With large parts of the nation experiencing drought conditions, the landscape has turned tinder dry and is primed for explosive fire growth. This was recently seen firsthand by residents west of Denver as a wildfire turned deadly. …
City of Thornton announces emergency alert system for residents
Sitting at the western edge of tornado alley, the Denver metro area is home to severe weather of all forms. In an effort to keep residents aware of the dangers Mother Nature brings every year, the City of Thornton is set to roll out an email alert system.
It has been nearly 31 years since the most destructive tornado to strike the Denver area tore through the city of Thornton. In the intervening time between now and then, it is ironic that neither Thornton nor Adams County deployed any sort of alert system for its residents beyond Reverse 911.
Seeking to correct that lapse, Thornton’s Office of Emergency Management presented a significant enhancement to the city’s T-Alert system to city council at a planning session last night.
T-Alert is the existing email subscription system for Thornton residents that can keep them up to date with everything from traffic to trash services to recreational opportunities. Now, emergency management announcements will be added to the service.
Emergency Manager Gene Putman explained that with the proliferation of email on mobile devices like cellular phones, the system will allow the city to send out warnings to residents in a matter of seconds. The system was tested during the February snowstorms and was a resounding success.
Dispatches can be sent out by the city’s emergency management personnel or in an urgent situation, the new 911 center. Spanish translations to the messages will also be included in the emails.
Putman said, “Within 30 seconds of a warning being issued by the National Weather Service we can have that critical information out to residents.”
Uses for the emergency management service will include obvious items such as tornado watches and warnings and severe hail or flooding. Also thrown into the mix will be important announcements about major snow events, hazardous material spills and other types of civil alerts.
- Don’t wait: Sign up for the City of Thornton’s Emergency Management Announcements here
- PDF: City of Thornton Emergency Management Tmail Brochure
Jack Ethredge, City Manager, is no stranger to disasters having served as Emergency Manager along the Gulf Coast during two hurricanes. He told council the system gives the city an “important, broader way to communicate.”
While the new system will help to keep residents safe, officials also remind residents that they must take responsibility for their own safety as well and stay aware of developing weather. Local news media should be monitored and residents should own a NOAA All Hazards Radio.
- Note: In addition to the city’s alert system, you can subscribe to ThorntonWeather.com’s alert system. We believe the two systems will complement each other. Our system provides all watches and warnings from the National Weather Service while the city’s will maintain a focus on the major events.
Thornton also continues to improve and refine its disaster preparedness as a city government.
Emergency management personnel are receiving important training on disaster response and new emergency procedures are being developed all city employees.
When disaster strikes, the speed and accuracy of a response is essential and Emergency Investigation Area Teams have been created to aid on this front. Each team will be comprised of personnel from key city departments. These teams will be responsible for one of six Emergency Investigation Areas and when needed, will be deployed to document a situation and provide direction.
Tornadoes terrorize Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex causing extensive damage
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Denver’s March 2012 enters record books as driest, least snowiest, 2nd warmest
March 2012 in the Mile High City was notable for its far less than typical weather. Not only did six individual days break records but it also will go into the history books as the driest, least snowiest…
March 2012 goes into the Denver weather history books on a number of marks
The month of March in Denver is typically known for its snow and corresponding chilly temperatures. That however was certainly not the case for March 2012 as the Mile High City saw one of its warmest and driest Marches on record.
From the start of the month to the end, March’s temperatures were well above normal. While we would normally see days with temperatures in the 50s, we instead saw 70s and even a couple of 80+ degree days.
The historical overall average temperature for the month of March is 40.4 degrees (based on 1981 to 2010 normals). March 2012’s average of 49.2 degrees was an astonishing 8.8 degrees above normal.
This sends the month into the record books as the second warmest March ever recorded in Denver. The number one spot is held by March 1910 which saw an average of 50.4 degrees.
Here in Thornton, we were actually slightly warmer than the official Denver measuring station at DIA. Our monthly average temperature came in at 49.6 degrees.
Individually, six days set or tied high temperature records for Denver:
- 74 degrees on March 13 which tied the old record of 74 set in 2007 and previous years
- 75 degrees on March 16 which broke the old record of 74 set just one year ago in 2011
- 76 degrees on March 17 which broke the old record of 75 set in 1974
- 76 degrees on March 23 which tied the old record of 76 set in 1967
- 75 degrees on March 25 which tied the old record of 75 set in 1998 and previous years
- 81 degrees on March 31 which broke the old record of 80 set in 1946
In terms of precipitation, March 2012 will now hold the marks for the driest and least snowiest on record.
