of 0.92 inch.
Snowfall was the big story for the month as Thornton recorded 20.2 inches of the white stuff. Out at DIA the Mile High City saw even more as it measured 23.5 inches. March historically averages 10.7 inches so we were well above normal while the month’s reputation as our snowiest month of the year held true.
The month did come very close to making the list of ‘top 10 snowiest Marches.’ The number 10 spot on that list came in 1981 when 24.0 inches was recorded.
Despite the cold and snow, only one weather record was set during the month. The 11.6 inches of snow recorded at DIA from the 22nd to the 23rd set a two-day snowfall total record for the date, besting the previous mark of 8.0 inches set in 2010.
Thornton, Colorado March 2013 TemperaturesThornton, Colorado March 2013 Precipitation
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 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 84 03/26/1971
LOW -11 03/28/1886
HIGHEST 76 03/15 84 -8 81 03/31
LOWEST 2 03/25 -11 13 16 03/02
AVG. MAXIMUM 50.7 54.4 -3.7 65.5
AVG. MINIMUM 24.6 26.4 -1.8 32.9
MEAN 37.7 40.4 -2.7 49.2
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX = .01 6 5.9 0.1 2
DAYS >= .10 4 2.4 1.6 0
DAYS >= .50 0 0.3 -0.3 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.1 -0.1 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.47 03/22 TO 03/22 03/01 TO 03/02
03/01 TO 03/01
03/01 TO 03/01
STORM TOTAL MM MM
(MM/DD(HH)) MM 03/02(00) TO 03/02(00)
03/01(00) TO 03/01(00)1
03/01(00) TO 03/01(00)1
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL MM 5
TOTALS 23.5 10.7
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 840 763 77 483
SINCE 7/1 5112 5202 -90 4863
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 03/01 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.1
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 1/223
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 38/010 DATE 03/09
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 47/280 DATE 03/17
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 2
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 20
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 9
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 53
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 1 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 3 SNOW 5
LIGHT SNOW 8 SLEET 0
FOG 9 FOG W/VIS
One of the most common requests we receive is for a ThorntonWeather.com app for mobile devices. Unfortunately, short of a lot of donations to fund it, development of one is prohibitively expensive. However, there are third party programs that will allow you to get Thornton’s weather with data from our station.
The choices range from the basic to major name apps that display ThorntonWeather.com data. This article will detail the simpler ones that do little more than display weather conditions from our site as an app and as a widget. While basic, they all do a good job and keep it simple.
Weather Station for Cumulus is basic but has a very nice display in the app and widget. You will need to configure the 'weather station data URL' to point to ThorntonWeather.com's file. Click the image for a larger view.
This app and widget are very nice and probably our favorite due to the simplicity of the display.
Once downloaded, start up the app and choose “Set Location URL.” On the next screen you will enter the location of a file on our server that is constantly updated with current conditions. In the URL box enter:
Note that the entry is case-sensitive so be sure to enter it in all lowercase.
Once done, click Save. You then will shown the current conditions from our station. Scrolling down displays more information such as today’s and yesterday’s highs and lows and more.
Using the setting menu, you will want to update the ‘Widget refresh time interval’. This determines how often the widget polls our site for the latest conditions. We ask that you please select 30 minutes or longer so as to not cause an undue burden to our site server.
Adding the widget to one of your devices screens is done in the Apps menu. Select Widgets, then scroll to the right to find “Weather Station.” Two sizes are available.
Note that the weather icon displayed is the forecast as generated by our Davis Instruments weather station. Unfortunately this is not a particularly accurate forecast so it should largely be disregarded.
Weather Station is a nice app and widget but the varying font sizes and data layouts can be a bit odd. You will need to configure the app to use pull data from ThorntonWeather.com's Weather Underground feed. Click the image for a larger view.
We have a lot of hope for Weather Station and think that someday it will improve and be one of the better ones. The developer is active and issues regular updates however the displays are a bit ‘off’ with some versions of the program due to odd font sizes and layouts (particularly with the widgets).
For tablet devices, this does have one of the nicest and full featured displays of any and is probably the best choice for those.
