In big news for the commercial weather industry, The Weather Channel recently announced it was buying competing weather website Weather Underground. Reaction to the merger of the nation’s most commercial weather company and the nation’s first commercial weather website was swift and not very supportive.
Here at ThorntonWeather.com we are big fans of the Weather Undergound (despite their co-founder’s global warming alarmism). As for The Weather Channel, we pretty much ignore them.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its climate summary for June 2012 showing the United States experienced an unusually warm month. Most notably the U.S. has recorded its warmest first half of the year on record and the warmest 12 month period on record. Climate change? Learn more about the warm weather across the nation on Examiner.com.
After weeks of horrific wildfires, some parts of the West are enjoying an early arrival of monsoonal rains to help dampen fire danger. In the aftermath of the deadly blazes, questions are being raised as to why some of the nation’s most powerful aerial firefighting assets sat on runways while homes and property were destroyed. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
July 8 to July 14 - This Week in Denver Weather History
In looking back at this week in Denver weather history, one cannot be struck by the hail storms listed, if not for sheer number then by the damage they caused. The biggest of these storms occurred in 1990 and stands in the books as the most damaging hailstorm in United States history.
From the National Weather Service:
29-15
In 2000…the 29th marked the beginning of a near record hot streak for metro Denver. The high temperatures…as recorded at Denver International Airport…exceeded the 90 degree mark for 17 consecutive days from June 29th through July 15th. The record of 24 consecutive 90 degree or above days was set from July 13th through August 5th…2008.
29-15
In 2000…the 29th marked the beginning of a near record hot streak for metro Denver. The high temperatures…as recorded at Denver International Airport…exceeded the 90 degree mark for 17 consecutive days from June 29th through July 15th. The record of 24 consecutive 90 degree or above days was set from July 13th through August 5th…2008.
1-18
In 1874…a streak of 18 consecutive days of 90 degrees tied for second with another streak that was later set in the summer of 1901. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008.
4-8
In 1989…one of the most intense heat waves on record roasted metro Denver. The temperature reached 100 degrees or more on 5 consecutive days. The city had previously never recorded more than 2 straight 100-degree days since records began in 1872. Water and electricity usage reached all time highs. The heat wave created extremely dry weather conditions…which contributed to a major forest fire in Boulder canyon on July 9th. The temperature reached 103 degrees on the 8th…and the mercury climbed to 101 degrees on both the 4th and 5th…and to 102 degrees on both the 6th and 7th. The low temperature of 68 degrees on the 8th equaled the record high minimum for the date.
6-23
In 1901…a streak of 18 consecutive days of 90 degrees tied for second with another streak set in the summer of 1874. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008.
7-25
In 1934…a streak of 15 consecutive days of 90 degrees ranked 5th on the list of hot streaks. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008.
8
In 1905…a thunderstorm produced 0.82 inch of rainfall and northeast winds sustained to 48 mph.
In 1977…strong winds turned over 2 light aircraft at Arapahoe County Airport…now centennial airport.
In 1987…a weak tornado was observed near Bennett.
In 1988…three separate tornadoes were sighted near Bennett. No damage was reported. One inch diameter hail was also reported.
In 1991…lightning started three house fires in Castle Rock. Damage totaled 13 thousand dollars. No injuries were reported.
In 1993…a dry thunderstorm microburst wind gust to 55 mph briefly reduced the surface visibility to 3 miles at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1997…one construction worker was killed and two others injured when a strong thunderstorm wind gust caused the scaffolding they were standing on to collapse near Parker. A dry microburst produced a wind gust to 54 mph at Denver International Airport.
In 1998…heavy thunderstorm rain forced the closure of Hampden Avenue between I-25 and Havana Street in southeast Denver. The high water made 2 or 3 lanes of the street impassable.
