As we begin the new year the winter chill begins to set in. While January can see its share of extremes, the month historically sees stable temperatures and is usually relatively dry.
January ranks as the second coldest month in Denver next to December with average temperatures remaining virtually the same from the start to the end of the month. In terms of snowfall, the month only ranks as the fourth snowiest and it is not uncommon for it to be quite dry.
What does January 2013 hold for us? Indications are that we may very well continue the recent pattern of below normal temperatures and relatively dry conditions.
As the sun sets on 2012 and the new year dawns, we look back on the past 12 months and can see it for what it was: unusually dry and warm. While we were spared monster blizzards or much severe weather, there were still noteworthy weather events.
In terms of temperatures, Denver recorded an overall average of 53.8 degrees as recorded at Denver International Airport. This was 3.4 degrees above average and put 2012 in the history books as the third warmest year in Denver history. Here in Thornton we were, as usual, a bit cooler with an annual average temperature of 52.9 degrees.
The National Weather Service reported 73 days with temperatures at or above 90 degrees which far exceeds the average of 40 such days we normally see annually. Here in Thornton we too saw more than average with 62 days of 90 degree or hotter temperatures.
The late spring and early summer proved to be record setting in terms of heat. The month of June set a record high temperature average and July was the hottest month in Denver history. Two days, June 25th and 26th broke daily high temperature records and tied Denver’s all-time high temperature of 105 degrees.
On the opposite end of the thermometer, Denver officially recorded 132 days with temperatures at or below freezing. Here in Thornton we recorded two more with 134 days. On average the Mile High City records 157 days of freezing temperatures.
While the year was unusually warm, it was also extraordinarily dry. A mere 10.11 inches of precipitation was recorded in Denver’s rain bucket at DIA, 4.19 inches below normal. Here in Thornton we were even drier as we recorded 9.61 inches of precipitation in 2012. While extremely dry, neither measurement was low enough to make the list of top 15 driest years.
Total snowfall for the calendar year ended up at 38.5 inches at DIA and 35.1 inches in Thornton. Both locations fell well short of the Denver annual average snowfall of 53.5 inches. Denver’s snowfall was enough to keep it off the list of top 15 least snowiest years. However Thornton’s measurement would have made it the 13th least snowiest on Denver’s list.
Snowfall started out reasonably strong thanks to a healthy snowfall total in February. However while March is on average our snowiest month, that did not hold true in 2012. A mere 0.03 inch of precipitation was recorded setting the stage for the balance of a dry year.
Combined, June, July and August recorded only 1.81 inches of precipitation at DIA. This was an astonishing 4.02 inches below average for that period. Thornton fared only slightly better over the period with 2.34 inches.
While September brought above normal precipitation, the final three months of 2012 returned us to drier than normal conditions.
Extreme weather events were not particularly common in 2012. There was a distinct lack of heavy snow events and even spring’s severe weather season was relatively tame.
However, the hot summer temperatures and tinder dry conditions did lead to a deadly and destructive wildfire season.
The High Park Fire in June quickly became the second largest wildfire in Colorado history. That blaze was soon followed by the Waldo Canyon Fire west of Colorado Springs which went into the history books as the most destructive blaze in state history.
