“The Almanac - Oct. 19 - Post Chronicle” plus 4 more |
- The Almanac - Oct. 19 - Post Chronicle
- Wolfram Alpha iPhone App Only $50 - Appscout
- Wolfram Alpha computes that its iPhone app should cost £30 - Revolution
- Palo Alto Online's Master Community Calendar - Palo Alto Online
- Super Science Saturday Coming To Boulder! - Denver Channel
| The Almanac - Oct. 19 - Post Chronicle Posted: 19 Oct 2009 05:16 AM PDT Today is Monday, Oct. 19, the 292nd day of 2009 with 73 to follow. The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn. The evening stars are Neptune, Jupiter and Uranus. Those born on this day are under the sign of Libra. They include English physician and scholar Thomas Browne in 1605; abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay in 1810; historian and city planner Lewis Mumford in 1895; actress LaWanda Page ("Sanford and Son") in 1920; newspaper columnist Jack Anderson in 1922; English spy novelist John Le Carre, whose real name is David Cornwell, in 1931 (age 78); pop artist Peter Max in 1937 (age 72); actor John Lithgow and feminist Patricia Ireland, both in 1945 (age 64); former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield in 1962 (age 47) and Amy Carter, daughter of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, in 1967 (age 42). On this date in history: StaffIn 1781, Britain's Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered with more than 7,000 troops to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, Va., effectively ending the American War of Independence. In 1812, Napoleon's beaten French army began its long, disastrous retreat from Moscow. In 1982, carmaker John DeLorean was arrested in Los Angeles and charged in a $24 million cocaine scheme aimed at salvaging his bankrupt sports car company. He was tried and acquitted. In 1987, the New York stock market suffered its biggest setback, with the bellwether Dow Jones industrial average nose diving 508 points in one session. In 1993, a U.N. oil-and-arms embargo against Haiti was reinstated in an effort to return the exiled Jean-Bertrand Aristide as president of Haiti. In 1994, more than 20 people were killed in the terrorist bombing of a bus in Tel Aviv, Israel. Islamic militants claimed responsibility. In 2000, independent counsel Robert Ray said in his final report about the White House travel office scandal dubbed "Travelgate" that first lady Hillary Clinton gave "factually false" sworn testimony. But, he said, there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges. In 2003, Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa before hundreds of thousands of pilgrims packed into St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, the last formal step to sainthood. In 2005, a defiant Saddam Hussein pleaded innocent as he went on trial in Baghdad on charges of murder and torture during his reign as president of Iraq. The initial session, with the former dictator questioning the court's legitimacy and scuffling with guards, lasted three hours before the judge ordered an adjournment. In 2006, courts-martial were ordered for four U.S. soldiers accused of raping a teenage Iraqi girl and killing her and her family in a town south of Baghdad. In 2007, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said she was warned of an assassination plot by four groups against he, but chose to return home anyway. An attack upon her arrival in Karachi killed a reported 139 people and injured hundreds of others. In 2008, two weeks before the national election, Colin Powell, a Republican and former secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration, gave his endorsement to Democrat Barack Obama, whom he referred to as a "transformational figure." Also in 2008, Taliban insurgents pulled 30 men from a bus in Afghanistan and beheaded them, authorities reported. A Taliban spokesman said they were members of the Afghan army but the Afghan government said they were civilians looking for work. A thought for the day: Greek playwright Euripides wrote, "Do not consider painful what is good for you." (c) UPI This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | |
| Wolfram Alpha iPhone App Only $50 - Appscout Posted: 19 Oct 2009 06:28 AM PDT Wolfram Alpha has baffled many since its inception--a matter not really helped by the fact that many in the media were positioning the site as something of a Google killer at its launch, when really the search engine's intentions couldn't be further from that. Now Wolfram is making a move that will likely confuse even more casual observers: it's launching a $50 iPhone app. Of course, as Mashable points out, the app is far more than just a mobile gateway to the answer engine. It's a high end graphing calculator (that supports discrete number theory, Calculus derivative and plotting of functions), an almanac, a currency/unit converter and a pretty sophisticated stock analysis tool. And that's just the beginning. The site has a pretty in-depth breakdown of the app. With Wolfram Alpha's already somewhat limited user appeal, one has to wonder how many people will be willing to plunk down $50 for an iPhone app. My guess is, if you're among that base, you've already downloaded the thing. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | |
| Wolfram Alpha computes that its iPhone app should cost £30 - Revolution Posted: 19 Oct 2009 04:04 AM PDT The iPhone app gives purchasers full access to the search engine's web functions and also automatically calculates the type of information a user is likely to be interested in based on their location. The app is largely aimed at academics and is designed to replace traditional scientific calculators as well as appealing to stattos among the general public. It plots functions and contains an almanac, a currency/unit converter and a stock analysis tool. Users are able to input queries via two keyboards - one displaying numbers and symbols, the other the English alphabet. Queries can be book marked for future reference and shared over email and Twitter. Wolfram Alpha, an info-heavy search engine was highly anticipated when it launched in May. But rather than a competitior to Google, several reviewers have labelled it as a big calculatoor. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | |
| Palo Alto Online's Master Community Calendar - Palo Alto Online Posted: 19 Oct 2009 12:08 AM PDT Palo Alto Online's Master Community Calendar | Showing listings from October 19, 2009 to October 25, 2009 in all categories.
