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)
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.
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.
Thornton, Colorado February 2013 TemperaturesThornton, Colorado February 2013 Precipitation
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.
Thornton, Colorado January 2013 Temperature Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado January 2013 Precipitation Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
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
As we wrap up a January that was pretty much average in terms of temperature and precipitation, we look to February with hope for relief from the dry conditions we have seen thus far this winter. Unfortunately historically February is a relatively dry month but we do start working off winter as temperatures climb.
To date Denver’s seasonal snowfall is 10.8 inches below average and Thornton is even further behind. February though is only the Mile High City’s sixth snowiest month so while we can receive big storms in February, we can’t count on making up much ground.
For those looking forward to milder weather, average temperatures do increase during the month as a sign that winter is fading and spring is approaching.
While northeastern Colorado deals with unusually cold temperatures stubbornly dropping below freezing and even 0°, California has been seeing their own spell of “bitter cold” weather. Of course their definition of “cold” and ours are quite different as highlighted in a clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Somehow we here at ThorntonWeather.com aren’t feeling too much sympathy for those in the Golden State. 😉
This bald eagle was spotted Saturday along the South Platte River Greenway Trail near the Spratt Platte Lakes. See more images in the slideshow below. (ThorntonWeather.com)
One of the great joys of winter in Colorado is an increase in appearances of bald eagles. The national bird of the United States is majestic to see and here in Thornton the birds routinely roost during the cold months.
Bald eagles can be found virtually anywhere in the United States and while Benjamin Franklin would have preferred the turkey, eagles won the right to become one of our nation’s most important symbols.
Here in Colorado there are some year-round nesting pairs, most notably for those in the north Denver metro area are some at Barr Lake. More common are eagles that come to Colorado seasonally and then return north when we start to warm up in the spring.
In recent years we have admired a number of these great birds on the South Platte River Greenway Trail between Colorado Blvd and McKay Road.
This year as many as four have been spotted in the area. While they don’t appear to have nested in the area, they do roost daily along the river.
Yesterday we went for a bike ride and were able to spot one of the eagles as well as a hawk, ducks and the ever-present geese. The slideshow below shows you some of the images we captured.
ThorntonWeather.com's 2012 website statistics. Traffic to our site grew by more than 20% as we served up over 2,000,000 pages.
We knew people across northern Colorado loved us but now we know just how much! ThorntonWeather.com experienced record-setting traffic in 2012 with over 2 million pages served.
As arguably the most popular, independent weather source in the Denver area, ThorntonWeather.com has seen tremendous growth since it was first started in October 2006. Back then the site looked much different and didn’t have near as much information as it does now.
Since our founding we have strived to provide the most accurate, timely weather information for Thornton and its surrounding communities. ThorntonWeather.com has become the go to source for residents and even local governments and organizations.
The sheer breadth of information on our website surpasses any local broadcast or print media outlet – period. And while we may not be as flashy as some of the bigger sites on the Internet, we will put up the quality of our weather and climate information against any of them.
You, our visitors and our neighbors, paid us back with a banner year. Nearly one quarter of a million unique visitors came to our site as we served up over 2 million individual pages. This was about a 20 percent increase over 2011.
What’s ahead for 2013? You can be certain we won’t be standing still.
We continue to raise funds for high-definition webcams to help give you a better look at what is going on outside. Remember, we make no money off of ThorntonWeather.com as it is simply run by a resident that is passionate about the weather. Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. Click here to learn more about how to help.
Additionally, while we are in the depths of winter right now, severe weather season will be here before you know it and we have a number of enhancements in mind to help you monitor the changing conditions and keep you and your family safe.
We truly are humbled and appreciate that so many of you have make ThorntonWeather.com your source for weather. Thank you very much and we wish each of you a very prosperous and happy new year!
For all the latest with Thornton’s weather, be sure to ‘like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add us to your Google+ circles.
Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.
Northeastern Colorado received a much needed wallop of snow and the accompanying precipitation.
As we wrap up a January that was pretty much average in terms of temperature and precipitation, we look to February with hope for relief from the dry conditions we have seen thus far this winter. Unfortunately historically February is a relatively dry month but we do start working off winter as temperatures climb.
