As of 5:00am this morning, Denver’s February 2015 ranks as the sixth snowiest February on record.With more snow expected mid-week, it is highly likely the month will climb up the rankings.
How does Thornton compare? Denver’s total for the month is 17.7″ but we are ahead of that at 19.4″.
It should be noted that Denver’s measurement is taken at DIA and has been since 2008. Prior to that it was taken at Stapleton (1950-2007) and downtown (1882-1949). This year Stapleton is at 22.9″ for the month, enough that it would rank as the snowiest February on record had the official location for measuring snowfall not been moved.
Snowiest Februarys on record in Denver, Colorado. (ThorntonWeather.com)
If forecasts hold true, Thornton is set to receive its most significant snowfall of the season and possibly the biggest winter storm of the past few years.
The National Weather Service is calling for 7 to 15 inches of snowfall between now and when snow ends Sunday night / Monday morning. We here at ThorntonWeather.com are a bit more skeptical putting a 6 to 12 inch range on it – with an asterisk about how this storm could very well disappoint.
Either way, the storm should deliver a healthy shot of snow and put Denver seasonal snowfall to above normal levels.
Throughout the period we will of course be monitoring the system and posting regularly to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can follow along in real time below. We are also on Google+ here.
One high temperature record fell yesterday, another fell today. Despite the month starting with snow, we have quickly moved to temperatures more like we would expect to see in March.
As measured at Denver International Airport, the high temperature today for the Mile High City reached 74 degrees. That easily bests the old record for today’s date of 71 degrees set in 1987 and years prior. Here in Thornton we managed to be a couple of degrees warmer reaching 76 degrees at 1:53pm.
Additionally, yesterday’s official lowest reading of 46 degrees at DIA broke Denver’s record high minimum for the date. The old record was 41 degrees set in 1930. Thornton was cooler yesterday morning with a low mark of 40 degrees that would not have broken the record.
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.
Denver’s weather rollercoaster this week took us from cold and snow to unseasonably warm temperatures sure to bring an onset of spring fever. The Mile High City set a record high temperature Friday and may set another Saturday.
As measured at Denver International Airport, today’s office high temperature was 70 degrees. That easily bests the old record for the date of 67 degrees set in 1944. Here in Thornton we were just a bit cooler with a high of 69 degrees,
The mild weather will be sticking around for the rest of the weekend with a forecast high of 70 degrees on Saturday (but with some wind) and 66 degrees on Sunday. The record high for Saturday’s date, February 7, is 71 degrees so we will be coming close to the mark.
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.
February in Colorado typically brings to an end an extended period when average temperatures are at their lowest. Winter begins to loosen its grip and temperatures get warmer but precipitation is not a particularly common event during the month.
Probably one of the biggest question marks is whether or not we will see some help with the snow situation. While mountain snowpack is not in too bad of shape, Denver’s seasonal snowfall to date is well below normal. February is only our sixth snowiest month so it may not provide much help on the precipitation month.
Temperatures however do usually see a nice rebound during the month. Average high temperatures climb from an average of 44 degrees at the start to 50 degrees by the end of February.
Look back at last month, we see that Thornton experienced an unusually warm month, one punctuated by a couple rare 70 degree January days. Precipitation fell short of normal as did snowfall.
The month started out on the cold side with three of the first four days failing to reach temperatures above freezing. Some light snow was also recorded on the 2nd and 3rd of the month.
We then began a bit of a temperature rollercoaster with above normal readings for two days, a turn toward colder temperatures on the 9th, back to warmth on the next day and then colder than normal for the next four days.
Fourteen of the last 17 days of the month then recorded temperatures at or above normal. The 26th and 27th saw amazing readings above 70 degrees.
Overall, Thornton’s average temperature for the month came in at 33.7 degrees. That was well above Denver’s January average of 30.7 degrees. Out at Denver International Airport where the city’s official records are taken, the month saw a 33.9 degree average.
