Cool and slightly breezy for Santa's arrival in Thornton tonight. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton’s annual WinterFest kicks off this evening at 6:30pm with the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus. The weather will certainly not be a factor and Santa should be able to arrive without any problem and enjoy their time in our city.
Look for temperatures at the recreation center fields to be around 43 degrees when Santa arrives. Temps will drop to around 39 degrees by the time tonight’s festivities end at 9:00pm.
Winds are a bit gusty right now from 10 to 20 mph as a cold front moves through and unfortunately those won’t ease much. Some higher gusts to 30 mph are possible so it will be a bit blustery.
Snow is one thing that Santa won’t really find in Thornton this year. A few flakes may fall this evening but no real accumulation is expected.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for a complete look at Saturday’s weather for tomorrow’s events!
These stacked lenticular clouds hovered over Denver on the evening of December 8th. View more photos in the slideshow by clicking on the image. Photo: Alycia Gilliland
Colorado is home to many weather phenomena which is certainly part of its appeal. Our topography and geographic location allow us to experience a true four seasons and every type of weather.
Yesterday if you turned your eyes skyward you were treated to an amazing display of lenticular clouds, an unusual formation but one for which Colorado is a prime viewing spot.
Storm chaser and meteorology student Alycia Gilliland has captured some stunning photos in recent months of the sky and yesterday’s display provided another opportunity. As the sun began its decent late yesterday afternoon, Gilliland turned her camera skyward to capture beautiful images of “stacked” lenticulars.
Click on the image to the right to view a slideshow of Gilliland’s photos. You can learn more about lenticular clouds in our story on the Denver Weather Examiner.
November 2010 goes down in the books as drier and warmer than normal. (iStockphoto / johnnyscriv)
November 2010 was most notable not for what weather condition occurred but rather for what it lacked – snow. Historically November is Denver’s second snowiest month but 2010 saw us receive very little of the white stuff as we start out the season far behind where we average.
At the official Denver weather monitoring station at Denver International Airport a mere 1.5 inches of the white stuff was recorded. That is 9.2 inches below the historical November average of 10.7 inches. Despite that, the month fell short of the top 10 least snowiest Novembers as number 10 on that list is 1971 with 1.4 inches. Given that no snow was recorded in September or October, the 2010 snow season is off to a dismal start at more than 15 inches below normal.
In terms of precipitation, only 0.5 inch was collected in the rain bucket – barely more than half of the normal of 0.98 inch. While dry, it wasn’t enough to put the month into top 10 driest November status. Three years in Denver history have recorded only a trace of precipitation and the number 10 slot is held by 1989 when only 0.15 inch of precipitation was recorded. No precipitation or snowfall records were set or tied during the month.
Here in Thornton we fared drier than the official Denver tallies on all fronts. We recorded only 1.14 inches of snow and 0.33 inch of precipitation.
Temperature-wise Denver ended the month warmer than normal with an average temperature of 38.3 degrees. This was 0.8 degrees above the normal of 37.5 degrees. Temperatures ranged from a high of 77 degrees on the 6th down to a low of 4 degrees on the 25th. There were 24 days with low temperatures below the freezing mark which is normal. On only one day, the 29th, did we fail to hit a high temperature of at least freezing as the thermometer only climbed to 31 degrees that day. No temperature records were set or tied during the month.
Overall Thornton’s average temperature for the month was cooler than Denver’s. The average temperature was 36.8 degrees with the warmest day hitting 78.7 degrees and the lowest temperature being 9.0 degrees.
Wind is of course a fact of life on the plains and November 2010 did set a new peak wind gust for the month of 55 mph on the 16th. This easily broke the old record of 49 mph set in 1990.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
745 AM MST FRI DEC 3 2010
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2010...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2010
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 11/06 79 -2 77 11/05
LOWEST 4 11/25 -18 22 16 11/16
AVG. MAXIMUM 52.6 51.5 1.1 56.4
AVG. MINIMUM 24.0 23.5 0.5 28.8
MEAN 38.3 37.5 0.8 42.6
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX = .01 6 5.6 0.4 3
DAYS >= .10 2 MM MM 3
DAYS >= .50 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 MM MM 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.15 11/16 TO 11/16 0.33 11/14 TO 11/15
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 42.6 1946
TOTALS 1.5 10.7
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 793 826 -33 664
SINCE 7/1 1128 1408 -280 1479
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 870 696 174 533
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.7
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/228
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 45/310 DATE 11/16
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 55/320 DATE 11/16
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 9
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 17
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 4
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 51
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 1
LIGHT RAIN 2 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 4
LIGHT SNOW 9 SLEET 0
FOG 13 FOG W/VIS
Not since Grover Cleveland was president has Denver had as warm of a December 3rd as today.Not since Grover Cleveland was president has Denver had as warm of a December 3rd as today.
