The best photos of 2013 as seen through ThorntonWeather.com’s lenses. View the slideshow below.
Colorado’s weather and scenery can certainly be dramatic and the past year has been no different. Armed with our camera, we captured hundreds of images and shared them with our readers.
While we are entirely amateur photographers, sometimes Colorado makes it hard to take a bad picture. Over the course of 2013 we took hundreds of photos, many of which were shared with you on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.
Picking which of the images we liked the best was not easy. The subject matter ranged from weather to wildlife to expansive landscapes and even heavenly bodies.
As we sorted through we couldn’t help but notice the lack of real weather drama in the photos we took. While there were wildfires to our south and floods to the north, Thornton managed to escape the year relatively unscathed from Mother Nature’s wrath.
We also were unable to do any real storm chasing so severe weather imagery was lacking. Hopefully that can be rectified in 2014. 😉
When all was said and done we came up with 25 images that we thought were our best photos of the year. You can view them in the slideshow below. Leave a comment here or on our social media pages and let us know what you think.
Remember too that we love seeing your photos so be sure to share them with us!
Thornton and the Denver area closed out 2013 with a display of typically highly variable weather. We recorded some record low temperatures followed by unseasonably warm conditions. One thing that was lacking was snow.
The first three days of the month started out quite mild with highs well above normal. That changed quickly midday on the third as low pressure moved in bringing an extended Arctic blast.
For six straight days high temperatures remained stubbornly below freezing and lows dipped into the single digits. The cold snap was notable but not record-setting in terms of length. Two daily low temperature records were tied or broken however.
Warmer weather returned on the 10th as the mercury finally started to climb. Unseasonably warm temperatures became the rule for the next nine days that included a record high temperature on the 18th.
The last third of the month was a bit more variable with its ups and downs but overall warmer than normal conditions.
Overall Thornton’s monthly average temperature came in at 29.2 degrees. Out at Denver International Airport where the Mile High City’s official stats are recorded, it was a bit cooler with an average of 28.4 degrees. Both were below Denver’s December average of 30.0 degrees.
Thornton recorded nine days with high temperatures that failed to reach 32 degrees. On five days, low temperatures dropped below zero. Denver saw eight days with highs below freezing, six with lows below zero.
The warmest temperature of the month in Thornton came on the 18th when we recorded 66.8 degrees. Our coldest was -9.3 degrees on the 5th. Denver’s warmest day was on the 18th as well with a high of 68 degrees. Its lowest temperature was -15 degrees on the 5th.
Four temperature records were tied or broken in Denver.
The low temperature of -13 degrees on December 4th shattered the old record low for the date of -5 degrees last set in 2008. The following day, on December 5th, the low temperature of -15 degrees tied the record low last set in 1972.
The mild weather December 18 saw two records. The high of 68 degrees broke the previous high temperature record for the date of 66 degrees last set in 1979. Also, the day tied the record high minimum for the 18th of 40 degrees set in 1917.
Precipitation for the month of December 2013 was not as noteworthy as the temperatures. Thornton recorded only 0.24 inches in our bucket while Denver received 0.25 inches. Both were a good bit below the December average of 0.35 inches.
Snow was similarly less than extraordinary. Thornton measured 5.7 inches of the white stuff while Denver lagged that with 4.7 inches. Both totals were below the normal for December of 8.5 inches. Seasonal snowfall totals at this point are about half of what they normally are.
Thornton’s December 2013 Temperatures.Thornton’s December 2013 Precipitation.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
200 AM MST WED JAN 1 2014
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2013...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2013
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
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 100 07/11 64 36 105 06/26
06/11 06/25
LOWEST -15 12/05 36 -51 -6 01/11
AVG. MAXIMUM 63.9 64.7 -0.8 68.4
AVG. MINIMUM 36.3 36.3 0.0 39.3
MEAN 50.1 50.5 -0.4 53.9
DAYS MAX >= 90 54 39.6 14.4 73
DAYS MAX <= 32 29 20.0 9.0 19
DAYS MIN <= 32 169 156.9 12.1 132
DAYS MIN <= 0 11 5.8 5.2 4
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 23.31 1196
MINIMUM 7.29 2008
TOTALS 17.60 14.30 3.30 10.11
DAILY AVG. 0.05 0.04 0.01 0.03
DAYS >= .01 82 79.7 2.3 52
DAYS >= .10 42 34.9 7.1 23
DAYS >= .50 8 7.6 0.4 9
DAYS >= 1.00 3 2.3 0.7 1
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 2.39 MM 12/31 TO 12/31
12/31 TO 12/31
12/31 TO 12/31
STORM TOTAL MM MM
(MM/DD(HH)) MM 12/31(00) TO 12/31(00)
12/31(00) TO 12/31(00)1
12/31(00) TO 12/31(00)1
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL MM 5
24 HR TOTAL MM
SNOW DEPTH MM MM
TOTALS 74.1 53.8 20.3 38.5
LIQUID EQUIV 7.41 5.40 2.01 3.85
SINCE 7/1 8.1 22.5 -14.4 12.4
LIQUID 7/1 0.81 2.20 -1.39 1.24
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= TRACE 60 33.3 26.7 36
DAYS >= 1.0 20 16.3 3.7 13
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 9 02/25 11 02/04
