A storm chasers flipped vehicle is seen on the side of an Oklahoma road last week. (YouTube / TornadoVideosdotnet)
Getting the latest and most dramatic storm footage has become a popular way for many storm chasers to fuel their hobby and many have turned it into a lucrative business. The actions by some in the chaser community and the risks they take have once again come under scrutiny, this time by the Weather Channel’s Mike Bettes.
Mike Bettes opined in an ‘Open Mike’ segment last week, “The one thing I always hear from professional chasers is how safety is their number one concern and warning the public is their number one priority. Me? I can B.S. on that one. When you’re getting hit by debris and you’re flipping your car while pursuing a tornado, you’re not very concerned about your safety or anyone else’s.”
As storm chasing has become a more popular hobby, fears are rising that it is only a matter of time before someone gets killed in pursuit of a storm.
From a perch nearly 250 miles above the Earth’s surface, the International Space Station and resident astronauts are afforded an amazing view of the planet. New imagery compiled into a series of time lapse video sequences shows…
Hurricane-force winds pounded the Colorado high country on Saturday, November 12, 2011. Click the image for a larger view.
Fed by a strong jet streak roaring above the Colorado Rocky Mountains, a mountain wave setup over the western half of the state yesterday. Strong winds were the result and were combined with heavy snow in the central and northern mountains.
The incredibly strong winds that would be the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane ripped through Colorado’s high country in the past 24 hours. Many locations reported gusts in excess of 100mph downing power lines and trees and creating hazardous driving conditions.
The top wind gust reported by the National Weather Service was 115mph south of Frisco in Summit County.
Berthoud Pass saw a 113mph gust at the Mines Peak Summit (12,500 feet) with sustained winds to 86mph. After sending that reading, the station’s anemometer (wind sensor) broke.
Other locations recording gusts near 100mph included Loveland Pass at 100mph and Kenosha Pass recorded 101mph. Berthoud in Larimer County saw 99mph and the National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesa lab in Boulder recorded 90mph.
Here in Thornton we thankfully didn’t see winds nearly that fast however ours were notable. We recorded a 38mph gust Saturday afternoon and a 47mph gust shortly after midnight Sunday morning.
High winds like these, while quite strong, are not entirely unusual. Dangers from these powerful winds include power outages, flying debris, collapsed structures and the potential to overturn vehicles. Learn more in our story, Winter weather preparedness: The threat of high winds in Colorado.
Below is a water vapor satellite showing the mountain waves as the moved across the southern part of Colorado.
Stay up to date with all the latest Colorado weather:
Water vapor satellite imagery shows the mountain waves that existed across much of southeastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico around 19:45 UTC on 12 November 2011. (CIMSS)
November 13 to November 19 - This Week in Denver Weather History
Wind and snow are two hallmarks of Denver’s November weather and we see an abundance of those events in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. Damaging wind makes numerous appearances as does wintry weather.
From the National Weather Service:
11-14
In 1970…heavy snowfall totaled 7.2 inches at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 22 mph on the 12th and 14th. Most of the snow… 4.2 inches…fell on the 12th.
12-13
In 1961…heavy snowfall totaled 5.6 inches at Stapleton Airport. East-northeast winds gusted to only 20 mph.
12-15
In 1909…light snowfall totaled 6.7 inches in downtown Denver over the 4 days. This was the first measurable snowfall of the season. Northeast winds were sustained to 15 mph on the 12th.
13
In 1951…northwest wind gusts to 50 mph were recorded at Stapleton Airport.
In 1983…winds gusted to around 60 mph in and near the foothills. There were scattered power outages and a few broken windows across metro Denver. The strong winds did 10 thousand dollars in damage to awnings at the Brown Palace Hotel in downtown Denver. West winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
13-14
In 1925…heavy post-frontal snowfall totaled 6.4 inches overnight in downtown Denver. Northwest winds were sustained to 27 mph with gusts to 29 mph on the 13th.
In 1974…northwest winds gusted to 52 mph at Stapleton International Airport…warming the temperature to 60 degrees shortly after midnight on the 13th. A cold front cooled temperatures into the 20’s by late morning and produced snowfall of 3.7 inches. The low temperature dipped to 14 degrees on the 14th.
In 1993…an upper level low pressure system combined with a weak but moist upslope flow to produce heavy snow across metro Denver. Snowfall amounts averaged 6 to 8 inches with up to 16 inches in the foothills at the Eldora Ski Area. Snowfall totaled 6.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to only 20 mph on the 14th. Most of the snow fell on the 14th.
In 1994…heavy snow developed rapidly along the Front Range urban corridor with the heaviest snow over northwest metro Denver. Sixteen to 18 inches of snow fell in Boulder… Lafayette…and Louisville. This was the second heavy snowfall over northwest metro Denver in 10 days. Eleven to 14 inches of snow were measured from Longmont southward into Aurora. Snowfall totaled 12.1 inches at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 29 mph on the 13th. Most of the snow…9.0 inches…fell on the 14th.
In 1997…heavy snow fell overnight in portions of Jefferson and Boulder counties. About 5.5 inches of snow were reported in Boulder…while 4 inches were measured 12 miles southwest of Morrison and 6 miles southwest of Golden. Snowfall totaled only 1.8 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. Northeast winds gusted to 26 mph at Denver International Airport.
14
In 1874…west winds blew at gale speeds from midnight until mid afternoon when the winds abated. The maximum sustained velocity was 48 mph.
In 1928…strong winds caused 3 hundred to 5 hundred dollars damage in Boulder. Wind gusts to 70 mph were recorded at Valmont just east of Boulder.
In 2006…an upper level jet stream combined with a high surface pressure gradient behind a cold front to produce strong winds across metro Denver. A wind gust to 66 mph was recorded in Longmont. North winds were sustained to 38 mph with gusts to 52 mph at Denver International Airport where winds were strong and gusty most of the day.
Weather is a constant topic here in Colorado thanks to the widely varying conditions we can experience – from snow and Arctic cold to tornadoes and scorching heat. ThorntonWeather.com already works to keep you informed with not only our website but also our Facebook page and via Twitter.
Now we have added a new way to get the latest Thornton weather news and information: Google+.
When Google+ was launched this past summer, it was strictly for individuals and that probably limited its growth. This week they finally launched pages for businesses and organizations and ThorntonWeather.com is happy to join.
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