Thornton, Colorado 2012 Temperature Summary (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado 2012 Precipitation Summary (ThorntonWeather.com)Denver, Colorado 2012 Temperature and Precipitation Summary (National Weather Service)
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
130 AM MST TUE JAN 1 2013
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2012...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2012
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 105R 06/26 64 41 99 08/25
06/25 07/31
07/04
LOWEST -6 01/11 36 -42 -17 02/02
AVG. MAXIMUM 68.4 64.7 3.7 64.8
AVG. MINIMUM 39.3 36.3 3.0 36.4
MEAN 53.9 50.5 3.4 50.6
DAYS MAX >= 90 73 39.6 33.4 50
DAYS MAX <= 32 19 20.0 -1.0 23
DAYS MIN <= 32 132 156.9 -24.9 158
DAYS MIN <= 0 4 5.8 -1.8 12
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 23.31 1196
MINIMUM 7.29 2008
TOTALS 10.11 14.30 -4.19 17.31
DAILY AVG. 0.03 0.04 -0.01 0.05
DAYS >= .01 52 79.7 -27.7 80
DAYS >= .10 23 34.9 -11.9 37
DAYS >= .50 9 7.6 1.4 10
DAYS >= 1.00 1 2.3 -1.3 6
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.63 MM 05/11 TO 05/12
10/26 TO 10/26
10/26 TO 10/26
STORM TOTAL MM 2.52
(MM/DD(HH)) MM 05/12(00) TO 05/12(00)
10/26(00) TO 10/26(00)6
10/26(00) TO 10/26(00)6
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL MM 5
24 HR TOTAL MM
SNOW DEPTH MM MM
TOTALS 38.5 53.8 -15.3 46.8
LIQUID EQUIV 3.85 5.40 -1.55 4.68
SINCE 7/1 12.4 22.5 -10.1 29.5
LIQUID 7/1 1.24 2.20 -0.96 2.95
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= TRACE 36 33.3 2.7 41
DAYS >= 1.0 13 16.3 -3.3 16
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 11 02/04 7 01/10
01/11
24 HR TOTAL 12.5 MM 10/26 TO 10/26
10/26 TO 10/26
10/26 TO 10/26
STORM TOTAL MM 8.5
(MM/DD(HH)) MM 10/26(00) TO 10/26(00)
10/26(00) TO 10/26(00)6
10/26(00) TO 10/26(00)6
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 5198 6059 -861 6069
SINCE 7/1 MM 2468 MM MM
COOLING TOTAL 1236 0 1236 964
SINCE 1/1 1236 769 467 964
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 3/205
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 52/240 DATE 06/02
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 67/250 DATE 06/02
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 86
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 235
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 45
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 44
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 4 RAIN 12
LIGHT RAIN 45 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 1 HAIL 3
HEAVY SNOW 4 SNOW 15
LIGHT SNOW 37 SLEET 0
FOG 73 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 21
HAZE 51
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Santa Claus begins his whirlwind trip around the globe tonight to deliver toys to all the good little boys and girls! For more than 50 years the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has tracked Kris Kringle on Christmas Eve and helped to ensure he completes his journey safely.
ThorntonWeather.com is pleased to be able to provide live Santa tracking from NORAD right here on our site!
The wintry weather that moved through Colorado over the past 48 hours provided some relief to the drought-stricken state. NASA satellites captured the snowy landscape of the Centennial State as the storm moved off toward the Midwest.
The system covered much of the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountain region in snowfall. For Colorado this brought snow to the high country much to the delight of ski resorts and skiers.
In Denver the storm brought very cold temperatures but not as much snow as was hoped. Officially the Mile High City recorded 1.7 inches bringing the seasonal total to 9.8 inches, well below normal.
The image from NASA’s Aqua satellite was taken on Wednesday, December 19 as the storm began to move out onto the plains. The snow covered mountains west of Denver are clearly seen while cloud covers the lower elevations.
Satellite imagery shows the pre-Christmas snowstorm that blanketed Colorado. Click the image for a larger view. (NASA)
Thus far the snow season has been far less than kind to Colorado. Snow totals are running well below normal from the plains to the Rockies.
December may bring some hope as the month is our third snowiest. The month brings with it the official start to winter and the month usually brings with it our first real taste of Arctic temperatures.
Precipitation can be hit or miss with monster snowstorms possible but we have also seen starkly dry years.
Current long range forecasts indicate we may very well see continued dry and warm weather.
The two key weather related words to describe the Denver area’s November 2012 of ‘dry’ and ‘warm’ hardly come as a surprise. The month saw unseasonably mild temperatures and little in the way of precipitation despite it historically being our second snowiest month.
