A terrifying tornado outbreak Sunday night claimed two lives and injured more than 100 people across the south. On ABC World News with Diane Sawyer Monday night, the host mischaracterized the warnings that preceded the storms and a reporter…
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Group compiles ‘hit list’ of TV meteorologist climate change skeptics
A new group funded by multi-billionaire George Soros has taken a new tact in the global warming debate by targeting TV meteorologists who have expressed doubt about man’s ability to effect climate change. Forecast the Facts…
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January 22 to January 28 – This Week in Denver Weather History
Protracted cold spells, damaging and injuring winds and heavy snowfall mark our look back at this week in Denver weather history.
From the National Weather Service:
15-23
In 1962…a protracted cold spell kept metro Denver in the deep freeze for more than a week. From the 15th thru the 23rd…low temperatures were zero or below for 9 consecutive days…but a daily record low was set only on the 22nd when the temperature dipped to 14 degrees below zero. A record low maximum for the date was also set on the 22nd when the temperature climbed to only 11 degrees. The coldest high temperature was 3 degrees above zero on the 21st…which did not break the record. The protracted cold was broken for only a few hours on the afternoon of the 20th when Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 38 degrees before another surge of cold arctic air plunged temperatures back into the deep freeze that evening. The severe cold caused much damage to water systems. A woman was frozen to death at Morrison. There were other deaths attributable to the weather…including traffic deaths and heart attacks from overexertion.
18-24
In 2005…a week of mid-winter unseasonably warm weather pushed high temperatures into the 60’s or more on all but one day. During the period…the highest temperature of 70 degrees on the 20th was a new record maximum for the date. Low temperatures remained above freezing on 4 of the days.
20-22
In 1937…a second incursion of cold arctic in less than two weeks kept temperatures in the deep freeze for three days… Even though only one temperature record was set during the period. Temperatures were below zero for an estimated 53 consecutive hours. The below zero period would have been longer had the temperatures on the 20th not climbed to a high of 1 degree after a low of 8 degrees below zero. On the 21st…the high temperature of 1 degree below zero was a record low maximum for the date. Low readings on both the 21st and 22nd were 9 degrees below zero.
In 1971…high winds raked Boulder. Wind gusts to 77 mph were recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Winds gusted to 83 mph in south Boulder and to 68 mph in downtown Boulder. Minor personal injuries occurred…and reported damage to structures totaled 15 thousand dollars. On the 21st…northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 69 degrees on the 20th…which equaled the record for the date.
In 1993…sporadic high winds along the east slopes of the Front Range during the early morning hours of the 20th moved onto the foothills and plains by the 22nd. Wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph were common. Some significant wind reports included 82 mph at Rollinsville and atop Squaw Mountain west of Denver…and 75 mph on Rocky Flats. At Stapleton International Airport…west winds gusted to 35 mph on the 20th…44 mph on the 21st…and 55 mph on the 22nd.
21-22
In 1972…wind gusts to 74 mph were recorded at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder…while in downtown Boulder wind gusts to 56 mph were measured. The strong winds overturned a plane at the Arapahoe County airport. A motorcyclist died of injuries when he was blown off a Boulder County road. Northwest winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 21st.
In 1999…heavy snow developed across portions of metro Denver and in the foothills. Snowfall totals included: 8 inches in Golden Gate Canyon…Intercanyon…Rollinsville… And Parker; 7 inches at Aspen Springs…Gross Reservoir… Pine Junction…and 5 miles south of Sedalia; 6 inches at Highlands Ranch; and 5 inches at Eaglecrest…Eldorado Springs…and Louisville. Snowfall totaled 2.6 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. On the 21st…north-northwest winds gusted to 31 mph at Denver International Airport.
22
In 1899…a cold front produced northeast sustained winds to 50 mph with gusts to 60 mph in the city.
In 1951…a heavy windstorm struck Boulder. Minor damage was reported. Strong post-frontal east winds gusted to 45 mph at Stapleton Airport.
In 1990…strong winds of 50 to 90 mph buffeted the foothills. No significant damage was reported. West winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1992…strong winds raked the eastern foothills with a wind gust to 58 mph recorded at Rocky Flats just northwest of Denver. West winds gusted to only 25 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 2003…only a trace of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. This along with a trace of snow on the 1st was the only snow of the month…which equaled the record for the least snowiest January first set in 1934.
