Monday, August 31, 2009

September

Many thanks our new contributor to Brendan's Weather Blog! In case you missed it, take a moment and check out "The Sweet Smell of Summer" posted by senior editor Jason Fox earlier this week.

Tomorrow begins yet another fantastic month for weather here in Denver, Colorado. We will be a mere 22 days away from the first day of Fall! September traditionally is a very pleasant month - filled with our trademark late summer/early fall weather of clear sunny days, and crisp cool nights. While 90 degree readings are by no means unheard of, for some of you these next stats may be a harsh realization that summer is quickly drawing to a close... Winter weather is not as uncommon in September as you might imagine. The earliest snowfall ever recorded in Denver was September 3rd, 1961 when four inches fell at the old Stapleton Airport. September's largest snowstorm came years later when nine inches of snow fell on September 29th, 1985. The temperature bottomed out at 17 degrees F that night. We have not seen snow in September since 2000. Last year we had a very pleasant (albeit a bit dry) September where the low never dropped below 40. You can read more about September's climatology here.

What is in store for this September?

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Sweet Smell of Weather

After much bribery on my part, Brendan Heberton has consented to a guest post by yours truly. I'm new to this, and certainly not as seasoned a blogger as Brendan. However, I will do my very best to live up to the high standards to which my gentle readers hold this blog.


Thinking of you, my reader, I realize that I am a stranger to you. I know nothing about what foods you like, what your life's goals are, whether you're a student or an employee, perhaps self-employed. But I know that we share, among other things,--smell. 


And I am sure of another thing. I am sure that you go outside at least once a day, and with the historical product of instinct you sniff the air. Moments later you remember your first haircut, your grandmother in the kitchen, the first funeral you ever attended. 


This time of year you are probably smelling approaching thunderstorms and the odor of fresh rain. But have you ever held rainwater to your nose and sniffed it? It hardly registers on the palette. 


So what's the smell?


One common cause of that rain smell is ozone. Yes, OZONE! The high voltage electrical discharges within a storm can create ozone (O3). That ozone is delivered to your smelling arena by downdrafts in the storm system that surge the ozone ahead of the storm. And you stand on your front porch and smell it. You might also recognize this smell as coming from a photocopier or lazer printer! The high voltage discharges inside these machines produce enough ozone to make you second guess your decision to go shopping without an umbrella or oil-coated rain jacket. 


Other times you might notice a smell that arises from the earth during or after a rain event. That bouquet, my dear reader, speaks to the thriving life of a bacteria. Put a name to the smell for God's sake! It's ACTINOMYCETES! And that musky smell tells the story of spores that are produced en masse during dry periods, only to be kicked up into your nose after a rain session. 


So next time you sniff the air and think of good ol' grammaw or fresh laundry, don't forget to thank violent electrical discharges and ravenous bacteria. 


Sunday, August 23, 2009

Record Heat! ...Monsoon to Return

Although we did not break any records this weekend in Denver, many locations along the front range did. Denver did managed to tie the all time record high for August 23, however, recording a whopping 98 degrees officially at DIA earlier this afternoon. After the hottest weekend of the summer (by far) we are once again in for a change. The first cold front in a series of disturbances will work its way into the area later tonight dropping Monday's temperatures back to normal (mid 80s). The monsoonal flow will also work its way back into northeastern Colorado adding a decent chance of rain over the next several days. This pattern looks to stay with us through the extended period, where temps are expected to remain at or slightly below average, with a chance of rain.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Lightning Strike!

Some impressive lightning this evening! Check out this strike that nearly knocked me out of my chair...

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Cold Front Barrels South

The next 24 to 48 hours will remain pleasantly cool. A cold front is dropping in from the northwest and will bring a good chance of rain and cooler temperatures into Monday. Both today and Sunday there is a pretty good chance for showers... before drying out again into early next week.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Warmth Continues

The weather pattern will remain pretty inactive for the next week. Each afternoon there is a chance for showers, but they will be isolated in nature. Highs will climb into the lower 90s over the next several days before dropping off into the upper 80s for the end of the week and weekend.

So far - still have not reached 100 degrees in Denver!