In 2001…severe thunderstorms produced large hail…damaging winds…and heavy rain across south metro Denver. Two people received minor injuries when a severe thunderstorm wind gust to 58 mph blew over several tents at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. The same storm caused the roof of a hardware store in Tamarac Square to collapse. One employee received minor injuries when she was struck in the head by falling debris. The combination of intense rain and wind downed trees and power lines. Electrical power outages affected 35 thousand homes and businesses. At least 50 trees in city parks across south Denver were damaged. Up to 4.50 inches of thunderstorm rain fell across portions of southeast metro Denver. The underpass at I-25 and Parker road was inundated with 5 feet of water. Several other streets and underpasses in Aurora were also closed due to high water. Heavy rain caused extensive damage to several exhibits at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Flash flooding occurred when heavy thunderstorm rainfall caused toll gate creek to jump its banks. Several underpasses across south Denver had to be closed due to high water. A man received minor injuries when lightning struck a nearby tree at the Wellshire Golf Course. Hail as large as 1 1/4 inches in diameter fell in Englewood with 1 inch hail in the city of Denver…and 3/4 inch hail in Littleton. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 63 mph at Denver International Airport and to 62 mph in Englewood.
In 2005…a tornado touched down briefly near Brighton…but caused no damage.
In 2011…severe thunderstorms produced hail…up to 1 inch in diameter…and wind gusts to 60 mph across parts of Adams…Broomfield and Denver counties. At Denver International Airport…a peak wind gust to 59 mph from the west.
The Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs became a raging inferno and one of the most disastrous in Colorado history. New satellite imagery released by NASA shows the massive area burned by the blaze and provides perspective as to just how close it came to the state’s second largest city.
Officials are hoping to announce 100% containment of the fire later today. The blaze has burned 18,247 acres, the 11th largest in Colorado history. More notably however the blaze claimed two lives and destroyed 346 homes making it the most destructive wildfire in the state’s history.
NASA’s Terra satellite flew over the burn area on July 4th and false color imaging provides a clear view of the burn area of the fire. One can easily see where the fire entered the Mountain Shadows neighborhood and how close it came to the Air Force Academy and more populous areas of Colorado Springs.
7/4/12 - NASA Earth Observatory image showing the burn scar from the Waldo Canyon Fire.
The Waldo Canyon Fire was first reported on June 23, 2012, burning in Pike National Forest, three miles (5 kilometers) west of Colorado Springs. Fueled by extremely dry conditions and strong winds, it had burned 18,247 acres (74 square kilometers) by July 5. The blaze severely damaged or destroyed 346 homes, making it the most destructive fire in Colorado history. Mountain Shadows, a neighborhood northwest of the Colorado Springs city center, experienced some of the most severe damage. According to an analysis conducted by the Denver Post, the combined value of the homes that burned to the ground in the neighborhood was at least $110 million.
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on the Terra satellite acquired this view of the burn scar on July 4, 2012, when the fire was still burning but was 90 percent contained. Vegetation-covered land is red in the false-color image, which includes both visible and infrared light. Patches of unburned forest are bright red, in contrast with areas where flecks of light brown indicate some burning. The darkest brown areas are the most severely burned. Buildings, roads, and other developed areas appear light gray and white. The bright red patches of vegetation near Colorado Springs are golf courses, parks, or other irrigated land.
Denver has recorded more consecutive days of 95°+ temperatures than ever before.
The hot summer of 2012 just keeps piling up the temperature records. On Thursday, July 5 the mercury climbed to 99° at Denver International Airport making it the 14th day in a row that the Mile High City has seen temperature at or above 95°.
The streak easily bests the old record of 12 consecutive 95°+ days set between July 2 and July 13, 1874. Those 14 days also represent the 8th longest streak of 90°+ days since Denver began record keeping in 1872.
Here in Thornton we too have been hot but pretty consistently remained a degree or two cooler than DIA. 13 of our last 14 days saw temperatures of 95° or higher with June 28th being the only exception (92°).
It appears Friday will bring one more day of 90°+ temperatures but the good news is that monsoonal flow is increasing. This will lead to better chances for precipitation today and through the weekend and much cooler temperatures Saturday and Sunday. Get the latest forecast here.
When the Waldo Canyon Fire was first reported on Saturday, June 23rd, reaction by area fire agencies was swift and for a time it appeared to be well in hand. The following Tuesday the blaze let loose with its full wrath however and a new video released by the Colorado Springs Fire Department shows the beast of a blaze as it tore through parts of the city. Read the rest of this story and watch the amazing video on Examiner.com.
Wildfires are dangerous in and of themselves and fighting them is even more hazardous, a deadly reminder of which occurred Sunday night. A North Carolina Air National Guard C130 Hercules fighting a fire in South Dakota crashed while making a retardant drop killing at least three crew members. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com.
