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 is Denver’s second snowiest month 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.
Generally pleasant, unseasonably warm temperatures were the highlight of October 2014 in Thornton. The month was also notable for its distinct lack of snow.
We started out the first few days of the month with cooler than normal conditions and a good shot of rain on the first. We rebounded quickly though as high pressure built and warmer weather returned including an 80 degree temperature reading on the 6th. Four out of five days between the 9th and 13th were cooler than normal but then warmer temperatures dominated through to the 26th of the month. The final days saw cooler conditions for the most part.
Overall, Thornton’s average temperature for the month was 52.7 degrees. This was a good ways above the Denver long term average for October of 50.9 degrees.
Out at the airport, Denver’s official average was even warmer at 55.2 degrees. This was close to making the top 10 list of warmest Octobers as number 10 is 55.4 degrees (1910).
Thornton’s warmest reading was 81 degrees on the 24th and its coldest was a chilly 27.1 degrees on the morning of the 28th. Denver saw its warmest reading of 83 degrees on the 15th and its coldest of 29 degrees on the 27th.
Denver set or tied four temperature records during the month. A new record high maximum was set for the 15th (83 degrees) and 24th (82 degrees). The record high for the 25th was tied (80 degrees) and the record high minimum for the 26th was tied (49 degrees).
In terms of precipitation, Thornton saw above average rainfall in its bucket while Denver was below. In all, 1.43” fell in Thornton although the vast majority of that was on two days (the 1st and 9th). Denver International Airport recorded only 0.52 inches. Denver’s average for October is 1.02 inches.
Neither Thornton nor Denver recorded any snowfall during the month. On average the Mile High City sees 4.0 inches of the white stuff.
Thornton, Colorado October 2014 temperature summary.Thornton, Colorado October 2014 precipitation summary.
From the National Weather Service:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
804 AM MDT SAT NOV 1 2014
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 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 90 10/01/1892
LOW -2 10/29/1917
HIGHEST 83 10/15 83 0 79 10/08
LOWEST 29 10/27 22 7 27 10/16
10/05
AVG. MAXIMUM 69.7 65.3 4.4 60.0
AVG. MINIMUM 40.7 36.6 4.1 35.5
MEAN 55.2 50.9 4.3 47.7
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.4 -0.4 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 4 8.5 -4.5 12
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.17 1969
MINIMUM T 1934
TOTALS 0.52 1.02 -0.50 0.72
DAILY AVG. 0.02 0.03 -0.01 0.02
DAYS >= .01 5 5.3 -0.3 8
DAYS >= .10 2 2.4 -0.4 3
DAYS >= .50 0 0.5 -0.5 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.1 -0.1 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.26 10/09 TO 10/10 10/18 TO 10/18
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 31.2 1969
TOTALS 0.0 4.0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 296 440 -144 525
SINCE 7/1 394 581 -187 608
COOLING TOTAL 0 5 -5 0
SINCE 1/1 701 769 -68 999
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/03 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.....................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.1
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/197
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 35/020 DATE 10/02
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 44/010 DATE 10/02
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 11
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 17
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 3
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 49
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 1
LIGHT RAIN 8 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 4 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0
HAZE 8
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
.....OCTOBER 2014 WARMER AND DRIER THAN AVERAGE.....
OCTOBER 2014 STARTED OUT COOLER THAN NORMAL AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH
OF LOW PRESSURE MOVED ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN
STATES. THIS SYSTEM BROUGHT SOME LIGHT RAIN TO DENVER ON THE FIRST.
WARMER TEMPERATURES MOVED INTO NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN
COLORADO BY THE 5TH AS UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE BUILT OVER THE
WESTERN UNITED STATES. COOLER TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION MOVED
INTO THE FRONT RANGE OF COLORADO ON THE 9TH AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVED ACROSS THE REGION. UPPER
LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE REBUILT OVER THE REGION ON THE 14TH...WITH A 13
DAY STRETCH OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT FROM THE 14TH THROUGH THE 26TH. THE TEMPERATURE REACHED OR
EXCEEDED THE 80 DEGREE MARK ON ON THE 15TH, 24TH AND 25TH. ANOTHER
UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT BROUGHT COOLER TEMPERATURES
TO NORTHEASTERN COLORADO ON THE 27TH AND 28TH...WITH TEMPERATURES
RETURNING TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL VALUES THE LAST FEW DAYS OF THE
MONTH.
TEMPERATURES:
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR THE
MONTH OF OCTOBER WAS 55.2 DEGREES F WHICH WAS 4.3 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL. OCTOBER OF 1950 WAS THE WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD...WITH AN
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 59.9 DEGREES F. THE COLDEST OCTOBER ON
RECORD WAS 39.0 DEGREES F BACK IN 1969. THERE WERE NO DAYS IN WHICH
THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE EXCEEDED 90 DEGREES. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE
OF THE MONTH WAS 83 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 15TH. THE COLDEST
TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH WAS 29 DEGREES OCCURRED ON THE MORNING OF
THE 27TH.
