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.
For comprehensive look at the storm, please monitor our Winter Weather Briefing page.
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.
For comprehensive look at the storm, please monitor our Winter Weather Briefing page.
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 |
March is historically the Denver area’s snowiest month and only four days into it Mother Nature delivered a nice, wet shot of the white stuff. The storm moved through quickly Monday afternoon and now we focus on a potentially significant storm this coming weekend.
Today Thornton recorded 2.4 inches of snow and a very welcome 0.15” of liquid precipitation from it. Similar totals, many a bit less, were seen in other locations of the Denver metro area.
This brings Thornton’s seasonal snow total to 28.9 inches. That is still well below normal but given the progress made in recent weeks, we are hoping these storms continue to arrive.
As we discussed in this morning’s forecast, models are pointing toward a far more significant storm arriving as early as late Friday and lasting well into the weekend.
One model, the European ECMWF, has been relatively consistent with its projection of a powerful storm with a hefty shot of snow. Other models have been less optimistic but on later runs today they are starting to come in line with the same thinking.
This system will bear close watching. Click here for the latest forecast.
Below is a time lapse video of today’s snow showing 4 hours compressed to 8 seconds.
Northeastern Colorado’s warm, dry winter took a bit of a turn during February as temperatures cooled and we finally received some much needed precipitation.
The month started out with a continuation of the warmer and drier conditions we saw in January. Temperatures for the first days of the month were routinely near or above the 50 degree mark with little precipitation.
That changed on the 9th when low pressure moved through and served to cool things down to below normal. No precipitation was seen however.
The following 10 days were relatively calm and tranquil but with varying temperatures. The month’s high temperature was recorded on the 17th.
As we entered the last part of the month the weather turned much more unsettled and finally delivered a healthy dose of winter. A weak system on the 19th and 20th brought light snow and was followed a few days later by a more significant system on the 24th.
The waning days of the month saw mostly below normal temperatures and one more day of light snow.
The average temperature in Thornton during February 2013 was 30.3 degrees. Out at Denver International Airport, Denver officially had an average of 30.1 degrees. Both were well below the historical February average of 32.5 degrees.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 66.2 degrees on the 17th down to the lowest reading of 5.7 degrees on the 25th. Only two days in Thornton failed to climb above freezing.
Denver saw its highest reading of 63 degrees on the 17th and lowest of 5 degrees on the 22nd with six days failing to climb above 32 degrees. All 28 days of the month saw low temperatures below the freezing mark at both locations.
Precipitation was the real weather highlight of February 2013 given how dry the season had been up to then. Thornton recorded 0.71 inches in its bucket while DIA saw 0.77 inches. Average for February is 0.37 so both locations enjoyed above normal measurements.
In terms of snowfall, Thornton measured 11.9 inches of the white stuff. Out at the airport they bested our area with 14.1 inches. Historically February averages a mere 5.9 inches so both were well above normal.
Click here to view the ThorntonWeather.com February 2013 Climate Summary
From the National Weather Service:
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 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 77 02/28/2006
02/04/1890
LOW -25 02/01/1951
02/08/1936
HIGHEST 63 02/17 70 -7 65 02/25
LOWEST 5 02/22 -14 19 3 02/11
AVG. MAXIMUM 43.3 46.2 -2.9 38.7
AVG. MINIMUM 16.9 18.9 -2.0 18.1
MEAN 30.1 32.5 -2.4 28.4
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX = .01 6 5.3 0.7 7
DAYS >= .10 4 0.7 3.3 2
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 1
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.43 02/24 TO 02/24 02/02 TO 02/03
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 22.1 1912
TOTALS 14.1 5.7
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 972 908 64 1055
SINCE 7/1 4272 4439 -167 4380
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 10/07
LATEST 05/05
....................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.3
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/229
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 35/360 DATE 02/15
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 44/010 DATE 02/15
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 5
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 16
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 7
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 51
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 1 SNOW 4
LIGHT SNOW 10 SLEET 0
FOG 9 FOG W/VIS
The recent snowstorm didn’t bring all that much snow to Thornton, 6.9 inches, but it was our biggest snowfall in over a year and delivers some much needed precipitation. The light, fluffy snow was easily blown around by winds gusting in excess of 32 mph which limited visibility and made conditions outside harsh.