Continue reading January 22 to January 28 – This Week in Denver Weather History
ThorntonWeather.com News to participate in Internet ‘blackout’ on January 18
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is sponsoring PIPA in the Senate and Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) is carrying SOPA in the House of Representatives. The bills are backed by Hollywood and big media ostensibly as a way to stop online piracy and protect copyrights. They are however bad ideas that could lead to the censorship of websites like ThorntonWeather.com.
These ineffective and shortsighted bills would place undue burdens on websites and Internet providers. Any company with an intellectual copyright claim could for example force Google to remove links to an accused site, prevent credit card companies from processing payments to the accused site, and much more. This could all be done without any legal proceedings at all.
ThorntonWeather.com takes great care to respect and honor other’s property in written, audio or visual form and we are proud of our efforts to never take liberty with someone else’s hard work. However, under SOPA / PIPA, our site could be brought down simply if someone posted a comment that contained copyrighted text or linked to a site that hosted copyrighted material.
This simply is unacceptable. ThorntonWeather.com will be joining other sites like Wikipedia, Tucows, and Reddit in the blackout to take place tomorrow.
Please watch the video below for more information and contact your Senators and Congressman and urge them to vote against SOPA / PIPA. You can also learn more about the dangers of SOPA / PIPA via this infographic and at the links below the video.
PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.
Watch the video · American Censorship page · View the Infographic
Read SOPA on OpenCongress · Read PIPA on OpenCongress
January 15 to January 21 – This Week in Denver Weather History
January’s reputation of being dry and windy is evidenced in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. While there are some notable events involving snow, high winds have been the most frequent event worthy of mention.
From the National Weather Service:
13-16
In 1888…a cold air mass settled over the city and caused temperatures to plunge well below zero on four consecutive days…but only one temperature record was set. Minimum temperatures dipped to 4 degrees below zero on the 13th… 19 degrees below zero on the 14th…20 degrees below zero on the 15th…and 11 degrees below zero on the 16th. The maximum temperature of only 4 degrees below zero on the 14th was a record low maximum for the date. North winds were sustained to 30 mph on the 13th.
14-15
In 1908…heavy post-frontal snowfall totaled 6.5 inches overnight. North winds were sustained to 32 mph. The temperature dropped 41 degrees in 24 hours from a reading of 48 degrees at 8:00 pm on the 14th to only 7 degrees at 8:00 pm on the 15th.
In 1950…strong winds occurred in Boulder and Louisville. Winds in excess of 60 mph were recorded at Valmont. Minor damage was reported. Southwest winds gusted to 50 mph at Stapleton Airport.
In 1959…a total of 5.5 inches of snow fell at Stapleton Airport.
In 1992…snow spread from the mountains across metro Denver. The heaviest snow was across the northern portion of the area where 7 inches fell at Thornton. At Stapleton International Airport…only 3.4 inches of snowfall were recorded and northeast winds gusting to 37 mph caused some blowing snow on the 14th.
In 1999…high winds howled across metro Denver. In Commerce City…strong winds toppled 3 utility poles resulting in a power outage to 600 homes. High wind reports included: 108 mph at Wondervu…80 mph at the Hiwan Golf Course in Evergreen…76 mph at Aspen Springs…75 mph at the Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield…74 mph in Boulder…and 70 mph at Georgetown. West to northwest winds gusted to 48 mph…the highest wind gust of the month…and warmed the temperature to a high of 60 degrees at Denver International Airport on the 15th.
14-21
In 1930…a protracted cold spell occurred when low temperatures plunged below zero on 8 consecutive days. The coldest low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero on the 17th and 19 degrees below zero on the 16th were record minimums for the dates. High temperatures during the period ranged from 18 on the 18th to zero on the 20th. Two degrees on the 15th was a record low maximum temperature for the date.
15
In 1875…the wind backed from the southwest to the northeast before noon. The temperature fell 48 degrees in one hour… From a high of 52 degrees to only 4 degrees between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm…as cold arctic air surged back over the city.
In 1888…the low temperature dipped to 20 degrees below zero.
In 1906…southwest winds were sustained to 44 mph.
In 1921…south winds were sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 48 mph. The winds warmed the temperature to a high of 63 degrees. The low temperature of only 47 degrees was a record high minimum for the date.