DAILY RECORDS:
DATE TEMPERATURE TYPE OF RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR LAST SET
OCT 15TH 83 DEGREES RECORD HIGH MAX 82 DEGREES 2011
OCT 24TH 82 DEGREES RECORD HIGH MAX 80 DEGREES 2011
OCT 25TH 80 DEGREES TIED HIGH MAX 80 DEGREES 2007
OCT 26TH 49 DEGREES TIED HIGH MIN 49 DEGREES 1927
PRECIPITATION:
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT WAS 0.52 INCHES...WHICH IS 0.50 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF
1.02 INCHES. THERE WERE 4 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION. ON THE
9TH...0.25 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH IS THE GREATEST DAILY
AMOUNT FOR THE MONTH.
TEN WETTEST OCTOBER`S IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY SINCE 1872:
4.17 INCHES 1969
3.92 INCHES 1892
3.72 INCHES 1942
3.50 INCHES 1923
3.47 INCHES 1984
3.05 INCHES 1914
3.03 INCHES 2007
2.84 INCHES 1947
2.62 INCHES 1957
2.46 INCHES 1959, 1960
TEN DRIEST OCTOBER`S IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY SINCE 1872:
T INCHES 1934
0.01 INCHES 1933
0.05 INCHES 1944, 1962
0.06 INCHES 1948, 1954, 1988
0.08 INCHES 2001, 2003
0.10 INCHES 1980
0.12 INCHES 1876, 1938, 1950
0.17 INCHES 1907
0.18 INCHES 1952, 1964
0.19 INCHES 1879, 1894, 1927
TEN SNOWIEST OCTOBER`S IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY SINCE 1872:
31.2 INCHES 1969
22.7 INCHES 1906
22.1 INCHES 1997
17.8 INCHES 1923
17.2 INCHES 2009
16.4 INCHES 1897
16.2 INCHES 1929
14.0 INCHES 1889
13.8 INCHES 1905
13.6 INCHES 1908
THERE WERE 3 DAYS IN WHICH THUNDER WAS OBSERVED AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...NO DAYS WITH HAIL AND NO DAYS WITH DENSE FOG
WITH A VISIBILITY AT OR BELOW 1/4 MILE DURING THE MONTH. A PEAK WIND
OF 44 MPH FROM A NORTHERLY DIRECTION WAS RECORDED ON THE 2ND.
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 tonight 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 7:28am but on Sunday it will be at 6:30am. Similarly, sunset will occur at 5:57pm on Saturday but on Sunday the sun will disappear over the horizon at 4:53pm.
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 8, 2015 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 1, 2014 – Sunrise at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. (Ed Dalton)
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, 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.
[flickr_set id=”72157648031120697″]
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.
The unseasonably warm weather of the past week will begin coming to an end soon. Slightly cooler weather is on tap tomorrow and then with a cold front moving in Sunday night, temperatures close to normal are expected for much of the week.
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.
Forecasts held true and our unseasonably warm weather pushed the mercury into record-setting territory today.
At 3:24pm the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 82 degrees. This easily bests the record high temperature for the date of 80 degrees set in 2011.
Here in Thornton we were just ever-so-slightly cooler with a high of 81.0 degrees.
Today’s high temperature record is likely the first of two in a row. High pressure will continue to dominate and likely bring another record-breaker tomorrow.
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.
As expected, temperatures in the Mile High City today were unseasonably warm and climbed to record-setting levels. However, while Denver broke a high temperature record, Thornton fell quite a ways short.
Out at Denver International Airport, the mercury topped out at 83 degrees. This bested the previous record high for the date of 82 degrees set in 2011 and previous years.
Here in Thornton, the cloud cover arrived earlier than the airport and impacted our readings. We saw a maximum today of 77.9 degrees.
Across the board, temperature readings in the metro area were well above the average high of 66 degrees for the date.
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.
Diagram of the October 8, 2014 total lunar eclipse. Click for a larger view. (Image courtesy Fred Espenak / EclipseWise.com)
For the second time of the year, sky gazers will have the opportunity to witness a total lunar eclipse. This is in fact the second in a series of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, an event called the lunar tetrad.
Colorado and the rest of the western United States will have a front row seat to the celestial event occurring on the morning of Wednesday, October 8.
When and where to watch?
The partial eclipse begins at 3:15am MDT with totality starting at 4:25am. The moon will then be completely eclipsed for approximately one hour with mid-eclipse at 4:55am. The waning partial eclipse will end at 6:34am.
Anyone in the area with a clear view of the western sky should have no problem viewing the event.
When the event begins the moon will be about 40 degrees above the horizon. It will be sinking closer to the horizon as the eclipse progresses. At mid-eclipse, the moon will be 25 degrees above the horizon. When the moon emerges from the shadow of the Earth, it will barely be visible to the west as it sets.
Will Mother Nature cooperate?