Denver reaches 100° or higher for the 8th time this year, the most 100° or higher days ever recorded in the Mile High City. Click for a larger view. (National Weather Service)
As we discussed earlier in our June weather recap, this summer has thus far been exceedingly warm. Mother Nature seems intent on keeping that going, at least at the outset of July.
At 4:36pm today the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 101°. This breaks the high temperature record for July 2 of 100° last set in 2007.
Most notably however is the fact that this was the 8th time that Denver has met or exceeded the 100° mark. This is the first time since record keeping began in Denver in 1872 that this has happened. See the image to the right for details.
Here in Thornton we were a bit cooler today “only” reaching 98.3° at 2:40pm. This was the 11th straight day of 90° temperatures or above for us.
The heat looks to continue at least until Thursday. After that we are closely watching a change in weather patterns that may not only bring cooler temperatures but also much-needed precipitation.
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June 2012 will go into the record books as the hottest June since record-keeping began in Denver in 1872.
You didn’t need a thermometer to know that June 2012 was extraordinarily hot. What is normally one of the most pleasant months in Thornton turned into a scorcher with high temperature records seemingly falling daily.
The first half of the month was unseasonably warm but that was only a warm-up (pun intended) for what would come during the latter half of the month.
Officially for Denver nine daily high temperature records were tied or broken. The first record fell on June 4th and then the records on the 9th, 17th, 18th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th followed suit.
The temperature at Denver International Airport hit 100 degrees or higher six times during the month – the most ever recorded in June. Five of those 100 degree days were consecutive from the 22nd to the 26th and all of those dates set records. On 17 of the 30 days of the month the temperature reached 90 degrees or higher.
In the end Denver saw an average monthly temperature of 75.0 degrees. This was an astonishing 7.6 degrees above normal and puts June 2012 in the books as the hottest on record.
Thornton, while not quite as warm as DIA, still saw an extraordinarily hot month. We recorded 16 days of 90 degree or higher temperatures, one shy of Denver.
From the time ThorntonWeather.com was founded in October 2006 until the start of June 2012, we had only twice before recorded temperatures of 100 degrees or higher. We doubled that tally in June alone as on four days we reached 100 degrees or higher.
A look at temperature records set in Denver during the month of June. Click for a larger image. (National Weather Service)
Thornton recorded an average monthly temperature of 73.9 degrees. This was 6.7 degrees above the average of the previous five Junes.
In terms of precipitation, Denver officially recorded 1.22 inches of precipitation which was 0.76 inches below normal. All of that was recorded on the 6th and 7th when thunderstorms rolled through the airport area.
Here in Thornton we didn’t benefit from the thunderstorms nearly as well. A mere 0.11 inch of precipitation fell into our rain bucket, far below the 1.44 average of the past six years.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
649 AM MDT SUN JUL 1 2012
…JUNE 2012…HOTTEST JUNE ON RECORD…
June 2012 was the hottest June in Denver since weather records began back in 1872. The month got off to a warm start with above normal temperatures during the first 9 days of the month. Record maximum temperatures were set and tied on the 4th and 9th respectively. An upper level trough of low pressure which moved across the northern and central Rockies brought cooler temperatures to the region… Resulting in below normal temperatures on the 10th and 11th. Upper level high pressure then reestablished over the region bringing another stretch of above normal temperatures from the 12th through the 19th. Record high temperatures were set both on the 17th and 18th. An upper level trough of low pressure and associated cold front brought some relief to Colorado on the 20th. The high temperature on the 20th was a pleasant 76 degrees…which was eight degrees below normal. Much above normal temperatures returned to Denver the final 10 days of the month as a strong upper ridge of high pressure built over the desert southwest and migrated into the central plains states. A stretch of 5 consecutive 100 degree days occurred from the 22nd through the 26th. This was only the third time in Denver weather history in which this has happened. The other occurrences were July 4th-8th 1989 and July 19th-23rd 2005. In addition…each of the 5 days set new record high temperatures. The 105 degree readings on the 25th and 26th established a new all time record maximum temperature for the month of June and tied Denver’s all time annual record high temperature.