24 HR TOTAL 9.1 MM 12/31 TO 12/31
12/31 TO 12/31
12/31 TO 12/31
STORM TOTAL MM MM
(MM/DD(HH)) MM 12/31(00) TO 12/31(00)
12/31(00) TO 12/31(00)1
12/31(00) TO 12/31(00)1
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 6302 6059 243 5198
SINCE 7/1 MM 2468 MM MM
COOLING TOTAL 999 0 999 1236
SINCE 1/1 999 769 230 1236
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 2/201
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 64/060 DATE 06/18
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 97/040 DATE 06/18
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 69
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 232
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 64
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 52
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 14 RAIN 25
LIGHT RAIN 80 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 4 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 11 SNOW 23
LIGHT SNOW 58 SLEET 0
FOG 105 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 33
HAZE 88
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
A video screen capture shows Edwin LaMair buried in snow following an avalanche near Vail on Sunday, December 22, 2013. (YouTube / Ed LaMa)
Winter in Colorado brings some of the best ski conditions in the world but in areas outside ski area boundaries, avalanches are a very real danger. One group of skiers was lucky enough to survive an encounter with a collapsing wall of snow Sunday and captured the event on video.
Brothers Edwin and Davis LaMair were skiing near Vail Sunday in two separate groups. With a helmet mounted webcam running, Davis watched in horror as an avalanche on a nearby slope engulfed his brother.
“Holy sh**! That’s Edwin in an avalanche,” Davis exclaimed to his friends.
Our website is constantly changing as new features are added and old ones are updated. Check here to learn what new features have been added lately. If you have a suggestion for a new feature or changes you would like to see, please contact us and let us know!
12/24/13
Not directly weather-related but added live video feeds provided by NASA. Both are available from the Almanac > Astronomy & Space menu on the left.
NASA TV live feed – This is NASA’s television channel providing coverage of what the space agency is doing.
ISS live feed – Live video from the International Space Station. Live video of specific tasks being performed by the astronauts is shown or oftentimes live video from the station’s exterior cameras.
9/14/13
The map on our Northeastern Colorado River Heights and Flood Status page was not working due to changes in the feed from the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. The page has now been updated and incorporates an interactive map. It also displays river heights and flood status for locations across northeastern Colorado. You can find the page in the Almanac menu at the left.
9/11/13
We noticed our Record Weather Event page that is fed from data from the National Weather Service was not working properly. This was due to some changes by the NWS. We have fixed this now and you can always check to see what recent record-breaking weather we have experienced by selecting the Denver / Boulder office from the drop down on the page. The page itself is under the Almanac / National Weather Service menu on the left.
9/1/13
Some much-needed behind the scenes work. The computer that powers all of our weather equipment – the station software, radar, lightning detector, website, etc – was on its last leg. It served us well for 5 years and it was time to go. This weekend we replaced the computer with a brand new one with far more computing power. The upgrade will allow us to continue to bring you the best local weather information and news in Thornton.
8/12/13
Due to changes in the way the U.S. Geological Survey formats its data, we updated our earthquake pages. The new pages now use a Google map to display recent temblors. We also have two earthquake pages now: One for quakes within a 500 mile radius of Denver, and one for all earthquakes globally. You can find the pages in the Almanac menu on the left.
7/14/13
Changes to our Live Weather Gauges page. Gauges are a bit bigger and easier to read, we added a wind rose, the scrolling text display now shows the forecast and at the bottom you can select different units of measure.
6/27/13
We changed our west facing webcam orientation pointing it a bit more vertical. This will allow a better view of the skies above while still maintaining perspective of nearby trees.
9/2/12
We’ve updated our monthly tables for Denver’s “Normals, Means & Extremes” and “”Top 10″ Precipitation & Temp”. You can find them under the Almanac menu on the left then go to Climatology & Records. You can also click here.
Some time ago we added a WeatherNation TV page that allows you to view broadcasts from the network live on our site. Now we have added a National & International Video News page with the latest from NDN’s providers including CBS, AP and many more. It is available under Area Information to the left and then select Video News.
7/3/12
The National Weather Service changed their forecast pages and that necessitated changes of our page as well. While the basics are the same, we took the opportunity to do a bit of an upgrade. The page will automatically display the forecast for Thornton as always but now there is a dropdown menu that allows you to easily grab the forecast from more than a dozen other cities across Colorado. Click here to check it out or select ‘NWS 5 day forecast’ from the Forecasts menu on the left.
