While there has been no shortage of heat, we have avoided any records for the past two weeks – until Tuesday.
Yesterday the coldest temperature registered at Denver International Airport during the 24 hour period was only 68 degrees. This sets a new record high minimum for September 3, breaking the old record of 67 degrees set in 1947.
Here in Thornton we were a bit cooler with a low of 66 degrees at 6:44am.
The hot weather will continue through the weekend before we may see at least a bit of relief. The ridge is expected to start to break down Tuesday ushering cooler temperatures, particularly on Wednesday. Keep an eye on the forecast here for details.
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Mother Nature can be fickle, especially in Colorado, dropping heavy rain in one location and nothing in a spot nearby. Such was the case this afternoon and evening when Denver International Airport received nearly two inches of rain and Thornton recorded nothing.
As officially measured at DIA, Denver recorded an amazing 1.94 inches of precipitation on August 22. This easily bests the record for the date of 0.75 inches set in 1953. It also ranks as the 34th biggest single day precipitation total for the city on record.
Here in Thornton we weren’t so lucky as the storms stayed south and east of us. We recorded absolutely nothing in the rain bucket on this date.
Denver’s Top 50 Single Day Precipitation Totals (National Weather Service)
The lowest temperature today was a very mild 70 degrees at 1:50 a.m. This is a new record high minimum for August 20 easily besting the old record of 67 degrees set in 2007 and previous years.
Denver officially set another high temperature record. However, is it accurate to compare measurements taken at DIA with historical records taken 14 miles away?
Summer 2013 had been a relatively cool one – up until this latter half of August. The Mile High City set another record high temperature and while it was assuredly hot, questions continue to arise over the comparison of measurements at DIA with Denver’s historical records.
At 1:34 p.m. the mercury climbed to 99 degrees at Denver International Airport. This beats the previous record high temperature for the date of 98 degrees set in 1987 at the old Stapleton International Airport.
Here in Thornton we were just a bit cooler with the mercury topping out at 97.8 degrees at 2:23 p.m. This was in fact our second highest temperature of the year. On June 11 we measured 99.2 degrees. Click here to view Thornton’s 2013 temperature records.
At midnight tonight we may see yet another record fall. The record high minimum for today’s date is 67 degrees. This morning the temperature only dropped to 71 degrees at DIA. If by midnight we don’t drop to the 67 degree mark, that will be another record for the Mile High City.
Today’s record is the third in the past four days. On Sunday, August 18 we tied the record high for that date of 98 degrees. That followed a record-breaker on Saturday the 17th when the mercury topped 97 degrees, breaking the old record for that date of 96 degrees.
One thing these records do continue to teach us is how invalid it is to compare records at Denver International Airport compared to historical locations where Denver’s official temperature was measured prior to 1994.
Today for instance, the station at Denver City Park recorded 97 degrees.
Hot yes. Record-setting no.
Similarly, on Sunday the 18th City Park recorded 95 degrees versus DIA’s mark of 98 degrees. On Saturday when DIA recorded a record-breaking 97 degrees, City Park saw 96 degrees.
The difference in measurements is something we have seen repeatedly since 1994. The move of Denver’s official monitoring station is corrupting the city’s climate record and has wide implications.
With a location 14 miles east of where official temperatures were measured prior to DIA, it is in an entirely different microclimate and as a result it experiences different conditions – sometimes considerably different – to locations closer to downtown.
If we can’t accurately compare our temperatures, how are we to believe climate change alarmists that warn of global warming?
For more on the topic of Denver’s problematic weather station, see these previous stories:
At 3:08 p.m. the mercury climbed to 98 degrees. The last time the date saw readings that high was in 2011.
Here in Thornton we were a bit cooler – but not by much. Our temperature topped out at 95 degrees at 3:19 p.m. This mirrored our high temperature yesterday.
We expect at least a couple more days of these well-above normal temperatures as we head into the workweek. After that we should start to cool down a bit. Click here to view the extended forecast.
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The mercury climbed with great efficiency today leading to a record-breaking temperature for the date. As measured at Denver International Airport, Denver’s temperature topped out at 2:28 p.m. reaching 97 degrees. This breaks the old record for August 17 of 96 degrees set most recently in 1994.
Here in Thornton we were a bit cooler – but not by much. Our temperature topped out at 95 degrees at 2:43 p.m.
Above normal temperatures, but probably not record-setting, are expected to stay with us through at least the first half of the week. Tomorrow and Monday do offer just a slight chance for thunderstorms. Click here to view the extended forecast: http://www.thorntonweather.com/forecast.php
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Under a stubborn area of high pressure the Mile High City has been sweltering with unseasonably hot temperatures. The past two days saw four temperature records be broken as the mercury climbed to regions more akin to the middle of summer than June. Thornton fell just shy of 100° today reaching “only 99°. Officially though Denver hit the mark. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
Under the influence of strong high pressure, the mercury soared in the Mile High City on Monday and two temperature records fell.
As measured at Denver International Airport, the mercury reached a high of 99 degrees at 2:53 p.m. This broke the previous record high temperature for June 10 of 97 degrees set in 1952.
Here in Thornton we were hot but not quite as hot. Our high temperature topped out at 97 degrees at 2:35 p.m. This is the highest temperature we have seen thus far this year and the highest reading in Thornton since July 21, 2012 (97.9 degrees).
If you thought the nighttime would bring relief from the heat, you were mistaken. Denver’s official “low” temperature on Monday was only 68 degrees. This set a new record high minimum for the date easily besting the previous record holder of 64 degrees last set in 1990. Thornton was just slightly cooler with a low for the date of 66.8 degrees.
There won’t be much of a break in the heat in the coming days. While it will be cooler than today, temperatures for the rest of the week are expected to continue to be well above normal. Get the latest forecast here.
The unseasonably warm weather this week reached record setting levels today. At 1:55pm the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 87° tying the record high temperature for the date previously set on May 14, 1996.
Here in Thornton we were a couple of degrees warmer as the mercury climbed to 89°. This is the warmest temperature we have recorded since September 10 of last year (91°).
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Denver’s recent cold continued as this morning one low temperature record was broken, another tied.
In the wake of our May Day snowstorm, clear skies the following morning allowed temperatures to plummet and reach very winter-like levels. As the mercury bottomed out, Denver broke one low temperature record and tied another.
As measured at Denver International Airport, the temperature this morning dropped to 19 degrees at 6:41am. This easily breaks the previous record low temperature for May 2 of 22 degrees set in 1954.
Most notably, the 19 degree reading also tied the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded during the month of May since record keeping began in Denver in 1872. We have to go all the way back to May 3, 1907 to find a reading that low during May.
Here in Thornton we were quite cold as well although not quite as much as DIA. Our morning low temperature of 20.7 degrees was seen at 6:00am.
The cold and snowy start to May mimics what was seen during the month of April. Last month Denver recorded its fifth coldest and 11th snowiest April on record.
While there has been no shortage of heat, we have avoided any records for the past two weeks – until Tuesday.