In 1943…strong Chinook winds struck the Front Range foothills. Wind gusts to 96 mph were recorded at Valmont in east Boulder…with 90 mph measured at Boulder airport. Some damage occurred.
In 1976…strong Chinook winds with peak gusts of 70 to 80 mph were recorded along the foothills. Northwest winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1982…a vigorous cold front plunged temperatures 22 degrees in an hour from 39 to 17 degrees. Strong northeast winds at 30 mph with gusts to 46 mph…along with some snow flurries…reduced the visibility to 1 mile in blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1987…heavy snow hit metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 10.3 inches at Stapleton International Airport…but amounts across the area ranged from 3 inches in southeast Aurora to 18 inches in the western and southwestern suburbs. Only an inch of snow was measured at Castle Rock. A half foot to a foot of snow fell in the foothills west of Denver and Boulder. Some schools were closed due to the storm. Temperatures hovered in the teens most of the day at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 30 mph.
In 1988…high winds were clocked in Boulder with a gust to 70 mph recorded at Table Mesa.
In 1998…strong winds developed in and near the Front Range foothills. Winds gusted to 71 mph at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield. South-southwest winds gusted to only 25 mph at Denver International Airport.
Continue reading January 15 to January 21 – This Week in Denver Weather History
January 8 to January 14 – This Week in Denver Weather History
January in Colorado is known for two main weather conditions – cold and wind. Our look back at this week in Denver weather history shows why this reputation is well earned.
From the National Weather Service:
7-8
In 1911…gale force winds occurred in Boulder causing minor injuries.
In 1937…cold arctic air plunged temperatures below zero for an estimated 56 consecutive hours. Two temperature records were set. High temperatures of 8 degrees below zero on the 7th and 3 degrees on the 8th were record low maximum readings for those dates. Low temperatures plunged to 12 degrees below zero on the 7th and 11 degrees below zero on the 8th. Snowfall was 1.4 inches in downtown Denver.
In 1969…a violent evening windstorm struck Boulder and the adjacent foothills. A wind gust to 130 mph was recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Winds reached 96 mph in downtown Boulder. The Boulder airport wind recorder was blown away after measuring a wind gust to 80 mph. The windstorm caused over one million dollars in damage and one fatality in Boulder. About 25 homes in south Boulder had roofs blown off or were severely damaged. Roofs were blown off buildings housing scientific laboratories and offices of the Environmental Science Services Administration…now NOAA…in Boulder…and installations of several scientific measuring sites near Boulder received heavy damage. Grass fires driven by the high winds endangered many areas…but were controlled by volunteer firemen. One man died from injuries received when he was blown from a fire truck. One man was killed and another injured when the truck camper in which they were riding was blown off I-25 about 10 miles north of Denver. In the same area a mobile home and a truck trailer were blown off the highway and demolished. At least 20 people in the Boulder area received light to serious injuries from flying debris or from being blown into obstructions. Power lines and trees were downed over a wide area. Damage was relatively light in the city of Denver…where northwest winds gusted to 62 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 8th. Many windows were broken in Arvada…Englewood…and Littleton. A 27-year-old fire lookout tower on Squaw Mountain…west of Denver…was blown away…and several radio relay towers at that location were toppled. Trucks were overturned near Georgetown. Mobile homes were overturned in several areas with occupants receiving injuries in some cases. The strong Chinook winds also brought warm weather. The maximum temperature of 69 degrees on the 7th broke the old record of 65 degrees set in 1948. The temperature also reached 65 degrees on the 8th…but was not a record.
In 1992…an intense blizzard buried eastern parts of metro Denver. At times snow fell at rates of 2 to 3 inches an hour. Winds increased from the north at speeds of 25 to 45 mph. Drifts of 4 to 8 feet were common. I-70 was closed east of Denver…and I-25 was closed from Denver south. Snowfall totals ranged from a couple of inches in the foothills west of Denver to as much as 2 feet on the east side of metro Denver. The heaviest snow fell on the 7th in a band from the northern suburbs of Westminster and Thornton through Aurora and east Denver to southeast of Parker. Snowfall totals included: 22 inches in southeast Aurora…14.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport…13 inches in Northglenn…10 inches in Parker…and 9 inches in Westminster. The 14.5 inches of snowfall measured on the 7th into the 8th is the greatest 24 hour snowfall ever recorded in the city during the month of January. North winds gusting to 46 mph caused much blowing snow at Stapleton International Airport.