Above normal temperatures dominated the month from the start with eight out of the first nine days recording readings warmer than average. Colder weather then arrived and brought Thornton and the Mile High City its first snowfall of the season. The cooler temperatures did not last long and warmer weather returned for the majority of the balance of November.
Thornton saw an overall average temperature of 41.1 degrees. Highs averaged 57.3 degrees down to an average low of 26.9 degrees.
Denver’s official average temperature of 43.5 degrees was slightly warmer than Thornton’s. While mild, it was not warm enough to make it into the list of ‘top 10’ warmest Novembers on record.
Here in Thornton our warmest temperature of the month occurred on the 7th when the mercury climbed to 74.6 degrees. The coldest morning occurred on Veterans Day (November 11) when temperatures dropped to a chilly 15.0 degrees.
Precipitation was lacking throughout the month as Thornton recorded a scant 0.37 inch in the bucket. Denver officially recorded less at 0.27 inches. Both measurements were below the average of 0.61 inch for November.
The season’s first snowfall occurred on the 10th of the month with 1.5 inches being recorded in Thornton. Out at DIA they recorded slightly more at 1.7 inches. On average Denver sees 8.7 inches of snow during November so we were well below average.
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2012...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2012
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 77 11/07 67 10 69 11/24
LOWEST 13 11/11 -3 16 10 11/02
11/03
AVG. MAXIMUM 58.4 52.1 6.3 54.1
AVG. MINIMUM 28.5 24.5 4.0 24.8
MEAN 43.5 38.3 5.2 39.5
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX = .01 1 4.7 -3.7 2
DAYS >= .10 1 1.6 -0.6 2
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.27 11/10 TO 11/10 11/01 TO 11/02
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 42.6 1946
TOTALS 1.7 8.7
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 638 801 -163 757
SINCE 7/1 1195 1382 -187 1252
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 1236 769 467 964
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
...................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.4
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 4/205
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 29/220 DATE 11/09
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 37/220 DATE 11/09
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 5
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 24
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 1
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 44
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 1
LIGHT SNOW 2 SLEET 0
FOG 2 FOG W/VIS
Saturday's sunset was stunning as seen in this photo from Thornton. (Steve Hill)
Colorado is home to some of the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises as more often than not, Mother Nature begins and ends the day with a light show of her own. Yesterday a mountain wave cloud sat over the Front Range and when the day came to close, it was lit fiery red.
Also, just a friendly reminder that we are raising money to upgrade our webcams to HD, something that would allow us to capture such stunning events and share them with the community.
A late month snow in October 2012 covered the nearby Flatirons in a blanket of white. (ThorntonWeather.com)
The Colorado Front Range saw a relatively calm month in October 2012 but also a change in the hot and dry pattern we had been stuck in. Temperatures were below normal for the first time in months and above average precipitation was recorded.
October 2012 started out with an average day on the first but the 2nd and 3rd of the month brought temperatures above 80 degrees.
That warm weather didn’t last long however as a cold front moved in on the 4th and brought much cooler temperatures. Denver officially recorded its first snow of the season on the 5th (0.4 inch at DIA) however Thornton missed out and did not record any with that system.
Temperatures remained cooler than normal for most of the first half of the month. On the 13th we received a light dose of rain (0.13 inch in Thornton) while Denver recorded a more generous 0.55 inch.
A calm period followed through the third week of the month. Temperatures were generally mild though and above normal.
Big changes arrived on the 24th as a large upper level trough and cold front moved in. Thornton recorded a combined total of 5.7 inches of snow on the 25th and 26th. Denver recorded 5.1 inches at the airport during the period.
The closing days of the month brought a return to warmer than normal temperatures and dry conditions.
Overall Thornton recorded an average temperature during October 2012 of 47.6 degrees. Denver’s temperature averaged 49.0 degrees which was 1.9 degrees below normal.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 85.0 degrees on the 3rd down to a low of 22.8 degrees on the 27th. Officially Denver recorded a monthly high of 83.0 degrees and a low of 24 degrees on those same dates.