"Families"
"Modernbook: Ten Years"
"Soul and Consciousness"
A Colorful Journey- Acrylic Paintings by Doriane Heyman
Kevin Bean, Backyard Paintings & Geometric Abstractions
Mackenzie Thorpe Trunk Show
Marianne Schlumberger
Menlo Art League Annual Exhibit
New Work by Starr Davis and Isabel Brown
Beth Longwell Foundation Dinner & Silent Auction
Chefs Who Care: 3 Nights in Paris...in Los Altos
CSMA's 1st Annual party4all
"Meccano-Mania"
"Thriller" -- Learn the dance
Astronomy for Poets Class (open to community)
Baby massage and safe body care
Basic First Aid
Be the Change Environmental Leadership Program
Beginning Improv Workshop
Beginning Improv Workshop
Beginning Tai Chi
Childrens Art Class Demo
Classes at Onetta Harris Community Center
Container gardening
Cooking Class - Mushrooms
CPR for Adults, Child, Infant
Dawson Church E.F.T. Workshop
Democracy as a Worldwide Phenomenon
Dove Real Beauty Workshop for Girls
Emotional Freedom Workshop for Women
Evolution of a Garden with Andrea Testa-Vought
Fall Planting for Spring Color
Feldenkrais
Fitness and Faith
Flamenco Dance Classes
Folk Dance Class
Foundations for Marriage
Free Introductory Sessions
German Language Class
Harmonica for Health and Fun
Help for Job Seekers
Henna Lounge - East Palo Alto Library
How to Plan Your Retirement Income?
Intermediate French
Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Archeology
Learn to Meditate
Life Bliss Meditation
Naadbrahma or Humming Meditation
Parents workshop: Children and friendships
Patently Simple Machines: How to get rich and a patent for throwing rocks
Scan Photo Memories
Scottish Country Dance class
The Toxic Body: Purification Workshop
Tree-care Workshop
Vinyasa Flow with Danielle Pinson
Women's Writing Group fall session
Yoga and Meditation Classes for Kids
Sex, Love and Addiction
Amiguitos Mother/child Spanish group
Campaign Finance Reform meeting
How to care for your plants
Leads Club meeting
Palo Alto Scrabble Club
"The Gospel of Mark"
A Plein Air Painting Event
Annual Pumpkin Patch at LAHS
Art and Craft Bazaar
Celebrating Disabilities Awareness Month
Downtown Palo Alto Farmers Market
East Palo Alto Community Farmers' Market
Gateway to Outdoor Adventure: Boy Scouting in San Mateo County 1910-1940
Gourmet Vegetarian Dinners
Knit Together at Atherton Library
Mah-Jong Games
Menlo Park Farmers Market
Palo Alto Community Farmshop
Seniors lunch at the La Comida Dining Room
Gunn's Annual Fall Choir Concert
Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra Concert
Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra Concert
Menlo Brass Quintet at The Sequoias
Palo Alto H.S. Fall Choral Concert
Palo Alto Philharmonic Concert
Ballroom Dancing
Lasya Dance Company - Portola Valley Library
Live Music Contra Dance
NAVYA
Dr. Tim Flannery
Environmental Docent-Led Walks of Shoreline
"A Revolutionary Idea"
"Horsing Around in San Mateo County"
"Introducing the Cantor Arts Center"
"Recent Arrivals: Rare Books, Manuscripts & Archives"
"Rodin! The Complete Stanford Collection"
Earthquake Exhibit
Paintings by Janna Mitchell
Stanford Art Spaces
PreSchool Family Fun Day
"Karaoke Madness" programs
ASD: Educational Series for Parents
Baby Storytime
Children's Dance Program
Fairmeadow Harvest Fair with Facebook Chefs
Gamble Garden Halloween Haunted House
Halloween Extravaganza, starring Melinda and Peter Wing
Halloween Haunts
Halloween Spooktakular
Mothers Circle- Creating A Jewish Home
Mothers Together
PreSchool Family Fun Day
Raising Happiness talk by Christine Carter
Scottish Country Dance for Children
Story Time with Ling Chang Compestine
Zoppe - An Italian Family Circus
12th United Nations Association Film Festival
Hitchcock Film at Atherton Library
Talk Cinema Palo Alto
CPR and First Aid Classes
Acupuncture for 50+
Food-issues group
Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Forum
Hypnotherapy for 50+
Marsh Madness Walk And Run
Massage at Little House
Move With Ease
Nutrition: Private Counseling for 50+
Qi Gong at Little House
Realizing Your Innate Wisdom & Mental Health
The Role of Vitamin D
Brazilian Jazz at Pampas
Heavy-Metal Tribute Show
Irish Music Session
Local-Talent Night
Mike Bastian's Pentimento Jazz
Nancy Gilliland
The Metaphysics of Notation
"The Chosen"
CD Release Party
Cycling Fellowship
Filolis Orchard Tours
Sunday Baylands Birdwalks
Susan Dunlap wallking discussion of her sculpture
Global Climate Healing-Shoreline Shabbat
Insight Meditation South Bay
