Historical probability of at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas. (NOAA)
As Christmas gets closer everyone always wonders if we are going to get the proverbial white Christmas. Unfortunately, if you look at Denver and Thornton weather history, the chances aren’t all that good but it also depends on what you define as a white Christmas.
If to you a white Christmas means having actual snowfall on Christmas Day the chances are pretty poor. But, if simply having snow on the ground suffices, the chances improve considerably.
Thornton, Colorado’s November 2024 Temperature Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
After eight months straight of above average temperatures and six months straight of below average precipitation, we finally broke the streaks in November. Temperatures cooled a good bit and we received well above normal levels of precipitation.
The first five days of the month continued the mild weather but we did receive some rain during that time which was welcome. After that, we saw a somewhat prolonged period of unsettled weather. Over a four-day period from the 6th to the 9th we received 10.8 inches of snowfall. This marked our first snowfall of the season, nearly three weeks later than normal.
From there, we again entered a relatively mild period with dry conditions that lasted 17 days. Finally, on the 27th, we received another nice shot of snow (3.4 inches). The weather then became calm and pleasant for the Thanksgiving weekend.
For the month of November 2024, Thornton’s average temperature came in at 37.9 degrees. This was a good bit cooler than our running 18-year average for November of 39.6 degrees. Temperatures ranged from a high of 68.7 degrees on the 23rd down to a low of 15.3 degrees on the morning of the 28th.
Out at Denver International Airport where Denver’s official measurements are taken, the Mile High City saw an average temperature for the month of 38.2 degrees. This was below their long term November average of 39.4 degrees.
In terms of precipitation, between rain and melted snow, Thornton recorded a very healthy 1.76 inches for the month. This was far above our running average for November of 0.54 inches. It was, in fact, the wettest November we have recorded in 18 years.
The Mile High City saw 1.98 inches in their bucket, mainly due to higher snowfall out at the airport. This was well above Denver’s long term November average of 0.64 inches and was the 5th wettest November ever recorded in Denver.
As previously mentioned, snowfall was quite abundant. Thornton recorded 14.2 inches, more than double our 18-year November average of 6.2 inches. This made November 2024 the third snowiest November in our books over that period.
Denver bested us on the snowfall front with a whopping 23.3 inches at the airport. This was far above their long-term November average of 7.3 inches. It also put November 2024 into Denver’s record books as the 4th snowiest November ever recorded.
Recent months have, overall, been mostly warmer and drier than normal. Last month we finally got a break with cooler temps and a healthy dose of snow. What will December hold for us?
The month of December brings with it the official start of winter and oftentimes, colder and snowier weather conditions. It, however, can also offer unseasonably warm temperatures and bone dry conditions. Given our recent mild and dry weather, we are certainly hoping for a change in the coming month.
Overall December’s monthly mean temperature of 31.2 degrees (1991 – 2020 averages) makes it our coldest month. Snow is always on everyone’s mind this time of year but December is only our 3rd snowiest month behind March and November with an average of 8.0 inches of the white stuff.
Typically November is a quiet weather month with plenty of nice, fall days but it can also turn wet with healthy doses of snow and moisture. The wide variety of conditions can create picturesque scenes ranging from blue skies and snow-capped mountains to a wintry wonderland in the metro area.
November is the second snowiest month of the year so winter conditions are not unusual. Typically though, these bouts of cold are short-lived and normal daytime conditions are pleasant.
Outdoor activities continue to be quite popular during the month. The cooling temperatures do oftentimes lead to an increase in wildlife activity.
All of the above help lead to a month in which a wide variety of scenes, flora and fauna can be captured.
Slideshow updated November 30, 2024
To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.
Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.
Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.
What is missing in the slideshow above? Your photo!
Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured. The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.
Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids. Whimsical, newsy, artsy. Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard. You name it, we want to see and share it!
Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State. We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.
We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.
What do you win for having your image in our slideshow? We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes. However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.
To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets. Links are provided below.
National Weather Service map of geological features in northeastern Colorado. Click for larger view. (NWS Denver / Boulder)
Flat Tops? Middle Park? Palmer Divide? Where the heck are those? Certainly some of the common geographical features / locations you see in a weather forecast are easily recognized but some are lesser known.
The Denver / Boulder office of the National Weather Service created a very handy map that shows where the most common geographical features are located in northeastern Colorado. It is a fantastic resource to knowing these locations. Learn them and you will be a Colorado pro in no time!
Weather and Elections – Does Mother Nature play a role in determining the outcome?
We oftentimes hear about how weather can affect voter turnout but is there truly a link? If there is, who does it benefit – Republicans or Democrats? Studies seem to indicate that what might be thought of as an urban myth is indeed true and could in fact play a role in 2024.
In 2005, political science researchers Brad Gomez, Thomas Hansford and George Krause completed the first comprehensive study on the correlation between weather and voter turnout. Their paper, “The Republicans Should Pray for Rain: Weather, Turnout, and Voting in U.S. Presidential Elections” confirmed the conventional wisdom that weather does affect voter turnout, bad weather benefits Republicans and most interestingly, two presidential elections in the last 60 years may have had different results had the weather been different.