The rain bucket at Denver International Airport saw a mere 0.03 inch of liquid precipitation. This was far below the average of 0.92 inch and easily puts March 2012 into the books as the number one driest March on record. The previous record holder was 1908 when 0.11 inch was recorded.
March is historically Denver’s snowiest month averaging 10.7 inches. This year the month only brought a trace of snow on three days. The previous least snowiest March occurred in 1883 when 0.3 inch of the white stuff was recorded.
Just like Denver, Thornton saw an extraordinary lack of snow and precipitation. We as well recorded 0.03 inch of precipitation but we did manage to record 0.40 inch of snow, all on the morning of the 2nd.
Click here to view the March 2012 climate summary for Thornton.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
1026 AM MDT SUN APR 1 2012
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 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 84 03/26/1971
LOW -11 03/28/1886
HIGHEST 81 03/31 84 -3 76 03/21
LOWEST 16 03/02 -11 27 14 03/05
AVG. MAXIMUM 65.5 54.4 11.1 58.7
AVG. MINIMUM 32.9 26.4 6.5 27.8
MEAN 49.2 40.4 8.8 43.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 1.9 -1.9 1
DAYS MIN <= 32 14 23.6 -9.6 24
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.1 -0.1 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.56 1983
MINIMUM 0.11 1908
TOTALS 0.03R 0.92 -0.89 0.35
DAILY AVG. 0.00 0.03 -0.03 0.01
DAYS >= .01 2 5.9 -3.9 8
DAYS >= .10 0 2.4 -2.4 1
DAYS >= .50 0 0.3 -0.3 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.1 -0.1 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.03 03/01 TO 03/02 03/28 TO 03/28
03/28 TO 03/28
03/28 TO 03/28
STORM TOTAL MM MM
(MM/DD(HH)) MM 03/28(00) TO 03/28(00)
03/28(00) TO 03/28(00)8
03/28(00) TO 03/28(00)8
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL MM 5
TOTALS T 11.7
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 483 763 -280 666
SINCE 7/1 4863 5202 -339 4817
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.........................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 11.5
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 5/203
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 46/180 DATE 03/18
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 58/190 DATE 03/18
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 9
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 20
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 2
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 34
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 0 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 1 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 2 SLEET 0
FOG 2 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.
$$
April 1 to April 7 – This Week in Denver Weather History
April in the Denver area can offer up an extraordinary array of weather conditions. As we discussed in our April weather preview, everything from wind and snow to thunderstorms and tornadoes can make an appearance. We see this variety in our look back at this week in Denver weather history which includes all of those conditions and more.
From the National Weather Service:
31-1
In 1876…heavy snow began during the night and lasted all day on the 31st and through the morning of the 1st. The average depth of snow fall was 10 to 12 inches…but strong winds whipped the snow into drifts of 8 to 10 feet deep on the streets of the city. Precipitation from the storm was 1.03 inches on the 31st and 0.37 inch on the 1st.
In 1891…heavy moist snowfall totaled 18.0 inches in the city. Northeast winds were sustained to 20 mph with gusts to 24 mph on the 31st.
In 1936…northeast winds sustained to 21 mph produced a light dust storm in the city.
In 1975…a major storm dumped 9.3 inches of snowfall at Stapleton International Airport where northwest winds gusted to 41 mph. Rain changed to snow on the afternoon of the 31st…reducing the visibility to as low as 1/8 mile. Snow continued all day on the 1st and accumulated to a depth of 8 inches on the ground. The minimum temperature of 10 degrees on the 1st set a new record low for the date.
31-2
In 1980…the second major blizzard in 5 days buried much of eastern Colorado under 6 to 12 inches of snow. Some drifts were up to 22 feet high. Hundreds of travelers were stranded. Over 3000 families were without power. Livestock losses were high. Metro Denver escaped the main brunt of this storm. At Stapleton International Airport…only 6.3 inches of snow fell over the 3-day period and north winds gusted to only 22 mph on the 1st.
31-3
In 1979…total snowfall of 6.6 inches was measured at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 31 mph on the 31st. The greatest accumulation of snow on the ground was 3 inches on the 1st.
