Typically November is a quiet weather month with plenty of nice, fall days but it can also turn wet with plenty of snow and moisture. Just like Forest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates, you never quite know what you are going to get.
Looking into the weather history books, we see that November is actually Denver’s second snowiest month, second only to March (April is third). Historically we average 10.7 inches of snow during the month.
One little known fact… November is the area’s least sunny month, tying with May with only 64 percent sunshine. September is the sunniest month with sunshine 74 percent of the time.
Get all the details on Denver’s November weather including a look back through history, a recap of last year and the statistics in our November weather preview.
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October 30 to November 5 - This Week in Denver Weather History
The further we go into the cold season, the more we see significant winter-like events in our look back at Denver weather history. Many significant snowstorms have occurred this week in the past including one in 1946 that dumped more than 30 inches of snow on Denver.
From the National Weather Service:
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In 1971…a vigorous cold front plunged temperatures from a high of 70 degrees on the 27th to record low levels on the 29th and 30th. Snowfall totaled 3.1 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 23 mph. Some freezing drizzle also fell on the 28th. Record daily low maximum temperatures of 32 degrees on the 28th and 25 degrees on the 29th were established along with a daily record minimum of 13 degrees on the 30th.
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In 1929…rain changed to snow on the afternoon of the 28th and continued until midday on the 30th followed by intermittent light snow which continued through the 31st. Snowfall over the four days totaled 16.2 inches in the city. Most of the snow…8.5 inches…fell on the 29th with 6.1 inches on the 30th. Temperatures hovered in 20’s during most of the storm.
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In 1905…heavy snowfall developed on the evening of the 29th and continued through the evening of the 30th. Snowfall totaled 11.0 inches in downtown Denver. Precipitation was 1.02 inches. Temperatures were generally in the 20’s.
In 1959…rain during most of the day on the 28th changed to snow early on the 29th and continued through most of the 30th. Heavy snowfall totaled 7.4 inches at Stapleton Airport. North-northeast winds gusted to 24 mph on the 30th. Some freezing drizzle also occurred on the 30th.
In 1981…4 to 8 inches of new snow were recorded in the foothills west of Denver. Snowfall totaled only 0.4 inch at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 25 mph.
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In 1889…the first snowfall of the season totaled 14.0 inches over the three days in downtown Denver. Snowfall was 8.0 inches on the 29th and 5.0 inches on the 31st. North to northeast winds gusted to 30 mph on the 29th.
In 1950…a warm spell resulted in five daily temperature records. Record highs of 84…80…and 79 degrees occurred on the 29th…30th…and 31st…respectively. Low temperature of 49 degrees on the 30th was the record high minimum for the date.
In 1991…the second surge of cold arctic air in a matter of days plunged metro Denver into the deep freeze. While low temperatures remained above zero…high temperatures were only in the 20’s. Three temperature records were set: record lows of 7 degrees on the 30th and 10 degrees on the 31st and a record low maximum of only 21 degrees on the 30th. Snowfall was light with only 1.9 inches recorded at Stapleton International Airport where east winds gusted to 23 mph.
In 2002…snowfall totaled 4.3 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. North winds gusted to 32 mph on the 29th behind a cold front…which plunged temperatures well below seasonal normals. High temperatures of 18 degrees on the 30th and 19 degrees on the 31st were record low maximums for each date. Low temperatures dipped to 12 degrees on the 30th and 15 degrees on the 31st.
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In 1972…heavy snowfall totaled 15.5 inches at Stapleton International Airport. However…the heaviest snow occurred on Halloween night when 7 inches fell on trick-or-treaters during a short 3-hour period. I-25 was closed south of Denver. North winds gusting to 29 mph caused some blowing snow on the 1st. The snow started late on the 29th and ended during the mid afternoon on the 1st. The greatest snow depth on the ground at Stapleton International Airport was 13 inches on the 1st.
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In 1974…a rare thunderstorm for so late in October produced hail to 3/8 inch in diameter and 0.10 inch of rain at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1991…the high temperature warmed to only 21 degrees…the all-time record low maximum for the month of October. The same temperature also occurred on October 25…1997.