Women in Jewish Interfaith Relationships
50 Plus Dinners
Wide Angle: Framing Your Worldview
"From Earth To Mars"
Annual Gem Show
Woods Institute Symposium
Cross Country Registration
Volleyball Clinics
Divorce/Relationship Recovery
A.S. Byatt,
Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet"
Barbara Ehrenreich
Job Hunting: Insights & Tips from a Headhunter
Keith Raffel's "Smasher: A Silicon Valley Thriller "
Lecture by by Scientific Historian George Dyson
Lecture on international health care
Little House Community Forums
SDForum's Quarterly Venture Breakfast with Pillsbury Winthrop
Social Media for B2B Lead Generation Panel
Taylor Branch's "The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President "
Teas at Little House
Waverley Writers Poetry Open Mic
Community Vigil for Hope
Teen Night at the Menlo Park Library
Teen Open Gym
Teen Open Gym
Camino Medical Group
Junior Museum & Zoo
Music Instruction for Children
Nature Center Hosts
Stanford Cats Need Foster Homes
Volunteer guide opportunity
Writing Buddies Volunteers Needed
This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Super Science Saturday Coming To Boulder! - Denver Channel Posted: 18 Oct 2009 09:16 PM PDT Oct. 19, 2009 7NEWS is proud to once again be the official media sponsor for SUPER SCIENCE SATURDAY, October 24, at NCAR's Mesa Lab in Boulder.Super Science Saturday is an annual event hosted by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) that is FREE and open to the public. The event combines science education with Halloween fun and is ideal for teachers, students, and families. The excitement begins at 10 AM and lasts until 4 PM.Festivities include live demonstrations, hands-on activity tables, and special science workshops. Again this year, the 24/7 Weather Center at 7NEWS will bring its "24/7 Weather Experience" to Super Science Saturday, giving attendees the chance to see what a live television weather set looks like, as well as a chance to stand in front of the green screen and do the weather. 7News Meteorologists Mike Nelson, Richard Ortner, Corey Christiansen and Lisa Hidalgo will all be making an appearance to sign autographs and say hello!NCAR is the world's premiere research facility for weather and climate and many of the top NCAR scientists will be on hand to answer questions about our often wild and fast changing weather. Also included this year is the outdoor physics adventure featuring a climbing wall, kayak tank, and mountain bike course!Food and drinks will be for sale in the NCAR cafeteria.Bring along a new or gently used coat to donate to our COATS FOR COLORADO campaign!NCAR's Mesa Laboratory is located at 1850 Table Mesa Drive in Boulder.For more information, contact David Hosansky at 303-497-8611, or Laura Allen at 303-497-2408.This will mark the thirteenthth year of Super Science Saturday, the largest public event NCAR holds each year, attracting over 3,000 attendees.Oct. 15, 2009 Denver Storm Chasers Tim Samaras and Tony Laubach will be two of may featured chasers on the hit TV series "Storm Chasers" on the Discovery Channel. Tim's the leader of the research group, TWISTEX and he along with Tony Laubach spent several months of the Spring and Summer chasing tornadoes across the country. The season treated them very well considering the lack of storms in the height of the season and their adventures will be well documented with the show."Storm Chasers" premieres this Sunday, October 18 on the Discovery Channel at 8pm. Starting at 6pm, Discovery will air a best of highlighting past chases from the show and will lead into the upcoming season.If you want to learn more about Tim and Tony, they both have websites and blogs. You can view Tim's TWISTEX website at http://www.twistex.org and Tony's website at http://www.tornadoeskick.com.Oct. 8, 2009 One of the most important ways that we can understand how our climate in changing in Colorado is to have more and better weather records and you can help!Volunteers are needed to help us measure rain, snow and hail across Colorado and surrounding states. We are very excited at 7News to be a part of CoCoRahs - the Community Collaborative Rain and Hail Study. If you would like to learn how you can help, check out this link. We will be developing more climate related content in a new feature called "Climate Corner". It will be managed by Chris Spears, a local climatologist and weather expert.Climate Corner a new addition to our website.The topic of