If you looked at a thermometer late this morning or early this afternoon you might have found yourself wondering if the calendar that says it is December is correct. Not since 1885 when Grover Cleveland was inaugurated as the 22nd president of the United States and the Washington Monument was completed has Denver had as warm of temperatures on December 3rd as today.
At 11:41am this morning the temperature at the official Denver weather station at Denver International Airport reached 69 degrees. Thornton topped that slightly as we recorded 70.2 degrees at 12:13pm.
As is often the case, the warmer temperatures have been brought on my strong winds. Gusts this afternoon to 45mph are possible, particularly along the usual wind-prone areas in the foothills like Highway 93 between Boulder and Golden.
The warmth will be short-lived however as those winds bring in a cold front later this evening. Overnight and into tomorrow some areas of the Front Range may see a wintry mix of snow and freezing drizzle. Highs on Saturday will only reach the mid to upper 30s. For the complete local Thornton forecast click here.
ThorntonWeather.com note: Some media outlets, including KMGH Channel 7, are incorrectly reporting that Denver hit a high temperature of 70 degrees today and broke the record. This is incorrect.
National Weather Service observations are initially reported in Celsius, rounded to the nearest whole degree – in today’s case, 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit). However the true temperature is recorded to the nearest tenth of a degree. Today’s actual high temperature was 20.6 degrees Celsius or 69 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yet another reason to rely on ThorntonWeather.com for your weather news and information! 😉
A major winter storm will bring heavy snow to much of western Colorado. (NWS)
As travelers prepare to hit the road to visit friends and family for the Thanksgiving holiday, a major winter storm set to strike the Western Slope may cause problems. Some areas will be measuring snow in terms of feet rather than the usual inches.
A strong Pacific trough of low pressure will begin encroaching on western Colorado today followed by a cold front on Sunday. These factors will combine to bring heavy snow to much of the western third of the state where Winter Storm Warnings have been posted.
The long-lasting storm will bring periods of heavy snow lasting from today through Wednesday. The San Juans will bear the brunt through tomorrow followed by the Sawatch and Elk mountain ranges from Monday through Wednesday. Areas farther north along the Rockies will also feel the effects.
Here in Thornton and the Denver metro area things will be much calmer but also cooler, particularly on Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day. High temperatures for those two days may not even reach the freezing mark. At the current time it does appear we will remain dry so flying into and out of Denver International Airport (DIA) should not be a problem.
October 2010 ended up drier and warmer than normal.
Following on what was a “top 10” warmest and driest September, October tried to follow suit but fell short of achieving record status. Nevertheless, the month was considerably warmer and drier than normal.
In terms of temperature the month ranked as the 11th warmest fall just 0.1 degree short of top 10 status. The average temperature was 55.3 degrees; a considerable 4.3 degrees above normal. Temperatures ranged from a high of 85 degrees on the 3rd down to a low of 20 on the 28th. In all there were only two days when the mercury dipped to freezing or below; seven days below the normal nine we receive.
Thornton was quite a bit cooler overall than Denver as we had an average temperature of 52.7 degrees. Highs ranged from 84 degrees on the 4th down to 23.3 degrees on the 28th.
As an interesting side note, it was just last October that we had our second coldest October on record. The average temperature in October 2009 was a chilly 42.9 degrees and we had 17 days with temperatures at or below freezing!
We suffered through another dry month which did spark a couple of wildfires. A mere 0.54 inch of precipitation was recorded at the official monitoring site at Denver International Airport. This was just barely more than half of the normal of 0.99 inch. Most of the precipitation fell in the form of rain on the 12th when 0.34 inch was recorded. Here in Thornton we were a bit wetter having recorded 0.73 inch of precipitation during the month.