Once downloaded, the program tries to pick the closest station using stations that upload to Weather Underground. However it likely will not choose ThorntonWeather.com’s station as there are many others in the area (most far less accurate).
Click the wrench at the top to open the settings menu. Start by choosing Select Display Units. You will want to change them all to their English / Imperial settings. For temperature choose F, Pressure inHG, rain inch, and wind mph.
Then select Weather Station List. Scroll down under the PWS heading, select KCOTHORN6. That is our station’s identifier on Weather Underground. When you touch it, you will receive confirmation it is activated.
Use the back button to return to the main screen and the conditions should update with data from ThorntonWeather.com. As for widgets, the program has four of them available to choose from.
Pocket PWS is the newest app / widget and a bit basic but that makes it easy to view. You will need to configure the 'XML file url' to point to ThorntonWeather.com's data file. Click the image for a larger view.
This is the newest app that we have found and while it is a bit Spartan, it is functional and free.
Once downloaded you will be prompted to set the URL for the file with the current conditions. Go into the settings and select XML file url. In the entry box, enter:
http://www.thorntonweather.com/weatherdisplay.xml
Note that the entry is case-sensitive so be sure to enter it in all lowercase.
Click OK and the app will start displaying current conditions from our station. There is also a Pocket PWS widget you can add to one of your Android device’s home screens.
Conclusion
In a future story we will detail the more extensive Android weather apps that can be used to display ThorntonWeather.com data. Should you have any problems getting any of the above listed apps configured, do let us know and we will try to help you.
If you have an Apple device, well, we can’t help you much as we only own Android devices. However if you find an app in the Apple app store that can read data from a Personal Weather Station (PWS), let us know and we will take a look and see if we can help you configure it.
Remember that we do have a mobile web site optimized for all smartphones that has live conditions, forecasts and more. Check it out and bookmark it here: http://m.thorntonweather.com
On June 3, 1981 a tornado struck Thornton in what is the worst twister to have struck the Denver metro area. Are you ready should disaster strike again? Image courtesy the City of Thornton archives.
Severe weather is a fact of life in Colorado – from blizzards to tornadoes we can and do see it all. Each year the weather is responsible for claiming lives in our state and across the nation and the threat is very real. Storm spotter training allows you to learn how to protect yourself and your family while providing a public service.
Education is key to knowing how to protect you and your family. Whether you want to be an official storm spotter or maybe just want to learn more about severe weather, storm spotter training can provide you an incredible opportunity to learn.
The storm spotter program is a nationwide program with more than 280,000 trained spotters. These volunteers report weather hazards to their local National Weather Service office providing vital information when severe strikes. Data from spotters include severe wind, rain, snow measurements, thunderstorms and hail and of course tornadoes.
Storm spotters are part of the ranks of citizens who form the Nation’s first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that their efforts have given communities the precious gift of time–seconds and minutes that can help save lives.
By completing one of these training classes you can become an official storm spotter. When severe weather strikes, you can report it by calling a special toll free number or submit your report via the National Weather Service’s website.
These are great sessions for anyone wanting to learn more about the severe weather we experience in Colorado, whether you want to be an official spotter or not. All training is free. Topics include:
Below are the dates, times and locations announced thus far with the first occurring on Sunday, February 17 and two scheduled in May in the north Denver metro area. We will try to keep this updated but you can click here for any new dates on the National Weather Service website.
Schedule updated 3/28/13:
April, 2013 – Upcoming
Day
City, State
Time
Location
04
Kiowa, CO
(Elbert County)
6:00pm MDT
Elbert County Fairgrounds 75 Ute Ave – Kiowa, Co 80117
The snow is falling, the wind is blowing and it is cold and nasty out there right now. We took to the street for a little bit to capture some video of our late spring snowstorm. Highlights include the flag flapping in the wind, blowing snow, shoveling and even an appearance by Scout, our Frisbee catching dog who doesn’t mind the snow one bit.
Update, 4:45pm: Below the first video taken this morning is a second video captured from our east facing webcam. It is a time lapse showing the past 24 hours compressed into 48 seconds.
It may be the first weekend of spring but Old Man Winter isn’t ready to give up yet. Another dose of wintry weather is said to deliver a good shot of snow and some pretty nasty, cold temperatures. We will be monitoring monitoring the storm very closely and posting regularly to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can follow along in real time below. We are also on Google+ here.