The only temperature record set occurred on the 20th when the morning temperature at DIA dropped to 50 degrees. This tied the record low minimum for the date that was also set in 1939 and 1947.
In terms of precipitation, the little bit of rain at the start and middle of the month followed by the snow helped to drive up precipitation totals. Here in Thornton we recorded 0.99 inch of precipitation during the month while DIA measured 1.22. Denver’s total was 0.20 inch above normal. Denver’s snowfall total for the month of 5.5 inches was 1.5 inches above normal.
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2012...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2012
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 105 08/08/1878
LOW 40 08/26/1910
08/25/1910
08/24/1910
HIGHEST 98 08/27 87 11 99 08/25
08/03
08/06
08/09
LOWEST 47 08/17 40 7 55 08/20
AVG. MAXIMUM 91.0 87.2 3.8 92.7
AVG. MINIMUM 58.9 57.9 1.0 61.3
MEAN 75.0 72.5 2.5 77.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 20 11.5 8.5 22
DAYS MAX = .01 1 8.6 -7.6 3
DAYS >= .10 1 4.3 -3.3 1
DAYS >= .50 0 1.2 -1.2 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.3 -0.3 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.11 08/11 TO 08/11 08/03 TO 08/03
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 0.0 NO SNOW EVER RECORDED IN AUGUST
TOTALS 0.0 NO SNOW EVER RECORDED IN AUGUST
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 0 10 -10 0
SINCE 7/1 0 16 -16 0
COOLING TOTAL 319 244 75 382
SINCE 1/1 1122 688 434 863
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.9
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/217
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 38/330 DATE 08/30
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 45/330 DATE 08/30
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 8
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 22
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 1
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 34
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 4 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 9 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 0 FOG W/VIS
Many long-time Denver residents believe it always snows on Halloween. Is it fact or fiction?
As a kid growing up in Denver it always seemed like Mother Nature put a damper on our trick-or-treating. Conventional wisdom in the Denver area is that it always seems to rain or snow on Halloween.
But, is there any truth to this urban legend? Or is this just one of those times where our memory doesn’t serve us quite right?
This year it looks like we have nothing to worry about but the National Weather Service has been kind enough to compile weather statistics just for Halloween. As it turns out, the thought of snow and rain on Octboer 31st isn’t just in our minds!
We are happy to announce that our online weather radio is back up and running. This is one of our favorite pages on our site as it allows anyone to get current weather, watches, warnings and forecasts direct from the National Weather Service. It is especially critical when severe weather strikes. If you haven’t listened in before, check it out here.
Two weeks ago we suffered a failure of the sound card in the computer that powers the radio and had to purchase another – a bit of an unplanned expense. We occasionally ask for donations to help fund ThorntonWeather.com and many of you have helped generously.
To learn more about how you can help and what our next feature is that we would like to add, follow this link.
Thank you as always for your support!
Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.
As we begin the new year the winter chill begins to set in. While January can see its share of extremes, the month historically sees stable temperatures and is usually relatively dry.
As the sun sets on 2012 and the new year dawns, we look back on the past 12 months and can see it for what it was: unusually dry and warm. While we were spared monster blizzards or much severe weather, there were still noteworthy weather events.
Thus far the snow season has been far less than kind to Colorado. Snow totals are running well below normal from the plains to the Rockies.
The two key weather related words to describe the Denver area’s November 2012 of ‘dry’ and ‘warm’ hardly come as a surprise. The month saw unseasonably mild temperatures and little in the way of precipitation despite it historically being our second snowiest month.
We are happy to announce that our online weather radio is back up and running. This is one of our favorite pages on our site as it allows anyone to get current weather, watches, warnings and forecasts direct from the National Weather Service. It is especially critical when severe weather strikes.