In a video address to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer repeated a long litany of pro global warming talking points. Boxer exhorted delegates to take action and said that skeptics of the manmade…
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December 4 to December 10 – This Week in Denver Weather History
As we have seen in recent days, Old Man Winter oftentimes makes his appearance in earnest during the month of Denver. Looking back at this week in Denver weather history we can see that is not at all unusual.
From the National Weather Service:
1-5
In 1913…the 1st marked the start of the heaviest 5-day total snowfall in the city’s history. During this period snowfall totaled 45.7 inches. Starting on the 1st…snow fell intermittently for 3 days and accumulated a little over 8 inches. On the 4th and 5th…an additional 37.4 inches of snow fell. At Georgetown in the foothills west of Denver even more snow fell…86 inches over the 5 days with the most…63 inches…on the 4th. In Colorado…snowfall was heavy along the eastern slopes of the mountains from the Palmer Divide north. High winds during the storm caused heavy drifting…which blocked all transportation. Snow cover of an inch or more from the storm persisted for 60 consecutive days from the 1st through January 29…1914. Additional snowfall in December and January prolonged the number of days. This is the third longest period of snow cover on record in the city.
2-4
In 1909…post-frontal snowfall totaled 6.1 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow…5.9 inches…fell between 6:00 pm on the 2nd and 6:00 pm on the 3rd. North winds were sustained to 18 mph on both the 2nd and 3rd.
2-17
In 1939…more than 2 weeks of unseasonably warm weather made the month the 3rd warmest on record. Seven daily temperature records were set…including the all time record high temperature for the month of 79 degrees on the 5th. Daytime highs were balmy with 14 days in the 60’s and 70’s. Low temperatures dipped to freezing or below on only 5 days. The period was dry with only a trace of snow on the 12th.
3-4
In 1968…strong Chinook winds in Boulder gusting to 52 mph downtown caused 7 thousand dollars in damage. Flying debris damaged cars…houses…and other property in Boulder. West winds gusted to 49 mph late on the 3rd and to 45 mph on the 4th at Stapleton International Airport where the temperature climbed to a high of 60 degrees on the 4th.
In 1970…strong winds whistled through Boulder. Sustained winds of 40 mph with gusts to 70 mph were recorded at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder. Wind gusts to 50 mph occurred in downtown Denver. No damage was reported. On the 3rd…northwest winds gusted to 40 mph at Stapleton International Airport where the Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 66 degrees on the 4th.
In 1999…heavy snow fell over the foothills and metro Denver. The heaviest snowfall occurred in the foothills south of I-70 and near the Palmer Divide. Snowfall totals included: 25 inches near Tiny Town; 18 inches at Conifer; 15 inches near Evergreen; 14 inches at Chief Hosa…8 miles west of Castle Rock…and near Blackhawk; 12 inches at Pine Junction and 8 miles south of Sedalia; 11 inches atop Floyd Hill and in Roxborough; and 10 inches at Castle Rock. Around metro Denver…snowfall totals included: 10 inches at Highlands Ranch…9 inches at Parker…and 8 inches in Aurora and Wheat Ridge. Elsewhere around the metro area…snowfall generally ranged from 3 to 5 inches. Only 3.2 inches of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. North winds gusted to 32 mph at Denver International Airport on the 3rd.
In 2007…high winds developed in and near the Front Range foothills. Peak wind reports included: 88 mph atop Niwot Ridge; 87 mph atop mines peak; 80 mph…3 miles southeast of Jamestown; 78 mph at Longmont; 74 mph at Table Mesa. A few power outages occurred in Longmont as broken branches downed power lines. Northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at Denver International Airport on the 4th.
Continue reading December 4 to December 10 – This Week in Denver Weather History
Second snowstorm in three days hits Thornton, third round on the way
The meteorological winter starts on December 1 and Old Man Winter is making sure we know he is around. Two snowstorms have hit Thornton in a three day span and more snow is on the way.
On Thursday the first storm brought 5.1 inches to Thornton. Denver officially recorded 5.7 inches at Denver International Airport (DIA).
Shortly before midnight last night, the snow began falling again and continued through noon. Here in Thornton we recorded 4.9 inches with the latest system.
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It is interesting to note that this brings our seasonal snowfall total to 24.5 inches. For comparison, we recorded a dismal 21.2 inches during all of the last season! In an average season, December received 61.7 inches.
Yet another storm system is on its way and is expected to arrive tomorrow evening. Right now it isn’t look near as impressive as the last two but Thornton may see another inch or two out of it.
Over the longer term, colder than normal temperatures are expected to last through this week. The first half should be dry but Thursday night into Friday we may see snow again. Long range models looking even further ahead predict colder than normal temperatures to last through the first half of the month.