Temperatures:
The average temperature for the month was 75.0 degrees which was 7.6 degrees above normal. This makes June of 2012 the hottest June on record. There were 17 days in which the maximum temperature exceeded 90 degrees. This ties 2002 for the second most 90 degree days in June. June of 2006 still holds the record with nineteen 90 degree days. There were also six days in which the temperature reached the century mark. This is a new record for 100 degree days in the month of June. The old record was 3 days back in June of 1990. The coldest temperature on the month was 43 degrees which occurred on the morning of the 11th. Below is list of temperature records tied or broken during the month.
JUNE 2012 TEMPERATURE RECORDS:
MONTHLY RECORDS:
JUNE 2012 WAS HOTTEST ON RECORD (AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 75.0 DEGREES)
PREVIOUS RECORD WAS JUNE 1994 (AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 73.5 DEGREES)
JUNE 22ND-26TH 5 CONSECUTIVE DAYS MAX TEMPERATURE REACHED 100 DEGREES
OTHER OCCURRENCES (JULY 4TH-8TH 1989) (JULY 19TH-23RD 2005)
JUNE 25TH AND 26TH SET ALL TIME JUNE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE 105 DEGREES
(PREVIOUS RECORD 104 DEGREES IN 1994)
DAILY RECORDS:
DATE TEMPERATURE TYPE OF RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR(S) SET
JUNE 4TH 94 DEGREES NEW RECORD MAX 93 DEGREES 1946, 1977
1990, 2010
JUNE 9TH 95 DEGREES TIED RECORD MAX 95 DEGREES 1922, 2002
JUNE 17TH 98 DEGREES NEW RECORD MAX 97 DEGREES 2007
JUNE 18TH 100 DEGREES NEW RECORD MAX 99 DEGREES 1936, 1990
JUNE 22ND 102 DEGREES NEW RECORD MAX 98 DEGREES 1874
JUNE 23RD 104 DEGREES NEW RECORD MAX 102 DEGREES 1954
JUNE 24TH 102 DEGREES NEW RECORD MAX 100 DEGREES 2007
JUNE 25TH 105 DEGREES NEW RECORD MAX 100 DEGREES 1991
JUNE 26TH 105 DEGREES NEW RECORD MAX 104 DEGREES 1994
JUNE 26TH 71 DEGREES NEW RECORD HI MIN 68 DEGREES 1936 PREVIOUS YEARS
PRECIPITATION.
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS 1.22 INCHES...WHICH IS 0.76 INCHES
BELOW THE NORMAL 0F 1.98 INCHES. ALL OF THIS PRECIPITATION FELL ON
THE 6TH AND 7TH WHEN STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOVED ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE DENVER METRO AREA. THERE WERE 8 THUNDERSTORMS
OBSERVED AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT DURING THE MONTH. THERE
WERE NO DAYS WITH DENSE FOG WITH A VISIBILITY AT OR BELOW 1/4 MILE
DURING THE MONTH. THE PEAK WIND OF 67 MPH FROM A WESTERLY DIRECTION
OCCURRED ON THE 26TH.
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 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 06/26/2012
06/25/2012
LOW 30 06/02/1951
HIGHEST 105R 06/26 104 1 96 06/29
06/25 06/28
LOWEST 43 06/11 30 13 45 06/10
AVG. MAXIMUM 91.7 82.4 9.3 83.3
AVG. MINIMUM 58.4 52.3 6.1 53.0
MEAN 75.0 67.4 7.6 68.2
DAYS MAX >= 90 17 7.9 9.1 7
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.96 1882
MINIMUM T 1890
TOTALS 1.22 1.98 -0.76 2.43
DAILY AVG. 0.04 0.07 -0.03 0.08
DAYS >= .01 2 8.4 -6.4 8
DAYS >= .10 2 4.6 -2.6 4
DAYS >= .50 2 1.4 0.6 2
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.3 -0.3 1
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.69 06/06 TO 06/07 06/19 TO 06/20
06/30 TO 06/30
06/30 TO 06/30
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 0.4 1919
TOTALS 0.0
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 6 62 -56 26
SINCE 7/1 5399 6058 -659 5707
COOLING TOTAL 314 133 181 126
SINCE 1/1 365 155 210 135
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 12.2
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 5/169
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 52/240 DATE 06/02
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 67/250 DATE 06/02
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 8
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 21
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 1
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 33
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 8 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 2
LIGHT RAIN 5 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 1
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 1 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0
HAZE 3
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
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