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In 1997…high winds buffeted the foothills and adjacent areas of metro Denver. West winds gusted to 70 mph in Broomfield and to 40 mph at Denver International Airport. The strongest winds occurred in the mountains west of Denver and in the foothills north of Denver.
In 2001…high winds developed in the foothills. Peak wind gusts were measured to 74 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the mesa in Boulder and to 72 mph near Rollinsville. West winds gusting as high as 53 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 71 degrees at Denver International Airport.
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In 1951…6.4 inches of snowfall were measured at Stapleton Airport.
In 1989…a Halloween storm dropped 3 to 6 inches of snow on metro Denver with the adjacent foothills receiving 5 to 10 inches. Snowfall totaled 4.5 inches at Stapleton International Airport…where north winds gusted to 31 mph on the 31st. Most of the snow fell on the evening of the 31st…but the storm left icy streets throughout metro Denver on the morning of the 1st…making it a “spooky” commute for many motorists.
In 2004…heavy snow fell in and near the foothills of Jefferson and Douglas counties. Storm total snowfall included: 14.5 inches in aspen park…10 inches at Boxborough state park and and near Sedalia…8 inches near bergen park…and 7 inches in Highlands Ranch. Snowfall totaled only 3.2 inches in the Denver Stapleton area. Post-frontal northeast winds gusted to 41 mph at Denver International Airport.
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The City of Thornton wants residents to be prepared for the coming cold weather.
As we have been covering all week, by the governor’s declaration this is Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado. The City of Thornton has gotten on board with information to help the city’s residents prepare themselves for the coming season.
Thornton has become much more ‘weather aware’ in recent years and we applaud them for that. Weather has a direct impact on everyone’s lives, too often with deadly effects, and it is important that people are aware of the dangers it presents.
We do have to make note of a couple of things on the page.
First, there is no link to ThorntonWeather.com. We are not affiliated with the city in any way however we are the only source of truly local weather news and information. The city must be careful of who they put out there as a recommended resource but ThorntonWeather.com is well-established having been around for more than five years and being well known and highly regarded in the community. We pride ourselves on the wealth of information we provide, an amount that far surpasses any other.
Denver saw a big change in the weather in a very short period of time. Click the image for a slideshow of images from the snowstorm.
The weather in Colorado is famously variable and in a span of a few short days this was fully evident. We went from record high temperatures to a winter-like snowstorm and back to sunny skies in four days.
On Monday, October24, Denver set a record high temperature of 80 degrees, besting the record high for the date of 79 degrees last set in 1999. Thornton was just a touch cooler for the day with a high of 79 degrees.
Tuesday was a day of transition as we started with sunny skies but clouds rolled in during the afternoon and rain was falling by the evening. As darkness descended and temperatures fell, the rain changed to snow and we started our first snowstorm of the season.
In the Denver metro area, snow totals ranged from a few inches to as many as 9 in the western and northwestern suburbs. Denver International Airport recorded 8.5 inches, more than double the 4.1 inch average for the month of October. Here in Thornton, we lagged a bit with 6.6 inches of the white stuff.
Have broken branches to get rid of? The City of Thornton is holding a special tree limb drop off event on Saturday. Click here for details
Across Thornton and much of the Front Range, the heavy wet snow caused its share of problems. Many trees had yet to lose their leaves and branches broke under the weight of the snow. Power outages were seen across the region including many in Thornton.
While the storm moved out before nightfall Wednesday, it left clearing skies which led to bitterly cold temperatures. Denver International Airport recorded an early morning low of 14 degrees, the coldest temperature the city has seen since March 5th. Here in Thornton we dropped to a low of 12.8 degrees.
The latest forecasts show we are in for a gradual warm up but one that will keep temperatures below normal through the weekend. Beyond that, we may be getting our next shot of snow as soon as late in the day next Tuesday.
The video below was captured by our west facing webcam. You can see as the snow builds the trees start sagging and struggle under the weight of the snow.
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Typically November is a quiet weather month with plenty of nice, fall days but it can also turn wet with plenty of snow and moisture. Just like Forest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates, you never quite know what you are going to get.