Snow covers the streets with Thornton's March 4, 2013 snowstorm. Within a couple of hours the sun was out and the streets were clear. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Perhaps we could call it the ‘Daylight Savings Storm of 2013’ or some other lame name like the Weather Channel uses. Then again, we will stick with simply calling yesterday’s snowstorm a late winter storm that brought much-needed precipitation.
Leading up to yesterday’s storm all indicators were there for a significant shot of snow. Forecasts varied a bit from outlet to outlet and some were disappointed that we didn’t receive as much as some forecasts said. However within range with our forecasts for Thornton.
Snow began falling during the 4:00am hour on Saturday, March 9 and would continue for nearly 12 hours. It was the first six hours that the most accumulation was recorded. After that relatively warm temperatures and warm ground melted the snow as fast – and faster – than it was falling.
The one benefit of the fast melting is that Denver metro area roads never really became all that bad. The story was quite different on the plains to the east where blowing snow prompted the closure of Interstate 70 for 24 hours or so. Denver International Airport (DIA) did have more than 600 flights cancelled.
At its highest we recorded 5.6 inches of snow on the ground. More than that certainly fell but the melting was taking its toll. This brings Thornton’s seasonal snowfall total to 34.5 inches.
Officially Denver recorded 5.4 inches as measured at Denver International Airport. The Mile High City’s seasonal total is now at 38.5 inches.
Best of all the heavy, wet snow contained a great deal of liquid precipitation. Thornton saw 0.48 inch of precipitation and Denver 0.27 inch. As parched as our landscape has been this winter this is very welcome.
Below is a time lapse video from our east webcam of the storm from start to finish – 14 hours in 28 seconds. Scroll down below that for an interactive map of snowfall totals from across northeastern Colorado.
As Thornton gets hit by a much-needed snowstorm, we are monitoring it very closely 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 United States begins Daylight Savings Time at 2:00am on Sunday, March 10, 2013.
The biannual ritual of changing our clocks to adjust for Daylight Savings Time occurs this Saturday night providing yet another signal of the changing of seasons. The United States will ‘spring forward’ one hour at 2:00am Sunday morning as we begin Daylight Savings 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. The start of Daylight Savings Time can be particularly problematic given the one hour less sleep people receive on the night of the change.
However, longer days as we head into the milder months are a very real benefit and for many worth the inconvenience of a lost hour of sleep. The time change definitely has big effects on how much daylight we enjoy during our normal waking hours.
On Saturday, prior to the change, sunset will occur at 6:00pm but on Sunday the sun won’t disappear over the horizon until 7:01pm. This affords folks more time in the evening to get started on those spring-time chores and allows us to get outside and enjoy the warming weather.
The spring equinox is also on the horizon. Spring officially begins at 5:02am on March 20.
This year Daylight Savings Time will come to an end on November 3.
Some of the recent history of Daylight Savings Time (from Wikipedia):
Daylight saving time in the United States was first observed in 1918. Most areas of the United States currently observe daylight saving time, with the exceptions being the states of Arizona and Hawaii along with the territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
From 1987 to 2006, daylight saving time in the United States began on the first Sunday of April and ended on the last Sunday of October. The time was adjusted at 2:00 AM (0200) local time (as it still is done now).
Since 2007, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November, with all time changes taking place at 2:00 AM (0200) local time. In 2011, daylight saving time began on March 13 and will end on November 6.
Daylight Savings Time Schedule
Year
DST Begins 2 a.m.
(Second Sunday in March)
DST Ends 2 a.m.
(First Sunday in November)
2013
10 March 2013
3 November 2013
2014
9 March 2014
2 November 2014
2015
8 March 2015
1 November 2015
2016
13 March 2016
6 November 2016
2017
12 March 2017
5 November 2017
2018
11 March 2018
4 November 2018
2019
10 March 2019
3 November 2019
Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.
Old Man Winter isn’t done with Colorado yet. Monday brought unseasonably warm temperatures and a chance for thunderstorms. Monday night and into Tuesday we can expect a healthy shot of snow and some temperatures tomorrow more like we expect in January.
