When The Weather Channel (TWC) unilaterally announced it would start naming winter storms last month, it was widely panned and greeted with ridicule and concern. The network has now named its first two storms of the season – Athena and Brutus – and the scoffing has risen again. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com and find out why other meteorologists don’t are against TWC.
We oftentimes hear about how weather can affect voter turnout but is there truly a link? If there is, who does it benefit – Republicans or Democrats? Studies seem to indicate that what might be thought of as an urban myth is indeed true.
In 2005, political science researchers Brad Gomez, Thomas Hansford and George Krause completed the first comprehensive study on the correlation between weather and voter turnout. Their paper, “The Republicans Should Pray for Rain: Weather, Turnout, and Voting in U.S. Presidential Elections” confirmed the conventional wisdom that weather does affect voter turnout, bad weather benefits Republicans and most interestingly, two presidential elections in the last 60 years may have had different results had the weather been different.
Looking back at presidential elections from 1948 to 2008, the study takes into account the weather in 3,000 U.S. counties. They in turn looked at key areas of the nation and how weather, good and bad, affected voter turnout. In the end, the study determined that precipitation is the key weather condition to affect voter turnout.
Continue reading Will the weather determine the next president?
An area of southern Colorado known to be seismically active once again sprang to life Monday morning generating a magnitude 2.9 earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the temblor occurred at 8:13 a.m. local time (15:13 UTC) and was centered 19 miles west-southwest of Cokedale or 25 miles west-southwest of Trinidad. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
Our look back at this week in Denver weather history is shorter than what we often see which shows the normally quiet weather we see in November. However there are still significant weather events in the past, most of which involved heavy snow and powerful winds.
From the National Weather Service:
2-5
In 1946…a major snow storm dumped 30.4 inches of heavy snowfall downtown and 31.0 inches at Stapleton Airport. The winter storm closed schools and disrupted all forms of transportation in the city. The greatest depth of snow on the ground was 28 inches at the airport. The duration of the snowfall…from 4:22 am on the 2nd to 3:08 am on the 5th… A total of 70 hours and 46 minutes…is the second longest period of continuous precipitation on record and the second heaviest snowfall of record at the time in Denver. The 17.7 inches of snowfall on the 2nd and 3rd was the greatest 24- hour snowfall ever recorded during the month of November. Buses and street cars had a difficult time…and many cars were abandoned along roadsides and streets for several days. Secondary roads in rural areas were blocked for 2 to 3 weeks. Several buildings in the city collapsed or were damaged from the weight of the heavy snow. Football games were canceled. Livestock losses were high over eastern Colorado. The precipitation from this storm alone exceeded the greatest amount ever recorded in Denver during the entire month of November previously. The precipitation recorded downtown was 2.03 inches…and the previous record for the entire month of November was 1.95 inches in 1922. North winds were sustained to 26 mph on the 2nd.
3-4
In 1994…a fast moving snow storm dumped 8 to 9 inches of snow on Boulder…Broomfield…and Lafayette. Snowfall totaled only 1.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport where on the 3rd east winds gusted to 20 mph and some freezing drizzle fell.
4
In 1940…a trace of snow fell in downtown Denver. This marked the start of the shortest snow season on record… 167 days…through April 19…1941…when 0.4 inch of snow fell.
In 1959…high winds caused damage in many areas of the eastern plains.
In Denver…winds averaged 40 mph with gusts to 70 mph. Some damage was reported to utility lines…signs…and vehicles. Northeast winds were sustained to 30 mph at Stapleton Airport.
4-5
In 1933…the first measurable snow of the season totaled only 2.5 inches. This was the only measurable snow of the month. Northwest winds were sustained to 27 mph on the 4th.
In 1951…heavy snowfall of 5.7 inches was measured at Stapleton Airport where northwest winds gusted to 32 mph.
5
In 1896…west Chinook winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 46 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 56 degrees in the city.
In 1919…a rare November thunderstorm produced a mixture of rain and snow during the evening. Precipitation totaled only 0.14 inch with only a trace of snow. Northeast winds were sustained to 39 mph with gusts to 44 mph.
In 1948…a west-northwest wind gust to 50 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.
In 1994…winds gusted to 76 mph on the summit of Squaw Mountain…5 miles south of Idaho Springs.
In 2000…snow fell in the foothills west of Denver and across the southern suburbs. Snow totals included 6 inches near Evergreen…11 miles southwest of Morrison… And 7 miles south of tiny town and 5 inches in Aurora and Parker. Snowfall totaled 5.5 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. Northeast winds gusted to 26 mph at Denver International Airport where the visibility was reduced to 1/4 mile in heavy snow at times.
Continue reading November 4 to November 10 – This Week in Denver Weather History
The Colorado Front Range saw a relatively calm month in October 2012 but also a change in the hot and dry pattern we had been stuck in. Temperatures were below normal for the first time in months and above average precipitation was recorded.