In 2000…high winds developed in and near the Front Range foothills. The strongest winds were generally confined to foothills areas north of I-70. A wind gust to 76 mph was reported in Golden Gate Canyon. West winds gusted to 37 mph at Denver International Airport on the 8th.
7-10
In 1962…a major winter storm dumped 13.5 inches of snow on metro Denver. A foot of the snow fell on the 8th when northeast winds gusted to 30 mph. The storm was followed by an intense blast of very cold arctic air. Minimum temperature readings of 24 degrees below zero occurred on both the 9th and 10th. The temperature never reached above zero on the 9th when a maximum reading of 1 degree below zero was recorded. Temperatures were below zero for 37 consecutive hours.
8
In 1912…northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 45 mph in downtown Denver.
In 1971…wind gusts to 52 mph were recorded in downtown Boulder. Northwest winds gusted to 28 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1990…high winds gusting from 50 to 90 mph along the Front Range produced much damage from blowing dust and gravel throughout the day. Wind gusts to 92 mph were recorded in the Table Mesa area of southwest Boulder. The winds caused sporadic power outages. Clouds of dust and gravel whipped by 70 to 90 mph gusts blinded commuters on the Denver-Boulder Turnpike near Broomfield during the morning rush hour. Flying gravel shattered windows on 50 vehicles parked near a Boulder high school. High winds were also blamed for partially dismantling a house under construction in Boulder…as well as toppling a number of fences…billboards…signs…and power poles. The strong cross-winds jack-knifed and overturned semi-tractor trailers on I-70 near Golden and just south of Boulder on State Highway 93. Several county airports were closed due to strong winds and blowing dust reducing visibilities. Wind delays up to 30 minutes occurred at Stapleton International Airport where west winds gusted to 48 mph. Eighty mph winds in Georgetown…Empire…and Idaho Springs were blamed for power and telephone outages. Windows were blown out of a sheriff’s car along I-70 east of Georgetown. The strong Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 60 degrees in Denver.
In 2007…strong winds associated with an intense upper level jet…and a very strong surface pressure gradient…developed in and near the Front Range foothills. Peak wind gusts ranged from 77 mph to 115 mph. The strong winds coupled with freshly fallen snow resulted in whiteout conditions and several highway closures due to blowing and drifting snow. Road closures included: State Highway 93 between Golden and Boulder; State Highway 128 from Wadsworth Boulevard to State Highway 93; U.S. Highway 36…the Denver Boulder Turnpike from Broomfield to South Boulder Road; and State Highway 74 near Evergreen…between County Road 65 and Lewis Ridge Road. More than 100 people were stranded in their cars between Golden and Boulder as blowing and drifting snow made the highway impassable. Snow drifts along State Highway 93 were over 6 feet in depth. As a result… The American Red Cross opened a shelter at Arvada West High School for the stranded commuters. Up to twenty cars were also abandoned along the Diagonal Highway…between Boulder and Longmont. Thirty vehicles were stranded along State Highway 128. The high winds also caused intermittent power outages in Boulder. West winds gusted to 40 mph at Denver International Airport
Continue reading January 8 to January 14 – This Week in Denver Weather History
Thornton sees beautiful sunset, unusual cloud formations
The past week has brought some beautiful sunrises and sunsets to the Colorado Front Range. The evening of Thursday, January 5, 2012 was no exception as Thornton was treated to an amazing display.
Wave clouds are formed by atmospheric ‘waves’ of wind flowing up and down mountains. Here in Colorado we have had a pretty consistent wave cloud hovering over the Denver metro area this past week.
On Thursday evening, this cloud was present and lit up in shades of orange and red as the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains. What made the beautiful scene amazing was an unusual circular formation in the bottom of the cloud.
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Below are images we took of the clouds at about 5:20pm yesterday.
Denver’s 2011 weather recap: Plenty of precipitation, normal temperatures
While other parts of the United States saw significant weather events this past year, the Mile High City was spared much of the devastation and drama. Denver in fact saw an extraordinarily ordinary year in weather in 2011.In…
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2011 Thornton weather recap: Year brings normal temperatures, plenty of precipitation
With 2011 now behind us we can look back at the year in weather and in doing so we note that it wasn’t a particularly eventful one. Temperatures were very close to average for the year and while it was a wet one, there weren’t any events that will remain emblazoned in our memories.