Current models do indicate there will be some overnight cloudiness lasting into tomorrow morning as we see an increase in atmospheric moisture. Grids indicate 40% sky cover for the time period near mid-eclipse. The timing and location of those clouds may limit viewing a bit. The good thing is that we are expecting a mild night with temperatures right around 50 degrees in Thornton during the event. Click here to view the hour-by-hour point forecast for the latest.
What is the ‘blood moon’ and tetrad?
April 15, 2014 – The lunar eclipse is seen half-way to totality, the total lunar eclipse, and half-way between totality and the end. Click for a larger view. (Tony’s Takes)
During totality, the moon will be rendered orange / red as the Earth’s shadow envelops the moon. Many are calling this a ‘blood moon’ but the meaning behind that term isn’t exactly clear.
As written on EarthSky.org, some attribute it to the lunar tetrad – four successive full lunar eclipses without any partial eclipses. Tomorrow morning’s eclipse is the second in the lunar tetrad with each full lunar eclipse coming six months apart.
The blood moon as it pertains to these eclipses should not be confused with the October full moon which is also referred to as a blood moon in folklore.
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.
October is historically the second sunniest month and conditions are generally calm.
However we also will usually see our first taste of winter during the month with the first freeze and first snowfall of the season. Temperatures as well will start to drop and by the end of the month the average nighttime lows are below freezing.
Don’t miss a thing when it comes to our ever-changing weather! Be sure to ‘like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add us to your Google+ circles.
Thornton’s September this year was relatively benign and lacking much drama although it was a bit of a rollercoaster. Temperatures had their large swings and we saw a couple of days with healthy precipitation.
The month started out slightly cooler than normal on the first but then warmed over the next couple of days to a high of 93.8 degrees on the third.
Low pressure and a cold front brought an end to the heat and three days of cooler than normal temperatures arrived. Two of those three days combined to deliver more than a half inch of precipitation.
Warmer and drier weather returned for a few days before a more potent cold front pushed in. The 11th and 12th of the month brought our coldest days of the month. Low temperatures became quite chilly dropping to below freezing on the morning of the 13th as the system moved out.
Some rain fell on those days and while Denver recorded a trace of snow on the morning of the 12th, none was seen in Thornton.
We then rebounded nicely with 10 of the next 11 days seeing high temperatures above 80 degrees, many of those in the mid to upper 80s.
Things cooled down for the last three days as a strong system moved through. We recorded a significant 0.86 inches of rain on the 29th.
Thornton’s overall average temperature for the month was 62.6 degrees. This was a bit below the long term Denver average of 63.4 degrees. Out at the airport, it was as usual warmer with an average of 64.8 degrees.
Temperatures ranged from a high of 93.8 degrees on the 3rd down to a chilly low of 30.9 degrees on the 13th. Denver’s warmest day matched ours on the 3rd with a reading of 94 degrees while the Mile High City’s coldest reading of 33 degrees came on the 12th.
Denver saw one temperature record during the month. The record high minimum for September 25th was set with a reading of 56 degrees. This tied the record for the date last set in 1981.
In terms of precipitation, Thornton recorded 1.89 inches in the rain bucket for the month. Denver saw 1.79 inches. Both were well above Denver’s September average of 0.96 inches.
A daily rainfall record for Denver was set on the 29th when 1.01 inches fell at the airport. The old record of 0.96 inch for the date was set in 1959.
Thornton, Colorado’s September 2014 Temperature Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)Thornton, Colorado’s September 2014 Precipitation Summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 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 97 09/06/2013
09/05/2013
09/04/1995
LOW 17 09/29/1985
HIGHEST 94 09/03 91 3 97 09/06
09/05
LOWEST 33 09/12 35 -2 38 09/28
AVG. MAXIMUM 78.9 78.5 0.4 78.6
AVG. MINIMUM 50.6 48.3 2.3 54.2
MEAN 64.8 63.4 1.4 66.4
DAYS MAX >= 90 2 3.4 -1.4 7
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.8 -0.8 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 5.61 2013
MINIMUM T 1892 1944
TOTALS 1.79 0.96 0.83 5.61
DAILY AVG. 0.06 0.03 0.03 0.19
DAYS >= .01 9 6.5 2.5 10
DAYS >= .10 4 3.3 0.7 10
DAYS >= .50 1 0.6 0.4 3
DAYS >= 1.00 1 0.1 0.9 2
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.01 09/29 TO 09/29 09/14 TO 09/15
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 17.2 1991
TOTALS T 1.3 -1.3 0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 91 125 -34 83
SINCE 7/1 98 141 -43 83
COOLING TOTAL 88 76 12 133
SINCE 1/1 701 764 -63 999
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.....................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.4
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/186
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 33/350 DATE 09/09
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 40/360 DATE 09/09
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 13
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 11
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 6
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 55
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 3 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 6
LIGHT RAIN 9 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 2 SLEET 0
FOG 9 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 3
- 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.
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.
With a record-tying high temperature reading today, Denver recorded its third high temperature record of October 2014.
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.
