Thornton's weather forecast for the Independence Day weekend as of Saturday morning. Follow the link in the story for the latest forecast.
The holiday weekend is upon us and the weather looks to be a bit of a mixed bag. Plenty of heat will be on tap Saturday but the weather changes considerably on Independence Day, threatening those fireworks shows.
For Saturday, we have a day much like we saw yesterday. Partly cloudy skies will be overhead with high temperatures reaching the low to mid-90’s. This afternoon brings with it a slight chance for isolated thunderstorm and shower activity. Right now, we aren’t expecting any of those storms to turn severe in the metro area.
Independence Day is of course the big day as we celebrate the 234th birthday of our Great Nation. An upper level trough will be moving through late tonight and through Monday and with it comes cooler temperatures and increased chances of moisture.
Highs on Sunday look to be considerably cooler and only in the low to mid-70’s under mostly cloudy skies. The concern right now is the increased chance for rain showers that is expected to arrive in the afternoon and threatens to put a damper on fireworks shows. This will bear watching so check back tomorrow for an update.
On Monday we start to rebound a bit from the cooler weather but temperatures will remain below normal. Highs will be in the low to mid-80’s under partly cloudy skies and a slight chance for thunderstorms.
The balance of next week looks to continue a cooler-than-normal trend with temperatures hovering around 80 Tuesday through Thursday.
It is Colorado’s severe weather season and Thornton received a reminder of that Thursday night. The late afternoon brought various watches and warnings and soon hail as large as ping-pong balls was falling.
What started as a light rain with ominous clouds overhead soon turned to hail that pounded central Thornton near 120th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. Mercifully, the hail never got any bigger than ping-pong ball sized however that is plenty big enough to have caused damage. Residents should check their vehicles and other property closely for damage.
Following the hail, in a short 20 minute span, the area was inundated with 1/4 inch of rain coming down in sheets. A rainbow soon appeared to the east signifying this round of severe weather was over.
Check out the slideshow below for some of the images from the short-lived but potentially damaging storm.
On June 3, 1981, Thornton was the site of the most destructive tornado in the history of the Denver metro area. The City of Thornton is now evaluating options to warn residents of severe weather threats. (City of Thornton archives)
Visitors to ThorntonWeather.com have often asked us if the city was taking any steps to protect its citizens and warn them about severe weather. The city – and Adams County – are lacking any type of alert system. Following last year’s ‘Summer of Storms,’ we were told the city would look into it.
Current options for citizens range from the Emergency Alert System used by television and radio broadcasters, free and pay Internet services as well as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (weather radio). As we have discussed previously, these systems have their limitations.
At this week’s city council update session, the Thornton City Council heard a presentation from city staff on the alternatives available. Utilizing Reverse 911 and contracting with a third party provider were two of the items discussed.
Read the presentation city staff gave to the Thornton City Council below
In trying to identify ways to keep citizens aware of deteriorating weather conditions, city staff told council, “Technology is changing so quickly that supporting a single system would not be efficient.”
The Denver area is at the western edge of Tornado Alley and as we have seen historically and in recent days, the danger is real. Click image for larger view. Image courtesy NOAA.
Rather than implement their own system, staff recommended the city rely upon the federal government and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) forthcoming Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).
Slated for widespread deployment in 2010, IPAWS will take the old Emergency Alert System and move it into the modern age by leveraging new communication technologies such as email and cellular phones.
Mayor Erik Hansen told ThorntonWeather.com, “The City of Thornton recognizes the dangers of severe weather and we are actively working to identify solutions to protect its citizens.”
While the city waits for IPAWS, staff said they recommend the “development of a Weather Awareness Public Education Program that would be implemented in the spring of each year.” They further would work to encourage residents to purchase weather radios.
ThorntonWeather.com’s Take
We are pleased that the city is finally taking some steps in the right direction – albeit 29 years late.
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is essential to protecting you and your family.
The implementation of a severe weather education program is also a step in the right direction, assuming it takes the form of something more substantial than the simple brochure the city developed this year.
Each spring the National Weather Service (NWS) offers storm spotter training seminars. These would likely be overkill for average citizens however we think it would be ideal for the City of Thornton to partner with the Denver / Boulder NWS office to offer education sessions for citizens. These could be taped and then shown on Channel 8 and on the city’s website.
We do have our reservations about waiting for and relying on the forthcoming IPAWS system when commercial systems are available, proven and ready now for the city to implement. Big government projects rarely are completed on time and often do not perform as expected. Hopes are high for IPAWS but we are cautious on giving it any sort of endorsement.
Granted, severe weather on par with the 1981 tornado is rare however last year’s severe weather and the Windsor tornado of two years ago show the danger is present. If a warning system saves one life, the cost incurred is well worth it and we hope the city continues to stay on top of this issue – we will certainly be watching.
