For many, the holiday season isn’t complete without a chill in the air and snow on the ground. Here in Denver we historically enjoy a better chance of experiencing the proverbial white Christmas than many places in the nation.
However, how the Mile High City fares in experiencing a white Christmas does depend on your definition of one.
If it means having actual snowfall on Christmas Day the chances aren’t that good. But, if simply having snow on the ground suffices, the chances improve considerably.
Astronomical winter arrives in Thornton today and with the solstice also comes the shortest day of the year.
Winter officially begins at 4:03pm today. The Winter Solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted at its furthest from the sun – 23.5 degrees away. This results in the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Here in Denver, with sunrise at 7:18am and sunset at 4:39pm, our day today is 9 hours, 21 minutes and 13 seconds long. Tomorrow it will be one second longer and each day from now through to the Summer Solstice in June will get gradually longer as well.
Did you know that there is a difference between the astronomical seasons that we are discussing here and meteorological seasons?
Meteorological seasons differ slightly and are geared toward matching the calendar with the annual temperature cycle. This is done primarily for meteorological observing and forecasting and in many ways it is more logical than the astronomical seasons.
For the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological spring covers the months of March, April and May. Summer brings the hottest months of the year and so meteorological summer is June, July and August. Meteorological fall then is September, October and November followed by the coldest months of December, January and February as meteorological winter.
The month of November this year was one that saw some widely varying temperatures from comfortable fall readings to bone chilling cold. Precipitation ran light and while we saw our first measurable snows for the season, it was still dry.
With a high pressure ridge above, the month started out quite nice. A cold front moved through on the third and not only cooled things down, but also brought the bulk of our precipitation for the month in the form of rain.
We then saw a week of unseasonably warm conditions that lasted through the 10th. After that, the bottom fell out and the mercury plunged. Five of the next six days failed to climb above freezing as bone-chilling cold more akin to January was seen. We did manage to record more than two inches of snow over the same period.
A largely seasonal weather pattern then settled in with most of the next nine days having readings not too far from average. Three of the last four days of the month then brought back very mild conditions.
Thornton’s overall average temperature for the month was 35.1 degrees. This was well below the long term November average for Denver of 38.3 degrees. Out at the airport, official Denver readings were a bit warmer with an average of 36.2 degrees.
Thornton’s warmest reading in November came on the 29th with maximum of 72.5 degrees. The coldest was -8.8 degrees on the morning of the 13th. Denver’s maximum was similar to ours at 72 degrees but its coldest was a bit further down there at -14 degrees.
Five temperature records were set for the month, only one was for a warm reading. That came on the 9th with a record high minimum.
On the other hand, demonstrating just how significant the cold blast in the middle of the month was, Denver set four cold temperature related records for the month. These included record low maximums on the 11th and 12th and record lows on the 12th and 13th.
In terms of precipitation, Thornton finished below average while Denver was slightly above. The November average is 0.61 inches. Here in Thornton we had a mere 0.39 inches while DIA recorded 0.76.
November is one of our snowiest months but that was certainly not the case this year. While the long term average is 8.7 inches, Thornton recorded only 3.0 inches and Denver 4.0 inches.
November 2014 temperature summary for Thornton, Colorado. (ThorntonWeather.com)November 2014 precipitation summary for Thornton, Colorado. (ThorntonWeather.com)
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
144 AM MST MON DEC 1 2014
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2014...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2014
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 72 11/29 73 7 71 11/13
11/01
LOWEST -14 11/13 6 -8 12 11/21
AVG. MAXIMUM 50.6 52.1 -1.5 55.1
AVG. MINIMUM 21.8 24.5 -2.7 26.7
MEAN 36.2 38.3 -2.1 40.9
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 5 2.3 2.7 2
DAYS MIN <= 32 22 23.4 -1.4 25
DAYS MIN <= 0 4 0.6 3.4 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 3.21 1946
MINIMUM T 1899
1901
1949
TOTALS 0.76 0.61 0.15 0.27
DAILY AVG. 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.01
DAYS >= .01 6 4.7 1.3 3
DAYS >= .10 3 1.6 1.4 1
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.30 11/03 TO 11/03 11/21 TO 11/21
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 42.6 1946
TOTALS 4.0 8.7
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 857 801 56 715
SINCE 7/1 1254 1382 -128 1323
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 701 769 -68 999
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.1
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/228
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 43/040 DATE 11/10
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 54/040 DATE 11/10
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 4
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 21
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 5
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 53
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 1
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 2
LIGHT RAIN 2 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 3
LIGHT SNOW 7 SLEET 0
FOG 8 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 5
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
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.
Through November, the snow season along the Colorado Front Range has been dismal. With a mere 4.0 inches of snow having been recorded in Denver (3.0 in Thornton), seasonal snowfall is 9.0 inches below normal.
December can prove to be a rebound month and help bolster those numbers. However precipitation can be hit or miss as while monster snowstorms are possible, we have also seen starkly dry years.
Current long range forecasts point to a warm start to the month followed by seasonal conditions.