Thornton’s warmest reading of 74.5 degrees came on the 27th. Its coldest of -3.7 degrees occurred early in the morning of the 4th. Denver’s warmest and coldest readings came on the same days. DIA recorded 75 degrees on the 27th and -10 degrees on the 4th.
In terms of precipitation, 0.20 inches of liquid precipitation was recorded in Thornton. Denver nearly doubled our number with 0.38 inches. Both locations fell shy of Denver’s January average precipitation of 0.41 inches.
Snowfall in Thornton totaled only 3.5 inches, exactly have of Denver’s January average of 7.0 inches. Here again the airport bested us with 7.2 inches this January.
Thornton, Colorado temperature summary for January 2015. (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado precipitation summary for January 2015. (ThorntonWeather.com)
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
614 AM MST SUN FEB 1 2015
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2015...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2015
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 76 01/27/1888
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 75 01/27 65 01/19
LOWEST -10 01/04 -10 01/05
AVG. MAXIMUM 46.7 44.0 2.7 44.9
AVG. MINIMUM 21.0 17.4 3.6 17.3
MEAN 33.9 30.7 3.2 31.1
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 5 5.5 -0.5 4
DAYS MIN <= 32 27 29.4 -2.4 30
DAYS MIN <= 0 3 1.7 1.3 3
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 2.35 1883
MINIMUM 0.01 1933
1934
1952
TOTALS 0.38 0.41 -0.03 0.94
DAILY AVG. 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.03
DAYS >= .01 5 4.1 0.9 9
DAYS >= .10 1 0.9 0.1 3
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.12 01/21
STORM TOTAL 0.14 01/20(19) TO 01/21(16)
SNOWFALL (INCHES) JANUARY NORMAL
TOTALS 7.2 7.0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 958 1063 -105 1046
SINCE 7/1 3249 3531 -282 3497
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0
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 3/229
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 37/290 DATE 01/17
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 46/270 DATE 01/05
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 5
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 16
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 10
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 62
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 1 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 2 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 4
LIGHT SNOW 12 SLEET 0
FOG 16 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 6
HAZE 6
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Snow early in the month allowed plenty of fun opportunities for kids in Thornton. (Ed Dalton)
As one of our coldest months, January can be a good month to hibernate inside and avoid the outdoors. But, like any month in Colorado, photo opportunities abound as our monthly slideshow demonstrates.
Snow is not normally dominant in the month but when it does fall, it can create a beautiful blanket of white. Throw in the amazing sunrises and sunsets we receive in the middle of winter as well as wildlife and a host of other subjects and the imagery can be quite beautiful and stunning.
Slideshow updated January 31, 2015
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.
[flickr_set id=”72157647836594564″]
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.
Warming mountain climate? A new study raises serious questions about the accuracy of the data. (Tony’s Takes)
We have all heard the warnings about a warming climate and scientists have claimed to have the data to prove it. However time and time again the very underlying data has been shown to be faulty. Here we again find another case.
A new study from the University of Montana shows extreme warming bias in temperature data from critical networks. The study takes a hard look at climate data gathered across the Rocky Mountain west, including here in Colorado.
“In the context of a warming climate, this artificial amplification of mountain climate trends has likely compromised our ability to accurately attribute climate change impacts across the mountainous western US,” author Jared Oyler writes in his study.
From the University of Montana:
January 12, 2015
MISSOULA – In a recent study, University of Montana and Montana Climate Office researcher Jared Oyler found that while the western U.S. has warmed, recently observed warming in the mountains of the western U.S. likely is not as large as previously supposed.
His results, published Jan. 9 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, show that sensor changes have significantly biased temperature observations from the Snowpack Telemetry (SNOTEL) station network.
More than 700 SNOTEL sites monitor temperature and snowpack across the mountainous western U.S. SNOTEL provides critical data for water supply forecasts. Researchers often use SNOTEL data to study mountain climate trends and impacts to mountain hydrology and ecology.