31-4
In 1905…much rain and some snow occurred over the 5 days behind an apparent cold front. Precipitation totaled 2.00 inches. There was a thunderstorm on the 3rd. Snowfall totaled 3.0 inches on the 4th. North winds were sustained to 34 mph on the 1st and 2nd and to 30 mph on the 3rd. High temperatures during the period ranged from the upper 30’s to the lower 40’s. Low temperatures were in the upper 20’s and lower 30’s.
1
In 1987…a vigorous cold front produced 2.3 inches of snowfall at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 39 mph. The temperature dropped from a maximum of 59 degrees at mid-morning to a low of 25 degrees at midnight.
1-2
In 1963…strong winds buffeted metro Denver…while wind- whipped fires consumed grassland on the plains. A child was injured by a windblown falling tree in Castle Rock. Southwest winds gusted to 52 mph at Stapleton Airport… Causing some blowing dust. The worst fire storm burned over 25 thousand acres of grazing land in southern Weld County near Roggen northeast of Denver.
In 1984…a snowstorm with near-blizzard conditions over eastern Colorado closed many roads…including I-70 and I-76 east of Denver and I-25 between Denver and Colorado Springs. At Stapleton International Airport…snowfall totaled only 2.5 inches…but north winds gusted to 45 mph on the 2nd.
In 1999…moist upslope conditions allowed heavy snow to develop in the Front Range foothills where snowfall totals included: 10 inches at aspen park and Evergreen; 9 inches at turkey creek; 8 inches at Idaho Springs and Genesee; 7 inches at Aspen Springs…Crow Hill…Intercanyon…and Lake George.
In metro Denver snowfall totals included: 10 inches south of Sedalia; 8 inches in Littleton; 7 inches at Morrison; 6 inches at Highlands Ranch; and 4 to 5 inches in Northglenn…Parker and near Louisville. Snowfall totaled 4.7 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.
1-3
In 1945…snow fell across metro Denver for a total of 51 consecutive hours. While the storm was not accompanied by excessive snow…the long duration made the event a heavy snow producer. Snowfall totaled 10.7 inches in downtown Denver with 9.5 inches recorded at Stapleton Airport. North winds were sustained to 21 mph on the 1st; otherwise winds were not strong. The air mass was very cold for April. The high temperatures of 26 on the 2nd and 17 on the 3rd were record low maximums for the dates. The latter was also a record low maximum for the month. Warm weather following the storm quickly melted the snow.
In 1973…heavy snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where 8.7 inches were measured. Snow began late on the 1st and continued through early morning on the 3rd. Thunder accompanied the snow during the late morning and afternoon of the 2nd. North winds gusted to 33 mph on the 2nd and 37 mph on the 3rd. Snow only accumulated to a depth of 5 inches on the ground due to melting.
In 1977 a foot of snow fell in Boulder and Broomfield. The Denver-Boulder turnpike was closed for an hour after numerous minor traffic accidents. At Stapleton International Airport…snowfall totaled 4.7 inches and southeast winds gusted to 32 mph on the 2nd. The greatest depth of snow on the ground was only 3 inches due to melting.
Continue reading April 1 to April 7 – This Week in Denver Weather History
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Sunday brings another record day; March 2012 likely to go into record books
Another unseasonably mild day led to another high temperature record being tied on Sunday. As the unseasonably warm weather continues, March 2012 is almost certain to go into the record books on a number of marks.
The temperature at Denver International Airport reached 75 degrees at 4:05pm Sunday afternoon. This tied the record high temperature for the date last set in 1998. This is far and above the normal for the date of 57 degrees.
Here in Thornton we were a bit cooler and reached a high temperature of 72.3 degrees.
The record-tying mark is the fifth time so far this month that the record high temperature was tied or broken. Other days with record highs this month:
- 76 degrees on March 23, which tied the old record of 76 set in 1967
- 76 degrees on March 17, which broke the old record of 75 set in 1974
- 75 degrees on March 16, which broke the old record of 74 set just one year ago in 2011
- 74 degrees on March 13, which tied the old record of 74 set in 2007 and previous years
Officially Denver has recorded only a trace of snow this month and a scant 0.03 inch of precipitation. Given the forecast for the coming week, it is likely the month will end with those totals. If it does, March 2012 will go into the history books as the least snowiest and driest March on record.
In terms of temperatures, Denver’s overall average temperature for the month so far is at 47.0 degrees. That would put the month in a tie for the fourth warmest March on record. However with temperatures expected to remain unseasonably warm through the week, there is a good chance we will climb the ‘top 10’ list even further.