November 7, 2014 – Gorgeous clouds at sunrise. (David Canfield)
Typically November is a quiet weather month with plenty of nice, fall days but it can also turn wet with plenty of snow and moisture. Between the widely varying weather conditions and our normally gorgeous scenery, photo opportunities abound.
Many of the leaves have fallen by now and those that haven’t will be gone by the end of the month as colder temperatures and snow take their toll. The change in seasons does bring an increase in wildlife activity including the return of bald eagles to our area.
Slideshow updated November 30, 2014
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.
Weather Geek Stuff is a great place to shop for gifts for weather enthusiasts, weather geeks and weather lovers.
Not everyone gets excited about blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes and other types of extreme weather but many folks out there are passionate about Mother Nature. Weather Geek Stuff is an online shop just for those whose hearts race with the thrill of severe weather and they are offering special deals through the holiday season.
Weather Geek Stuff is an online store that provides a host of clothing items and novelties just for weather buffs. From the store’s custom ‘Weather Geek’ and ‘Weather Diva’ logoed merchandise to items imprinted with amusing weather warnings signs as well as Skywarn storm spotter logos, there is something there sure to please any weather lover.
Weather Geek Stuff’s merchandise was shown on the Weather Channel as a recommended gift so you know the quality is good. Stu Ostro, Weather Channel’s Senior Director of Weather Communications even sports a ‘Weather Geek’ t-shirt on his Facebook page and Twitter profile.
Kids and dogs aren’t left out of the weather fun either. There is a wide variety of clothing items sized just right for the little ones from babies to bigger kids. Canine companions as well can get shirts and bowls emblazoned with a weather-related logo.
The selection goes far beyond clothing too. Water bottles, clocks, mugs, bags and other novelties are part of the store’s offerings. For the tech types, cases for iPhones and iPads are available. Recently added products include laptop skins, clipboards and throw blankets.
Weather Geek Stuff is owned and operated by the same folks that run ThorntonWeather.com. We provide ThorntonWeather.com as a no-cost service to the community and use the minimal amount of money made from Weather Geek Stuff to support the costs of running this website and the associated equipment. So remember, if you have a weather buff on your shopping list, by buying from Weather Geek Stuff you are supporting ThorntonWeather.com! You can also donate directly to fund the site here.
The holiday season is about to kick off with Thanksgiving and with many folks traveling in the coming weeks, the focus is oftentimes on the weather. Looking back at Denver’s historical Thanksgiving weather, we see that the day is usually dry with comfortable temperatures.
Details on every Thanksgiving in Denver since recordkeeping began in 1872 is below. While calm and dry may be the norm, that doesn’t mean that drama isn’t possible.
For this year, what can we expect? At this time it all depends on which forecast model you want to believe.
The GFS indicates a cold front with temperatures in the 30s. The ECMWF points to ridging which would lead to an unseasonably warm day. Which would we side with? For right now we prefer the ECMWF solution.
Stay up to date with Thornton’s weather: Be sure to ‘like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add us to your Google+ circles.
From the National Weather Service – Thanksgiving climatology:
Yet another cold weather record fell this morning as the mercury dropped.
As measured at Denver International Airport, the low temperature this morning plunged to -14 degrees. This easily bested the record low temperature for November 13 of -3 degrees set in 1916.
Here in Thornton the mercury didn’t fall quite as far. Our morning low was -8.8 degrees.
Our bone-chilling blast of cold air continued its record-setting ways on Wednesday as two cold temperature records fell.
The official high temperature for the day only reached 6 degrees in Denver as measured at Denver International Airport. This easily bested the previous record low maximum for the date of 9 degrees set in 1916. Here in Thornton we were slightly warmer with a high of 8.4 degrees.
Additionally, clearing skies late in the day aided in sending the mercury plunging after dark leading to the second record.
Before midnight the temperature dropped to a miserable -13 degrees at DIA. This shattered the previous record low temperature for November 12 of -4 degrees set 132 years ago in 1882. Thornton managed to stay quite a bit warmer, dropping only to -4.7 degrees just before midnight.
The Mile High City will also be setting a record low temperature for November 13. The old record of -3 degrees was set in 1916. We will have to see how cold it gets in the early morning hours to see what the final number ends up being.
Stay up to date with Thornton’s weather: Be sure to ‘like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add us to your Google+ circles.
New record low maximum temperature set in Denver today.
The high temperature in the Mile High City topped out at 16 degrees at 12:46pm today. This crushed the old record for the date of 19 degrees set 98 years ago in 1916. Here in Thornton we were only slightly warmer today with a high of 17 degrees.
Looking ahead, more records may fall in the next 48 hours or so.
Tomorrow’s record low max of 9 degrees, also set in 1916, could fall with current forecasts calling for a high of only 7 degrees. Also, with low temperatures tomorrow night forecast to drop to -5 degrees, we could set a record low temperature for November 13 (-3 degrees in 1916).
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.
The holiday season is about to kick off with Thanksgiving and with many folks traveling in the coming weeks, the focus is oftentimes on the weather. Looking back at Denver’s historical Thanksgiving weather, we see that the day is usually dry with comfortable temperatures.
Yet another cold weather record fell this morning as the mercury dropped.