Oyler and his co-authors applied statistical techniques to account for biases introduced when equipment was switched at SNOTEL sites in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s. His revised datasets reduced the biases to reveal that high-elevation minimum temperatures were warming only slightly more than minimum temperatures at lower elevations.
“Observations from other station networks clearly show that the western U.S. has experienced regional warming,” Oyler said, “but to assess current and future climate change impacts to snowpack and important mountain ecosystem processes, we need accurate observations from the high elevation areas only covered by the SNOTEL network. The SNOTEL bias has likely compromised our ability to understand the unique drivers and impacts of climate change in western U.S. mountains.”
Co-authors on the paper “Artificial Amplification of Warming Trends Across the Mountains of the Western United States” include UM researchers Solomon Dobrowski, Ashley Ballantyne, Anna Klene and Steve Running. It is available online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/enhanced/doi/10.1002/2014GL062803/.
###
Contact: Jared Oyler, Montana Climate Office, 215-260-4487, jared.oyler@ntsg.umt.edu.
Significant U.S. Weather and Climate Events for 2014. Click for larger view. (NOAA / NCDC)
The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) has released its summary of the nation’s climate and weather for 2014. Its analysis shows that overall, the United States experienced warmer than normal temperatures and above average precipitation.
From NOAA / NCDC:
2014 U.S. temperature exceeds 20th-century average for the 18th consecutive year
Second warmest December boosted 2014 to 34th warmest year for contiguous U.S; eight weather and climate disasters exceeded $1 billion in damages
The 2014 annual average contiguous U.S. temperature was 52.6°F, 0.5°F above the 20th century average. Very warm conditions dominated the West, with four states having their warmest year on record, while the Midwest and Mississippi Valley were cool. This ranked as the 34th warmest year since we began keeping track in the 1895, while the temperature exceeded the 20th Century average for the 18th consecutive year.
The average contiguous U.S. precipitation was 30.76 inches, 0.82 inch above average, and ranked as the 40th wettest year in the 120-year period of record. The Northern U.S. was wet, and the Southern Plains were dry; the national drought footprint shrank about 2 percent.
In 2014, there were eight weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States. These eight events resulted in the deaths of 53 people. The events include: the western U.S. drought, the Michigan & Northeast flooding event, five severe storm events, and one winter storm event.
U.S. climate highlights: 2014
The West was warmer than average for much of 2014. Nine states had a top 10 warm year.Alaska, Arizona, California, and Nevada each had their warmest year on record. Most locations from the Rockies to the East Coast were cooler than average, with the exception of New England and Florida. Seven states across the Midwest and Mississippi River Valley had a top 10 cool year. No state was record cold during 2014.
The Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, Midwest, and Northeast were all wetter than average. Michigan and Wisconsin each had their seventh wettest year on record. The Southern Plains and parts of the Ohio Valley were drier than average, but no state was top 10 dry. The rest of the contiguous U.S. had near-average annual precipitation totals.
The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (USCEI) for 2014 was 35 percent above average, ranking as the 19th highest annual USCEI in the 105-year record. The components of the USCEI that were much above average for the year included warm nighttime temperatures and 1-day precipitation totals. The USCEI is an index that tracks extremes (falling in the upper or lower 10 percent of the record) in temperature, precipitation, drought, and land-falling tropical cyclones across the contiguous U.S.
Statewide Average Temperature Ranks for 2014. (NOAA / NCDC)Statewide Average Precipitation Ranks for 2014. (NOAA / NCDC)
2014 has come to a close and as we look back on the year, we can see that it was a relatively average year lacking too much drama.
In terms of temperatures, Thornton saw an average overall annual temperature of 49.4 degrees. Out at Denver International Airport where the Mile High City’s official records are kept, the average was warmer at 50.5 degrees. By comparison, Denver’s 1981 to 2010 annual average temperature is 50.4 degrees.