Below is time lapse video from our webcams capturing last night’s storm. Each take 14 hours and compress them into 30 seconds.
Snowfall reports for Denver’s December 3, 2011 snowstorm
The start of the meteorological winter is off to a roaring start as the Mile High City is receiving its second snowstorm in the past three days. Snowfall totals for this latest system are generally at the higher…
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Hurricane force winds pummel six states, cause extensive damage
A strong low pressure system centered over the Great Basin yesterday led to the unleashing of a widespread high wind event. Hurricane strength wind gusts were recorded across six states stretching from California to Colorado.In pictures: View…
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November 2011 Thornton weather recap: A cold and snowy start ends warm and dry
When the month of November 2011 began we seemed to be headed toward a very wintry month. Despite that cold start however, the weather soon turned much more moderate.
The first three days of the month yielded 4.5 inches of snow as officially measured at Denver International Airport. That total however was far less than what was seen in the rest of the metro area. For comparison, here in Thornton we recorded 7.9 inches.
Over those same three days the month saw a chilly average temperature of 27.8 degrees which was 16.5 degrees below normal. The low pressure trough and cold front that generated the cold and snow however would soon be gone and nothing but a memory.
From November 4th through the end of the month the weather turned mild and dry. No measurable precipitation was recorded for the balance and by the end of the month the average temperature had climbed to above normal.
The month ended with an average temperature of 39.5 degrees which was 1.2 degrees above normal. Thornton was a touch cooler with an average of 38.8 degrees.
Highs ranged from 69 degrees on the 24th to a low of 10 degrees on the 2nd and the 3rd at DIA. Here in Thornton we were milder with a high of 72.0 degrees and a low of 14.1 degrees.
The early month snowstorms yielded 0.47 inches of precipitation at the airport versus the November average of 0.61 inches. The 4.5 inches of snowfall was well below the normal of 8.7 inches for November.
Click here to view the Thornton climatological summary for November 2011. Below is the official Denver summary from the National Weather Service.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
645 AM MST THU DEC 1 2011
...................................
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 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 80 11/08/2006
LOW -18 11/29/1877
HIGHEST 69 11/24 80 -11 77 11/06
LOWEST 10 11/02 -18 28 4 11/25
11/03
AVG. MAXIMUM 54.1 52.1 2.0 52.6
AVG. MINIMUM 24.8 24.5 0.3 24.0
MEAN 39.5 38.3 1.2 38.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX = .01 2 4.7 -2.7 5
DAYS >= .10 2 1.6 0.4 2
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.47 11/01 TO 11/02 11/16 TO 11/16
11/08 TO 11/09
11/09 TO 11/09
STORM TOTAL MM MM
(MM/DD(HH)) MM 11/16(00) TO 11/16(00)
11/09(00) TO 11/09(00)9
11/09(00) TO 11/09(00)9
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL MM MM
TOTALS 4.5 MM
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 757 801 -44 793
SINCE 7/1 1252 1377 -125 1128
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
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 3/229
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 43/260 DATE 11/12
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 52/260 DATE 11/12
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 7
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 23
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 0
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 45
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0
LIGHT RAIN 3 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 2 SNOW 2
LIGHT SNOW 2 SLEET 0
FOG 3 FOG W/VIS
Snowfall reports for Denver’s December 1, 2011 snowstorm
Old Man Winter decided to make his presence known in the Mile High City on the first day of the meteorological winter. Snow began in the early morning hours and will continue for a bit longer through the afternoon…
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Thornton snowstorm and news updates
Old Man Winter is staged to arrive in Colorado in a big way. With snow and arctic cold set to arrive, the next 48 hours are going to be interesting and in fact, the cold looks to last through the weekend.
For all the latest with the storm, be sure to check our Winter Weather Briefing page.
We will be providing updates as needed on our Google+ and Facebook pages as well. We realize however that many folks don’t belong to those social networks. You can follow along instead using the embedded Facebook ticker below if that is the case.
November 27 to December 3 – This Week in Denver Weather History
Cold, snow and wind are the dominant conditions we see in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. All three are common this time of year and extremes with those conditions seem to be unusually common as well.
Among the highlights are numerous high wind events that not only caused damage but also injury to unprepared residents. Significant snowfall also appears many times including a storm in 1983 that shut down the city for the Thanksgiving weekend and left snow on the ground for 63 days.
From the National Weather Service:
25-27
In 1978…heavy snowfall of 6.0 inches was measured at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 20 mph. Most of the snow…4.8 inches…fell on the 25th. The greatest amount of snow measured on the ground was 5 inches due to settling and melting.
25-28
In 1952…the average coldest 4-day period in November in the previous 81 years of record occurred. Maximum temperatures of 19…15…21…and 25 degrees were recorded. Minimum temperatures were below zero each day with readings of 7 below…6 below…5 below…and 6 below.