June typically brings severe weather to Thornton and the Denver area.
June is historically Denver’s severe weather month and severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail are notorious visitors to Denver and across eastern Colorado during the month. In fact, over 40 percent of the tornadoes that occur in Colorado are observed in June and these are typically the most destructive of the year. Severe thunderstorms have also caused major property damage across the Front Range during the month.
In just the last 25 years or so, there have been some particularly notable storms in June. Tornadoes have struck the metro area including one that longtime Thornton residents will recall on June 3, 1981. 53 residents were injured, 25 homes were destroyed and 239 other structures were damaged. Others tornadoes in the metro area include southeast Denver and Aurora on June 8, 1986 and east Denver on June 13, 1984. Severe thunderstorms occurring on June 13, 1984 dumped large hail making it one of the worst and the second costliest storm in Denver history. More recently, on June 20, 2001, a major hail storm moved across Denver International Airport dropping hailstones as big as two inches in diameter. Damage was extensive on and near the airport.
Hail covers the road at 104th Avenue and Chambers Road on Wednesday afternoon. (Chelsea Kovach)
Colorado’s severe weather season is upon us and it paid a visit to the north Denver metro area in spades on Wednesday. Brief, heavy rain, large hail and a few tornadoes were reported with the fast moving storms.
Isolated thunderstorms began popping up along the Front Range after lunchtime, quickly turning severe in nature.
Hail nearly three inches in diameter pounded vehicles and homes in north Denver, Commerce City, Thornton and unincorporated Adams County. Enough hail fell in the Reunion development area of Commerce City to cover the ground like snow. Residents used snow blowers and state highway crews used snowplows to clear the frozen water.
An untold number of vehicles sustained heavy damage in the area northeast of downtown Denver. Reports of broken windows, roofs with damage and trees stripped of leaves were commonplace. In the central part of Thornton there were reports of hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter.
Operations at Denver International Airport were affected as flights were delayed while the severe weather passed. Delays of 30 to 60 minutes were experienced and those inside the airport were instructed to go to designated tornado shelters for a time.
Brief, weak tornadoes were reported in some areas and strong winds caused damage further northeast of the area. In Larimer County, multiple structures were reportedly destroyed and a 15 foot silo was knocked down.
The severe weather was enough to draw the attention of the VORTEX 2 tornado study. The research study is the largest field study of tornadoes with hundreds of scientists and dozens of vehicles roaming the plains to learn more about the severe weather. The teams tracked the storms as they moved from near DIA to the plains further to the northeast.
Are you ready for severe weather? Do you know what to do to keep you and your family safe? Review our Severe Weather 101 series to learn more:
ThorntonWeather.com now brings local, Thornton weather to your advanced mobile phone.
With the advent of new advanced mobile phones like the Droid and iPhone, users of these devices are able to view more complete content than ever before. No longer are they limited to totally stripped down versions of web pages. Recognizing the proliferation of these new devices, ThorntonWeather.com has completely revamped our mobile website to provide users of advanced mobile devices a more interactive, graphical experience.
On ThorntonWeather.com Mobile (http://m.thorntonweather.com) you will find a familiar looking ‘dashboard’ much like on our full site. It provides real-time Thornton weather conditions as well as an almanac with sunrise and sunset times, moon rise and moon set times, as well as the moon phases.
The forecast page has your complete local, Thornton forecast – not a forecast for DIA or downtown. Radar is of course available including a local, regional and national view. You can also view our weather webcams on the webcams page and graphs of today’s weather as well as days past.
Looking for some reading material? Our news and blog section now has a mobile version as well which you can access from the mobile pages. All of our recent news stories are available for viewing by mobile users.
You can access the mobile site by clicking the “Mobile” button on the top right of our main site or direct your phone’s mobile browser to http://m.thorntonweather.com. Be sure to bookmark it so you can come back to it easily.
A Tornado Watch is in effect for eastern Colorado through 9:00pm Tuesday night. (NWS)
Update, 7:10pm – Most of the ‘action’ has shifted north of the metro area into Weld County. Multiple tornadoes have been spotted. Residents of Greely, Lockbuie, Fort Morgan and surrounding areas need to be aware of these severe weather conditions.
For the metro area, things have settled down a bit. However, a Tornado Watch remains in effect until 9:00pm. There remains a chance of an isolated thunderstorm moving off the foothills with severe wind, rain, hail and possibly tornadoes.
Have pictures of the severe weather? Email them to info@thorntonweather.com and we will post them!
Update, 5:05pm – The Severe Thunderstorm Warning that covered parts of the metro area has expired. However, a Tornado Watch remains in effect until 9:00pm for all of eastern Colorado including Denver.