Thornton recorded 29 days of high temperature readings at or above 90 degrees. On average Denver sees 40 of them. Denver matched our number with 29 as well.
The hottest reading of the year was 98.2 degrees which came on July 7. Denver’s highest reading of 100 degrees came on the same date.
At the other end of the spectrum, our coldest temperature was -12.6 degrees on February 5th. Denver bested us with two -19 degree readings, one on February 5th and another on December 30th.
In all, Thornton saw 155 days with readings below freezing. Denver recorded 150. Both were near the average of 156.9 days.
Precipitation for 2014 came in a good ways above average, largely due to a wet May and July. Thornton took 19.54 inches into the rain bucket while Denver received slightly less with 18.77 inches. Both were well above the annual average of 14.30 inches.
Snowfall for the calendar year lagged behind average in both Thornton and Denver. Thornton saw 46.2 inches of the white stuff, Denver a nearly identical 46.3 inches. On average we expect to see 53.8 inches.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
200 AM MST THU JAN 1 2015
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 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 105 06/26/2012
06/25/2012
07/20/2005
08/08/1878
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 100 07/07 64 36 100 07/11
06/11
LOWEST -19 12/30 36 -55 -15 12/05
02/05
AVG. MAXIMUM 64.6 64.7 -0.1 63.9
AVG. MINIMUM 36.5 36.3 0.2 36.3
MEAN 50.5 50.5 0.0 50.1
DAYS MAX >= 90 29 39.6 -10.6 54
DAYS MAX <= 32 24 20.0 4.0 29
DAYS MIN <= 32 150 156.9 -6.9 169
DAYS MIN <= 0 14 5.8 8.2 11
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 23.31 1967
MINIMUM 7.29 2008
TOTALS 18.77 14.30 4.47 17.60
DAILY AVG. 0.05 0.03 0.02 0.05
DAYS >= .01 98 79.7 18.3 82
DAYS >= .10 44 34.9 9.1 42
DAYS >= .50 10 7.6 2.4 8
DAYS >= 1.00 4 2.3 1.7 3
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 2.85 07/29 TO 07/30 09/13 TO 09/14
STORM TOTAL 2.93 4.65
(MM/DD(HH)) 07/29(00) TO 07/30(00) 09/09(00) TO 09/15(00)
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 115.9 1913
0
0
24 HR TOTAL 23.6 12/24/1982 TO 12/24/1982
SNOW DEPTH MM MM
TOTALS 46.3 53.8 -7.5 72.1
LIQUID EQUIV MM MM MM MM
SINCE 7/1 16.0 22.5 -6.5 8.1
LIQUID 7/1 MM MM MM MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= TRACE 55 33.3 21.7 60
DAYS >= 1.0 17 16.3 0.7 20
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 6 12/31 9 02/25
12/30
24 HR TOTAL 5.4 12/29 02/24 TO 02/24
STORM TOTAL 5.9 11.7
(MM/DD(HH)) 12/29(00) 12/30(00) 03/22(00) TO 03/24(00)
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 5844 6059 -215 6302
SINCE 7/1 2291 2468 -207 2451
COOLING TOTAL 701 769 -68 999
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 10.2
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/214
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 51/310 DATE 07/11
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 66/340 DATE 04/29
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 72
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 226
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 67
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 54
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 1
HEAVY RAIN 15 RAIN 35
LIGHT RAIN 91 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 2 HAIL 6
HEAVY SNOW 6 SNOW 24
LIGHT SNOW 56 SLEET 1
FOG 115 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 32
HAZE 57
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.
If forecasts hold true, Thornton is set to receive its most significant snowfall of the season and possibly the biggest winter storm of the past few years.
One high temperature record fell yesterday, another fell today. Despite the month starting with snow, we have quickly moved to temperatures more like we would expect to see in March.
February in Colorado typically brings to an end an extended period when average temperatures are at their lowest. Winter begins to loosen its grip and temperatures get warmer but precipitation is not a particularly common event during the month.