In terms of temperatures, the year saw an average temperature of 50.6 degrees as recorded at Denver’s official monitoring station at Denver International Airport. This was a negligible 0.1 degrees above normal. Thornton was slightly cooler with an average of 49.8 degrees.
Denver recorded 50 days of 90 degree or warmer temperatures but failed to reach the 100 degree mark at all. Three days including July 4th, July 31st and August 25th hit 99 degrees. Thornton saw 44 90 degree or warmer days during the year and only one hit 99 degrees (July 4th).
The mercury dipped below zero on 12 days at DIA with the coldest temperature of -17 degrees occurring on February 2nd. Here in Thornton we recorded 10 days below zero with the coldest reading coming on February 2nd when we dropped to -14.7 degrees.
While temperatures were not particularly notable, we did managed to record much more precipitation than normal. In all, DIA saw 17.31 inches which was 2.39 inches above the normal of 14.92. Thornton bested Denver’s number with 18.80 inches during the year.
The first quarter of the year saw precipitation readings slightly below normal. Then in May, the skies opened up and Denver received 4.79 inches of rain – far above the normal for the month of 2.15 inches. Most of this fell with two storms systems, one on the 11th and 12th and a second on the 17th and 18th.
Thornton as well saw a wet May as 5.67 inches fell into our rain bucket. Much of that occurred in the 24 hours leading up to the city’s annual ThorntonFest resulting in flooding at the Multipurpose Fields and forcing the cancellation of the festival.
June and July brought more wet weather and above normal precipitation. The monsoons during the first half of July brought rain on 9 out of 10 days from the 5th to the 14th and the month recorded 3.20 inches overall.
Here again Thornton was the recipient of even more rain as we recorded 5.51 inches during the month. One nighttime storm did provide not only rain but a decent lightning show and another resulted in flooding in the southern part of the city.
The last half of July and all of August were quite dry and followed by a relatively average September. October once again brought above normal precipitation, November followed with drier than normal conditions and December was wetter than average.
For the calendar year, Denver received 47.5 inches of snowfall. The biggest storm occurred on October 26th when 8.0 inches of snow fell. Thornton was slightly snowier as we received 51.0 inches of snow during 2011.
Click here to view Thornton’s 2011 climate summary. Following is the official Denver statistics for the year from the National Weather Service.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
217 PM MST SUN JAN 1 2012
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2011...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2011
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 105 07/20/2005
08/08/1878
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 99 08/25 64 35 102 07/17
07/31
07/04
LOWEST -17 02/02 36 -53 -16 01/07
AVG. MAXIMUM 64.8 64.7 0.1 65.3
AVG. MINIMUM 36.4 36.3 0.1 37.0
MEAN 50.6 50.5 0.1 51.2
DAYS MAX >= 90 50 39.6 10.4 49
DAYS MAX = .01 80 79.7 0.3 71
DAYS >= .10 37 34.9 2.1 24
DAYS >= .50 10 7.6 2.4 9
DAYS >= 1.00 6 2.3 3.7 3
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.95 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 47.5 MM MM 27.8
LIQUID EQUIV MM MM MM MM
SINCE 7/1 29.5 MM MM 4.8
LIQUID 7/1 MM MM MM MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= TRACE 40 MM MM 42
DAYS >= 1.0 16 MM MM 10
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 7 01/11 8 03/24
01/10
24 HR TOTAL 8.0 11/26 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 6069 6059 10 5774
SINCE 7/1 MM 2463 MM 2072
COOLING TOTAL 964 769 195 870
SINCE 1/1 964 769 195 870
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 2/211
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 51/210 DATE 07/13
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 72/200 DATE 06/29
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 87
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 232
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 46
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 49
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 51 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 11 RAIN 22
LIGHT RAIN 76 FREEZING RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 3 HAIL 8
HEAVY SNOW 7 SNOW 21
LIGHT SNOW 39 SLEET 0
FOG 92 FOG W/VIS
Denver’s January weather preview: The depths of winter arrive
The month of January brings some of the coldest temperatures and driest conditions of the year to the Mile High City. We can see extremes of a variety of types of weather from bitter Arctic cold to damaging Chinook…
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