Looking back at presidential elections from 1948 to 2008, the study takes into account the weather in 3,000 U.S. counties. They in turn looked at key areas of the nation and how weather, good and bad, affected voter turnout. In the end, the study determined that precipitation is the key weather condition to affect voter turnout.
Thornton, Colorado’s October 2024 Temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Mild and dry were the keywords for Thornton for October 2024. The month came in as the warmest and the second driest October of the past 18 years.
While the month lacked any sort of drama in the way of storms, it was most notable for the temperatures. We saw our last 90-degree day of the year on October 2nd and the first 16 days of the month saw 10 days with 80 degree or warmer readings. We didn’t see our first freezing temperature of the season until the 25th of the month, more than two weeks later than normal.
The latter half of the month did cool some but mercury readings remained above normal on most days. Overall, 27 of the 31 days of the month saw above average high temperatures.
Precipitation for the month was meager to say the least. It wasn’t until the 30th that we saw any and even then, it was a paltry 0.03 inches. No snow was recorded.
Thornton’s average temperature for the month came in at 56.1 degrees. That was far above the 50.0 degree 18-year running average for October in Thornton. It also goes into the books as our warmest October over that period, besting the 55.8 degree average of October 2016.
Temperatures ranged from a high of 90.3 degrees on the 2nd of the month down to a low of 29.2 degrees on the morning of the 31st.
The Mile High City, as officially measured at Denver International Airport, was even warmer. Their October average temperature came in at 59.1 degrees. That was far above Denver’s long term October average of 51.1 degrees. The month goes into the Denver weather record books as the second warmest on record with October 1950 holding on as the warmest (59.9 degrees).
Temperatures at the airport ranged from a high of 89 degrees on the 2nd to a low of 24 degrees on the 31st.
As noted above, precipitation was almost non-existent with only 0.03 inches recorded. This was far below the 0.92 inch running average Thornton has seen in October over the past 18 years. October 2024 goes into the books as the second driest October during that time, second only to October 2021 (0.02”).
Out at the airport, Denver saw 0.09 inches of precipitation, all coming on the 18th of the month. This was far short of the 0.99 inches the Mile High City averages in October. That makes October 2024 the 11th driest October ever recorded in Denver.
Over the past 18 years, Thornton has averaged 3.8 inches of snow in October. This year, none was recorded. That is not, however, all that unusual as seven other Octobers over the past 18 years saw no snow as well.
Similarly, out at DIA, Denver saw no snowfall for the month. This ties with 20 other Octobers since 1882 in Denver with no snow. On average, Denver records 4.1 inches during the month.
The weather during the month of November in Denver metro area can offer just about anything. While it is normally a quiet month, it can be prone to extremes.
November has historically been one of Denver’s snowiest months and major snowstorms are not entirely uncommon. However conditions can also be quite dry.
Temperatures during the month continue to cool as we get closer to winter and by the end of the month the low temperatures routinely dip to 20 degrees or below. At times it can in fact bring conditions more like what we see in January.
The United States returns to Standard Time at 2:00am Sunday as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end.
The biannual ritual of changing our clocks to adjust for Daylight Saving Time occurs this weekend, providing yet another signal of the changing of seasons. The United States will ‘fall back’ one hour at 2:00am Sunday morning as we return to Standard 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. Others actually like the return to standard time as they get to enjoy an extra hour of sleep.
The time change definitely has big effects on the dawning of daylight and how early it gets dark in the evening.
Sunrise on Saturday occurs at 7:30am but on Sunday it will be at 6:31am. Similarly, sunset will occur at 5:56pm on Saturday but on Sunday the sun will disappear over the horizon at 4:54pm.
For many this means that when they get home from work it will now be dark and outdoor activities will be significantly curtailed as a result.
Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that do not observe Daylight Saving Time and remain on Standard Time year round. The U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands also do not observe the event.
It won’t be all that long though before Daylight Saving Time returns. On March 9, 2025 we will ‘spring forward.’
Daylight Saving Time Schedule
The mandated beginning and end of Daylight Saving Time has changed in the United States over the years.
The most recent schedule was set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and took effect in 2007. We now ‘spring forward’ to begin Daylight Saving Time on the second Sunday in March and ‘fall back’ with the return to Standard Time on the first Sunday in November.
October in Thornton can bring a wide variety of weather conditions, perfect for the photographer in all of us.
The month brings the changing of the colors at Colorado’s lower elevations and it is also is typically when we see our first freeze and first snow.
Couple those facts with our usual widely varying landscapes and wildlife and we have a month that is sure to bring in plenty of photo opportunities.
Slideshow updated October 31, 2024
To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.
Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.
Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.
What is missing in the slideshow above? Your photo!
Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured. The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.
Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids. Whimsical, newsy, artsy. Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard. You name it, we want to see and share it!
Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State. We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.
We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.
What do you win for having your image in our slideshow? We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes. However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.
To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets. Links are provided below.