October 2012 started out with an average day on the first but the 2nd and 3rd of the month brought temperatures above 80 degrees.
That warm weather didn’t last long however as a cold front moved in on the 4th and brought much cooler temperatures. Denver officially recorded its first snow of the season on the 5th (0.4 inch at DIA) however Thornton missed out and did not record any with that system.
Temperatures remained cooler than normal for most of the first half of the month. On the 13th we received a light dose of rain (0.13 inch in Thornton) while Denver recorded a more generous 0.55 inch.
A calm period followed through the third week of the month. Temperatures were generally mild though and above normal.
Big changes arrived on the 24th as a large upper level trough and cold front moved in. Thornton recorded a combined total of 5.7 inches of snow on the 25th and 26th. Denver recorded 5.1 inches at the airport during the period.
The closing days of the month brought a return to warmer than normal temperatures and dry conditions.
Overall Thornton recorded an average temperature during October 2012 of 47.6 degrees. Denver’s temperature averaged 49.0 degrees which was 1.9 degrees below normal.
Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 85.0 degrees on the 3rd down to a low of 22.8 degrees on the 27th. Officially Denver recorded a monthly high of 83.0 degrees and a low of 24 degrees on those same dates.
The only temperature record set occurred on the 20th when the morning temperature at DIA dropped to 50 degrees. This tied the record low minimum for the date that was also set in 1939 and 1947.
In terms of precipitation, the little bit of rain at the start and middle of the month followed by the snow helped to drive up precipitation totals. Here in Thornton we recorded 0.99 inch of precipitation during the month while DIA measured 1.22. Denver’s total was 0.20 inch above normal. Denver’s snowfall total for the month of 5.5 inches was 1.5 inches above normal.
Click here to view the ThorntonWeather.com climatology report for October 2012.
Denver’s Official October 2012 Climate Summary
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2012...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2012
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 105 08/08/1878
LOW 40 08/26/1910
08/25/1910
08/24/1910
HIGHEST 98 08/27 87 11 99 08/25
08/03
08/06
08/09
LOWEST 47 08/17 40 7 55 08/20
AVG. MAXIMUM 91.0 87.2 3.8 92.7
AVG. MINIMUM 58.9 57.9 1.0 61.3
MEAN 75.0 72.5 2.5 77.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 20 11.5 8.5 22
DAYS MAX = .01 1 8.6 -7.6 3
DAYS >= .10 1 4.3 -3.3 1
DAYS >= .50 0 1.2 -1.2 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.3 -0.3 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.11 08/11 TO 08/11 08/03 TO 08/03
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 0.0 NO SNOW EVER RECORDED IN AUGUST
TOTALS 0.0 NO SNOW EVER RECORDED IN AUGUST
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 0 10 -10 0
SINCE 7/1 0 16 -16 0
COOLING TOTAL 319 244 75 382
SINCE 1/1 1122 688 434 863
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.9
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/217
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 38/330 DATE 08/30
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 45/330 DATE 08/30
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 8
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 22
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 1
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 34
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 4 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 9 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 0 FOG W/VIS
As a kid growing up in Denver it always seemed like Mother Nature put a damper on our trick-or-treating. Conventional wisdom in the Denver area is that it always seems to rain or snow on Halloween.
But, is there any truth to this urban legend? Or is this just one of those times where our memory doesn’t serve us quite right?
This year it looks like we have nothing to worry about but the National Weather Service has been kind enough to compile weather statistics just for Halloween. As it turns out, the thought of snow and rain on Octboer 31st isn’t just in our minds!
Get all the details in our Denver Halloween statistics and info page! Click here!
A poignant image of soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns in the face of Hurricane Sandy and an ominous image of the approaching storm over the Statue of Liberty were two of the top photos shared on social media sites yesterday and today. As it turns out, those photos and many other popular ones were fakes. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com. How many fooled you?
Hurricane Sandy is fast approaching the U.S. East Coast and is on target for landfall in southern New Jersey this evening. The effects of the storm are already being felt across a large part of the Mid-Atlantic region.
The Weather Channel is of course providing 24 / 7 coverage of the historic storm on television and the network now has a live feed of its broadcast available that can be viewed below. You can also view WeatherNation TV here for news from an alternative source.
For more resources to monitor the storm, check out this story from the Natural Disasters Examiner: Hurricane Sandy: Resources for monitoring and preparing for ‘Frankenstorm’.
The crew of a replica of the infamous HMS Bounty was forced to abandon ship after taking on water off the North Carolina coast. The tall ship was being battered by Hurricane Sandy and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the ship’s distress call. Find out more about ship and crew’s status on Examiner.com
The Mid-Atlantic of the United States is readying itself for Hurricane Sandy, a life-threatening storm that is going to bring damaging wind, dangerous storm surge and flooding rains. NASA satellites have been tracking the storm for weeks and video reveals the storm as it left the Bahamas and continues its march up the coast. Get the latest on the storm including photos and video on Examiner.com