The video below captures the event from our east facing camera beginning at 6:00pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013 and continuing through 6:00am on Monday, February 25, 2013. Light snow is seen falling soon after 10:00pm on Saturday night and following a lull, really picks up by mid-morning Sunday.
Northeastern Colorado received a much needed wallop of snow and the accompanying precipitation.
The heaviest snowfall was in the southern and western suburbs and foothills. In Thornton the storm was less generous but nevertheless welcome.
Pinecliffe west of Golden was the prize winner with nearly 22 inches of snow. Further to the south Conifer received 15 inches. In the metro area most snowfall totals were in the 6 to 10 inch range with the higher amounts to the south.
The interactive map below shows snowfall reports from National Weather Service storm spotters. You can double-click to zoom in or use the + / – buttons. Click and hold and then drag to pan the map around. Click on any ‘dot’ to see the report for that location.
The recent storm was certainly far less than impressive in reality. Thornton recorded a mere 3.6″ of snow and our seasonal snowfall totals continue to lag well below average.
However, when you take 24 hours of pictures taken at one minute intervals and combine them all into a single video you end up with a pretty neat 48 second time lapse. Below are videos from each of our webcams covering the period from noon on Wednesday, February 20 to noon on Wednesday, February 21.
Looking back at January 2013 the numbers reveal a month that wasn’t particularly extraordinary by any measure. Temperatures were slightly below average and precipitation was a bit less than normal.
The first half of the month was notable for cold while the second half for the most part was considerably warmer.
Temperatures for the first three days were well below normal before we entered a brief period with above average temperatures. That was followed by very cold days on the 12th and 13th when high temperatures only reached the teens. Most of the following two weeks were notable for highs in the 50s and 60s.
The month started out extraordinarily dry with a mere 0.3 inch of snow being recorded during the first 27 days. On the 28th though we received a decent little shot of snow to drive up the numbers.
The average temperature for the month came in at 29.7 degrees. This was a full degree below the Denver January average of 30.7 degrees. At the official Denver station at Denver International Airport, the monthly average was slightly warmer at 30.3 degrees.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 67.8 degrees on the 24th down to a low of -2.4 degrees on the 15th. Denver recorded a highest temperature of 66 degrees, also on the 24th, and a low of -12 degrees on the 12th.
There were no temperature records set during the month.
In terms of precipitation, an anemic 0.21 inch was measured in Thornton while Denver fared better with 0.31 inch. The January average is 0.41 inch so both locations were a good bit below normal.
Snowfall was similarly light with Thornton recording 3.7 inches, most of which fell during the storm on the 28th and 29th. Out at DIA Denver officially measured 4.6 inches for the month. Average for January is 7.0 inches.
None of the precipitation or snowfall measurements were records.
Click here to view Thornton’s January 2013 Climate Summary
From the National Weather Service:
...THE DENVER CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 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 76 01/27/1888
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 66 01/24 76 -10 66 01/21
LOWEST -12 01/12 -29 17 -6 01/11
AVG. MAXIMUM 44.6 44.0 0.6 50.3
AVG. MINIMUM 16.0 17.4 -1.4 21.6
MEAN 30.3 30.7 -0.4 36.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX = .01 4 4.1 -0.1 4
DAYS >= .10 1 0.9 0.1 1
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.22 01/28 TO 01/29
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 24.3 1992
TOTALS 4.6 7.0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 1067 1063 4 891
SINCE 7/1 3300 3531 -231 3325
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 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.8
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 4/205
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 38/290 DATE 01/24
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 45/290 DATE 01/24
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 8
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 20
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 3
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 48
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 1 SNOW 1
LIGHT SNOW 5 SLEET 0
FOG 7 FOG W/VIS