6/13/12
We already have a number of ways to view current weather conditions locally and from across the globe – see the Live Conditions menu at the left. One new page we added expands on that and provides conditions from Denver area METAR stations. METARs are permanent weather stations, oftentimes located at airports, that report current conditions in a standardized format (click here for details). Our METAR page reads data from locations like Denver International Airport, Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, Buckley Air Force Base and a number of other locations and provides their reported weather conditions in an easy to view format. You can access it from the Live Conditions menu on the left or by clicking here.
6/12/12
Our Lightning Detection Center pages are among our most popular during severe weather season. We have just added a new page that uses StormVue NGX to display lightning activity. Using Flash, the display gives you the ability to zoom in and out, set alarms, choose what type of strikes to display and much more. You can check it out here or find it in the Lightning menu to the left.
6/10/12
For anyone that reads our news section or views or Facebook page, you are well aware of our fondness for satellite imagery. The ‘eyes in the sky’ can provide an amazing view of weather and disasters. We have added two new pages that allow you to view some of the most amazing imagery:
The NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory Image of the Day provides images on a wide variety of topics from weather to climate. We have a new page that allows you to easily view the IOTD. You can find it here or in the Almanac menu to the left.
NASA satellites and spacecraft of course take amazing imagery as well, many of which are curated by the Earth Observatory. We now feature the Natural Hazards and EO Image of the Day on a special page. You can find it here or in the Almanac menu to the left.
Santa Claus begins his whirlwind trip around the globe tonight to deliver toys to all the good little boys and girls! For more than 50 years the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has tracked Kris Kringle on Christmas Eve and helped to ensure he completes his journey safely.
ThorntonWeather.com is pleased to be able to provide live Santa tracking from NORAD right here on our site!
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.
Earth is seen by humans in lunar orbit for the first time during Apollo 8. (NASA)
It was Christmas Eve in 1968 when three brave astronauts, the first humans to leave Earth orbit, circled the moon. As the 45th anniversary of that event approaches, NASA has released a video that recreates the iconic Earthrise image that has captivated the world since.
Using imagery obtained from its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the video released by NASA yesterday allows viewers to see Earthrise as it was first witnessed 45 years ago.
Audio from the Apollo 8 mission provides commentary from the astronauts as they conducted routine observations – until the spacecraft oriented itself to allow them view the planet. The astronauts then scramble to get cameras in place to capture the event.
Colorado’s famously inconsistent weather appears to be on full display this month. Just two weeks ago we were setting records for cold. Today we broke a record high temperature and tied the record high minimum.
At 12:59 p.m. the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 68 degrees. This broke the old record high temperature for December 18 of 66 degrees last set in 1979.
Additionally, Denver’s low temperature was 40 degrees. This tied the record low maximum for the date set in 1917.
The average high for December 18 is 42 degrees and the average low is 17 degrees.
Here in Thornton we were just slightly cooler as the mercury here topped out at 67 degrees at 12:44 p.m. Our low dropped to 39 degrees.
An Ultra Orthodox Jewish man walks in the snow in Jerusalem, Israel. Click to view a slideshow of the event. (Getty Images)
A powerful winter storm system struck parts of the Middle East on Friday to the delight of some residents but causing havoc in other locations where snow is a rarity.
In Cairo, Egypt snow fell, reportedly for the first time in 112 years, covering parts of the city in a light blanket of white.
Parts of Israel saw heavy snow totaling up to three feet. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told The Times of Israel, “We’re facing a rare storm the likes of which we’ve never seen.”
The local meteorological agency said it was the worst snowstorm seen since at least 1953.
Screenshot of a video showing four angles just as a tornado strikes Washington, Illinois on November 17, 2013. (YouTube)
Last month a tornado outbreak visited death and destruction across multiple states in the nation’s midsection. Security camera footage just release by a homeowner in Illinois whose house was destroyed captures the destruction as it happens.
Over 100 tornadoes spanning seven states were reported on November 17. While the actual number of twisters was likely lower due to duplicates, it was an extraordinary tornado outbreak, particularly given how late in the year it occurred.
The tornado that struck Washington, IL on that fateful day has been determined to be an EF-4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
This week a YouTube user by the name of ‘athlon770’ released security camera footage of the event.
From four different cameras , the video shows exterior views as the tornado approaches and the wind starts throwing debris. In the climax, the inside of the home virtually explodes as it takes a direct strike from the twister.
Following the video, the user adds still photos of the aftermath. It is truly a devastating scene.
Our website is constantly changing as new features are added and old ones are updated. Check here to learn what new features have been added lately. If you have a suggestion for a new feature or changes you would like to see, 
Colorado’s famously inconsistent weather appears to be on full display this month. Just two weeks ago we were setting records for cold. Today we broke a record high temperature and tied the record high minimum.