For the first time since 2003 no snow was recorded in Denver in October. This is only the 15th time since 1882 that has happened. On average we expect to receive 4.1 inches of the white stuff.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
205 PM MDT MON NOV 1 2010
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2010...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2010
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 90 10/01/1892
LOW -2 10/29/1917
HIGHEST 85 10/03 90 -5 84 10/18
LOWEST 20 10/28 -2 22 17 10/10
AVG. MAXIMUM 69.7 66.0 3.7 54.7
AVG. MINIMUM 40.9 35.9 5.0 31.1
MEAN 55.3 51.0 4.3 42.9
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.3 -0.3 3
DAYS MIN <= 32 2 8.6 -6.6 17
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.17 1969
MINIMUM T 1934
TOTALS 0.54 0.99 -0.45 1.36
DAILY AVG. 0.02 0.03 -0.01 0.04
DAYS >= .01 4 5.3 -1.3 8
DAYS >= .10 2 MM MM 5
DAYS >= .50 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 MM MM 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.34 10/12 TO 10/12 0.39 10/20 TO 10/21
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 31.2 1969
TOTALS 0.0 4.1 -4.1 17.2
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 300 436 -136 676
SINCE 7/1 335 582 -247 815
COOLING TOTAL 8 0 8 0
SINCE 1/1 870 696 174 533
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.1 9.6
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/231 MM
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 41/350 10/25 37/350 10/29/09
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 51/350 10/25 54/200 10/05/09
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 9
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 22
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 0
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 44
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 4 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 3
LIGHT RAIN 5 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 2 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 7
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
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!
October is here and it may bring Denver's first taste of snow and freezing temperatures for the season. (iStockphoto / johnnyscriv)
With the first full month of fall here, October usually brings one of the quietest weather months in the Denver area with plenty of mild, sunny days and clear, cool nights. Certainly given our recent trend of well-above normal temperatures many are hoping for some relief.
The month actually has our second highest amount of sunshine with 72 percent with September having the most with 74 percent. Interestingly enough, the month following, November, is one of the lowest sunshine months with only 64 percent.
Typically October brings our first real taste of winter with the first freeze on average coming on the 7th of the month and the first snow on the 15th of the month.
You can get all the details including a look back at historical October weather and a look ahead at what October 2010 is expected to bring in our complete preview here.
For the fourth time this month Denver set (or tied) a record high temperature.
Mother Nature obviously hasn’t gotten the message that it is now September and fall is here. Once again Denver broke a record high temperature – the fourth time we have tied or broken a record this month.
According to the National Weather Service the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 92 degrees at 3:55pm. This shatters the old record high for the date of 89 degrees that was set twice, once in 1994 and before than in 1892.
Here in Thornton we were a couple of degrees cooler as we reached a high of 89.7 degrees at 2:41pm.
This is the fourth time this month that we have tied or set a new record high temperature and September 2010 may very well end up as one of the top 10 warmest on record.
As of midnight the average temperature in Denver during September had been 67.0 degrees. If the month were to have ended then we would be in a tie with 1939 for the 7th warmest September on record (see list below).
With temperatures forecast to remain in the mid-80s on Wednesday and around 80 on Thursday it is very possible September 2010 will fit on that top 10 list somewhere. We are certain to far exceed the average September temperature of 62.4 degrees.
For the second Sunday in a row the mercury in Denver reached a record-setting mark.
The Mile High City is on pace to see one of its “top 10 warmest” Septembers on record and that was in full evidence on Sunday. For the third time this month we have tied or broken a record high temperature.
At Denver International Airport today the high temperature reached 90 degrees at 2:54pm thus tying the record for the date set in 1892. This is far above the normal high temperature of 74 degrees for the date.
Here in Thornton we were slightly cooler as we recorded a high temperature of 88.1 degrees at 3:07pm today.
Last Sunday, September 19th, the mercury topped out an amazing 96 degrees. That broke the old record of 93 degrees set in 1980. It was also the hottest temperature ever recorded so late in the year and was the hottest Denver Broncos home game on record.
The recent wildfires have reminded us just how dry Denver has been in recent weeks and the precipitation measurements bear this out. Thus far this month Denver has recorded a mere 0.06 inch of precipitation – far below the average for September of 1.14 inches.
Given that at the current time there is no moisture in the weather forecast through the end of the month, September 2010 may very well go into the record books as one of the top 10 driest Septembers on record. If the month were to end today it would tie for 5th place on the list with 1882 and 1920.
In terms of temperature the month also is threatening top 10 status. As of yesterday the average temperature for the month has been 66.8 degrees. That is more than four degrees above the normal of 62.4 degrees. If the month were to end today that would put the month in a tie for the 9th spot on the top 10 warmest Denver Septembers on record.
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