It is fitting that Neil Armstrong's footprint will forever be on the moon just as the man remains in a nation's heart. (NASA)
There are few Americans who don’t know the name ‘Neil Armstrong’ and can’t cite the tremendous contribution the man made to exploration and our nation. Following his passing last week, a memorial service was held today at the Washington National Cathedral and a new video tells much about the man.
On July 16, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins took to the skies aboard their massive Saturn V rocket bound for the moon. Five days later, Armstrong and Aldrin would lift the spirits of the nation and the imaginations of the world as they became the first men to walk on the moon.
Chosen because he was a civilian at the time, Armstrong would make that infamous ‘small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind’. In doing so, the United States Navy veteran would forever be mentioned in the history books with the likes of Columbus, Polo, Lewis & Clark, Cook and Hillary.
We mourn the loss of this national hero but thank the Lord for a man who gave so much to his country. As we wrote last week, “May he rest in peace and may one day our nation find the will to continue on the path which he and so many of his predecessors put us on.”
Snow covers Colorado's Pikes Peak on the morning of Thursday, September 13, 2012 following a storm system. (City of Colorado Springs) Click the image to view a slideshow of the recent snow.
Following months of scorching heat and below normal precipitation, northeastern Colorado desperately needed precipitation. Mother Nature finally provided relief as many locations recorded more than 1″ of rain over the past 24 hours.
Here in Thornton we recorded a welcome 1.32″ since yesterday. Of that, 1.26″ was recorded since midnight today, the biggest single day precipitation event we have had since July 12, 2011.
View more totals for the metro area on the map below.
Snow was also recorded at higher elevations above 11,000 feet in the mountains southwest of Denver. Pikes Peak was blanketed in white and received at least a few inches.
While the recent rain will provide some temporary relief, precipitation totals for the calendar year remain well behind normal. For Denver an average year brings 14.92″ of liquid precipitation. To date 2012 has only recorded 6.46″in the rain bucket.
24 hour rainfall totals for the Denver metro area from 5:30pm on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 to 5:30pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012.
While they are viewed by the public these days as routine, there can hardly be a more dangerous – or thrilling – task for an astronaut to perform than a spacewalk. The imagery captured by these modern day explorers is nothing short of amazing as seen in a photo of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams seemingly touching the sun during a spacewalk last week.
During an extravehicular activity (EVA) aboard the International Space Station, Williams and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide performed much-needed maintenance and repairs to the orbiting platform. During the six-hour, 28-minute spacewalk Hoshide captured an image of Williams appearing to reach for the sun at one point during the EVA.
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer, appears to touch the bright sun during the mission’s third session of extravehicular activity (EVA) on Sept. 5, 2012. (NASA) Click the image for a larger view.
September 9 to September 15 - This Week in Denver Weather History
Our look back at this week is shorter than usual owing to the calmer weather we typically see this time of year. That isn’t to say however that there aren’t notable events like a tornado, lightning at the Adams County Fairgrounds that severely injured a man and the Fourmile Canyon wildfire.
From the National Weather Service:
5-9
In 1988…layers of smoke aloft from large forest fires in Yellowstone National Park completely obliterated the sun at times. At Stapleton International Airport…surface visibility was reduced at times to 5 and 6 miles in smoke.
5-13
In 2010…the Fourmile Canyon wildfire…northwest of Boulder… Broke out on the morning of the 5th. It originated from an unattended fire pit at a local residence. The wildfire quickly consumed 5 1/2 square miles or 3500 acres the first day…and forced the evacuation of over three thousand residents. Erratic 45-mph gusts sent the fire in two directions at times. Very dry weather conditions preceded the fire. The combination of strong winds…low relative humidities and dry fuels allowed the wildfire spread rapidly through the steep…heavily forested terrain. The flames were reportedly 20 to 50 feet in length. Towns within the burn area included Salina…Wallstreet and Gold Hill. The dry conditions coupled with gusty winds ranging from 45 to 64 mph persisted for several more days. Fire managers used as many as 700 firefighters and support personnel from 35 agencies and seven air tankers to battle the wildfire. A total of 6181 square acres or approximately 10 square miles were burned. The Fourmile Canyon wildfire was the most destructive fire in Colorado history in terms of the damage to personal property. It destroyed 171 homes with an estimated cost of 217 million dollars.
9
In 1933…heavy rain in the foothills over the clear creek and Golden Gate Canyon watersheds caused flooding in Golden and damaged the roadway in Golden Gate Canyon… Which resulted in its closure.
In 1969…a funnel cloud was sighted in southeast Denver. There was also considerable thunderstorm activity and local heavy rain across metro Denver. Rainfall totaled 1.30 inches at Stapleton International Airport where small hail also fell.
In 1973…hail from 3/4 inch to 1 3/4 inches in diameter fell in Westminster and south of Broomfield.
In 2009…a man was critically injured when he was struck by lightning while riding his bicycle. He was nearing a paramedic van when he was hit. His heart stopped but paramedics quickly responded and were able to resuscitate him.
In 2011…a man was struck by lightning at the Adams County fairgrounds. He was leaning against a tree while watching a cross country meet when the tree was hit. The lightning traveled down the tree and up through the ground…using him as a conductor. The victim received second and third degree burns.
9-10
In 1933…heavy rain over the Cherry Creek…plum creek…big dry creek…and little dry creek watersheds caused flooding on the South Platte River in Denver overnight. Nearly an inch of rain…0.98 inch…fell in the city.
In 1944…a trace of rain fell on each day. This together with a trace of rain on the 4th and 30th was the only precipitation for the month. The total of a trace of precipitation for the month equaled the driest September on record first set in 1892.
In 1994…unusually very warm weather resulted in three temperature records being equaled. High temperatures of 94 degrees on the 9th and 93 degrees on the 10th equaled record maximums for the dates. Low temperature of 63 degrees on the 9th equaled the record high minimum for the date.
A four-month old black bear cub rescued from a raging wildfire in Idaho has achieved celebrity status, much as another famous bear cub did more than 60 years ago. Boo Boo’s recovery from second degree burns moved on to a new stage this week as the Idaho Humane Society takes over its care.
A sedated Boo Boo is seen with bandaged paws before his transfer to the Idaho Humane Society. Click the image to read the story and see more photos of Boo Boo. (Idaho Fish and Game)
An earthquake measuring magnitude 7.6 struck the Costa Rican coast Wednesday morning causing damage near the epicenter and prompting a tsunami warning. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
President Barack Obama’s acceptance of his party’s nomination for reelection Thursday has been moved indoors to Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable arena. Democratic National Convention organizers said the threat of severe weather was the reason for the move from the planned outdoor venue. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
Starting as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa on August 22nd, Hurricane Kirk never presented a threat to land as it stayed well out over the Atlantic. As the storm weakened and began to dissipate yesterday, the National Hurricane chose to use a famous line from Star Trek to describe the storm’s fate. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
Denver has seen a record-setting summer with extraordinarily warm temperatures and dry conditions. The question on everyone’s mind now is whether or not September will bring some relief.
Current indications are that overall the month will remain unseasonably warm and dry. However, temperatures will cool as is normal for September.
As temperatures start to drop, September usually reminds us that summer is at an end and fall is now here. Sunshine is predominant though as the month actually has the highest percentage of sun out of any month. Sunny days and clear, cool nights are the standard weather pattern for the month.
Denver has seen a record-setting summer with extraordinarily warm temperatures and dry conditions. The question on everyone’s mind now is whether or not September will bring some relief.