25-29
In 1985…dense fog with visibilities as low as 1/8 mile occurred on five consecutive days at Stapleton International Airport. The fog was at times accompanied by light snow… Light freezing drizzle…or ice crystals. Fog occurred all day on both the 26th and 29th.
26-27
In 1876…heavy snowfall totaled 9.0 inches over the city from 5:00 pm on the 26th through 5:00 p.m. on the 27th. Precipitation was 0.30 inch on the 25th and 0.60 inch on the 27th.
In 1919…an incursion of cold arctic air produced snowfall of 4.6 inches over downtown Denver. Temperatures dipped to 5 degrees below zero on the evening of the 26th and recovered to a high of only 1 degree below zero on the 27th…the all-time record low maximum for the month of November and the record for the date. Northwest winds were sustained to 25 mph with gusts to 26 mph on the 26th.
In 1923…snowfall of 2.0 inches was the only snow of the month. North winds were sustained to 22 mph on the 26th.
In 1972…heavy snowfall totaled 7.5 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to only 18 mph on the 27th.
In 1983…a Thanksgiving blizzard dumped 21.5 inches of snowfall in 37 hours with a maximum of 18 inches on the ground at Stapleton International Airport. The storm produced howling winds…which paralyzed Thanksgiving weekend transportation across all of eastern Colorado. On the 27th…Stapleton International Airport closed… Opening 24 hours later. Interstate highways were closed in all directions…but west…from Denver. At Stapleton International Airport…north winds gusted to 36 mph on the 26th and to 29 mph on the 27th. However…most wind speeds across metro Denver were 15 to 30 mph. Temperatures hovered in the teens and lower 20’s. Many stores and businesses closed. Several high school football games were postponed. Across metro Denver…snow depth varied from 15 inches in Commerce City to 28 inches near Chatfield Reservoir. Snow removal in Denver was estimated at 1.5 million dollars. Following the storm… An inch or more of snow remained on the ground for 63 consecutive days through January 27…1984. This is the longest period of continuous snow cover ever recorded in Denver.
In 1990…an early winter storm deposited 2 to 8 inches of wet snow across metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 3.4 inches at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 30 mph on the 26th.
In 1993…strong winds swept off the foothills across metro Denver. Sustained winds of 30 to 50 mph were common across the area. Wind gusts to 67 mph were recorded atop Squaw Mountain near Idaho Springs. West winds gusted to 36 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 26th. The strong winds produced some blowing snow…reducing the visibility to less than one mile at times.
In 1995…snowfall totaled 3.7 inches at the former Stapleton International Airport site. The foothills west of Denver received 4 to 7 inches of snow. North-northeast winds gusted to 34 mph at Denver International Airport on the 26th.
Continue reading November 27 to December 3 – This Week in Denver Weather History
Image of the Day: Earth’s atmosphere and moon
NASA’s Earth Observatory releases some of the most stunning views of the planet taken by satellites and astronauts. It’s ‘Image of the Day’ today is a stunning one showing the Earth’s atmosphere with a crescent moon hovering above.
Taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on July 31, 2011, the image clearly shows the layers of our life giving atmosphere. The moon appears extraordinarily close thanks to the camera’s perspective.
From NASA:
The limb of the Earth is a work of awesome beauty and a gift to science. When observed from space, the palette of gaseous layers of atmosphere reminds us of the fragility and tenuousness of the cocoon that shelters life from cold, harsh space. That same view also allows scientists to detect the gases and particles that make up our the different layers of our atmosphere. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured a bit of both in this digital photograph from July 31, 2011. They threw in the Moon as an extra gift.
Closest to Earth’s surface, the orange-red glow reveals Earth’s troposphere—the lowest, densest layer of the atmosphere, and the one we live within. A brown transitional layer is the upper edge of the troposphere, known as the tropopause. A milky white and gray layer sits above that, likely a slice of the stratosphere with perhaps some noctilucent clouds thrown in. The upper reaches of the atmosphere—the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere—fade from shades of blue to the blackness of space.
The different colors occur because the dominant gases and particles in each layer act like prisms filtering out certain colors of light. Instruments carried on satellites and on craft such as the space shuttle have allowed scientists to decipher characteristics of the ozone layer and the climate-altering effects of aerosols.
A thin crescent of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun below the horizon of the Earth. Though the Moon is more than 384,400 kilometers (238,855 miles) away, the perspective from the camera makes it appear to be a part of our atmosphere.
Astronaut photograph ISS028-E-020072 was acquired on July 31, 2011, with a Nikon D3S digital camera using a 400 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 28 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by Mike Carlowicz.