Thus far the Front Range has been spared any tornadoes but there has been activity elsewhere in the state. One tornado was reported two miles east of Rockport in Weld County and another one mile east of the rest area near the Wyoming border, also in Weld County. No damage has been reported.
Update, 4:10pm – The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for western Adams, northeastern Denver and south central Weld County. Radar indicates a severe thunderstorm that could produce one inch diameter hail over northern Denver and moving north at 25 mph.
Areas under this warning include Lochbuie, Brighton, Denver International Airport, northeastern Denver, eastern Thornton, Commerce City and northwestern Aurora. The warning will remain in effect until 4:45pm.
If severe weather approaches your area, go inside to sturdy shelter and stay away form flood-prone areas. Remember that a severe thunderstorm can produce damaging hail, winds in excess of 58 mph, deadly lightning and heavy rain.
The Tornado Watch that covers all of eastern Colorado continues until 9:00pm.
Original story, 1:20pm: The stage is set for the first significant severe weather threat of the season to the Mile High City. Thunderstorms have quickly built as they moved off the foothills south of Denver and they are expected to increase in intensity as the afternoon progresses.
The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for all of eastern Colorado through 9:00pm tonight. This includes the Denver metro area and the entire Front Range.
Remember that a Tornado Watch means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. Residents in the areas under the watch should take appropriate precautions and stay tuned to media outlets for updates to the rapidly worsening conditions.
The biggest threat from these storms will be hail, damaging wind, dangerous lightning and tornadoes. The main area of focus for the worst of this is going to be over the Palmer Divide and areas east. However, it is entirely possible that more widespread severe weather will occur, including over the main part of the Denver area.
We will be updating this page throughout the afternoon and evening as long as the severe weather threat remains.
The City of Thornton has created a new flyer for residents with basic severe weather information. (City of Thornton)
Severe weather season is quickly going to arrive in Colorado – we have already seen signs of it in recent weeks. Helping to bring attention to the dangers severe weather presents, the City of Thornton has created a new flyer with some tips for residents.
Available on the city’s website, the flyer covers the basics of tornado, thunderstorm and lightning safety. It is a good, brief look at the highlights of keeping you and your family safe when severe weather strikes.
Update, 5:15pm – The Tornado Watch for Adams County has been discontinued.
We did see a number of tornadoes reported in Colorado so far today, mostly in the southeastern part of the start.
In northeastern Colorado, two tornadoes were reported. One was reported at 3:28pm 9 miles southwest of Deer Trail in Elbert County. The second at 3:38pm two miles north of Leader in Adams County.
A very, very wet weather pattern will continue through Saturday and the chance for severe weather remains. Be sure to stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com!
Update, 4:30pm: The Tornado Watch for Denver, Boulder, Broomfield and Jefferson Counties has been dropped. However, they remain in effect until 8:00pm for Adams, Arapahoe, Morgan, Washington, Weld, Elbert and Lincoln Counties.
Two tornadoes have been reported so far. The first was at 3:28pm nine miles southwest of Deer Trail. The second was 10 minutes later at 3:38pm two miles west of Leader. No damage reports at this time.
Original story, 3:30pm: Yesterday brought our first Severe Thunderstorm Warning of the season and today the situation gets more serious with Tornado Watches and Warnings being posted. The severe weather threat looks to continue through the afternoon.
A Tornado Watch has been issued for much of the Front Range including all of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Morgan, and Weld Counties. This watch includes the entire Denver metro area including Thornton.
Remember that a Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms producing tornadoes in and close to the watch area.
Showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue to develop across the Front Range this afternoon and evening. These are expected to include heavy rain, strong winds, hail and possibly hail. Residents need to take immediate precautions to protect themselves.
Remember, Thornton and Adams County do NOT have any type of weather warning system for residents – no sirens, text alerts, etc. You should have your own NOAA weather radio or stay tuned to local media (and ThorntonWeather.com of course) for all the latest when severe weather strikes.
NASA's Terra satellite flew over the volcano on April 16 10:45 UTC (6:45 a.m. EDT) and the MODIS instrument captured a visible image of Eyjafjallajökull's ash plume (brown cloud) stretching from the U.K. (left) to Germany (right). (NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team) Click on the image or on the link below to view a slideshow of satellite photos of the eruption.
Satellites by space agencies across the globe have trained their ‘eyes in the sky’ on Iceland and the erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano. From their perch hundreds of miles above the Earth’s surface, these satellites can capture images of the volcano and its ash plume as it travels across northern and central Europe.
The volcanoes activity increased overnight and continues on Saturday. Eurocontrol, the European agency responsible for air travel over the continent, reports that 16,000 flights had been cancelled on Saturday. On a normal Saturday the organization would monitor 22,000 flights.
Satellite images in the slideshow below from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and others provide an incredible look into the event.
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