climate change seems to have become as much political science as it is physical science. In that light, there is a seemingly large controversy about what is happening and to what extent mankind is helping to cause some of the changes. But, in the strict world of truly peer reviewed science, the degree of controversy is not as great as some of the politically driven organizations would have us believe.The majority of climate scientists are in agreement that the overall warming of the planet has been caused in part by mankind. This warming is due to the increase of greenhouse gases - such as CO2, methane and CFCs (chloro-fluorocarbons).There is much discussion, especially on talk radio about the fact that the sun has by far the largest impact on our climate. The sun has certainly not been overlooked, the periodic changes in solar output and the orbital changes are taken into account in the climate studies and modeling.Some scientists feel that the increase in atmospheric CO2 will be offset by the ability of plants and the oceans to absorb this gas. In fact, some experts believe that the increase in CO2 will be a good thing - improving crop yields and making more parts of the world able to support crops. At the same time, that warming may cause more severe droughts in key agricultural areas. In addition, which plants will benefit most - will it be useful crops, or weeds!A comment often heard is that CO2 is just a tiny fraction of the atmosphere, less than 3 parts in 10,000. Just because CO2 is a trace gas does not mean that it is not important in the equation. Small amounts do matter - I weigh 200 pounds, but it certainly does not take 200 pounds of arsenic to kill me.As often noted, the Greenhouse Effect is normal and natural, in fact if not for this effect, the Earth would be about 60 degrees Farenheit colder - a lifeless ice planet. The problem we face is that the delicate balance of temperature may be upset by a change in atmospheric chemistry.One of the best lines that I have heard about our climate and it's unpredictability is that "climate is like an angry bear, we keep prodding and irritating it, and the results will likely be both severe and unpredictable".You hear an awful lot of comments about unusual local weather events such as the snow in Las Vegas or other southern areas. It is important to understand that short term weather is to climate as one play in a football game is to the entire NFL season.For example, the extreme cold and snow that was experienced in central U.S. during the middle of December 2008. Well, while Colorado and adjacent states were shivering, Fairbanks was enjoying very mild weather for their area. When the chilly polar vortex drifted back to the north, Fairbanks was very cold and Colorado hit 60 degree temperatures in January. More recently, the weather this past summer was indeed cooler and wetter in Colorado, but very hot and dry in the Pacific Northwest.It is often quoted that 1998 was the warmest year and that global temperatures have cooled since that time. This information is misleading. In 1998, the world climate was influenced by one of the strongest El Nino events ever recorded. This pool of very warm Pacific Ocean water bumped global temperatures higher. Until recently, the Pacific was in the midst of a slight La Nina - cooler sea surface temperatures. These periodic warming and cooling episodes need to be taken into consideration in the the overall global temperature trend and properly explained to the public.Many of the skeptics of anthropogenic climate change are not primarily trained in atmospheric science. Often they have backgrounds in other disciplines such as physics, geology or economics - certainly well educated folks, but analogous to asking a climate scientist where we should drill an oil well. I think that is it important that we make this distinction when asked questions about climate change and differing viewpoints. It is certainly good scientific practice to have a healthy discussion, but again we must come back to solid peer reviewed science.Oct. 5, 2009 A weak storm system will push across Colorado tonight and Monday, bringing light snow to the mountains and a few showers to the eastern plains. The low pressure center of this storm will pass to the north of Denver, keeping most of the moisture in Wyoming and Nebraska. Only a few inches of snow will accumulate over the higher mountains, perhaps one to four inches.At lower elevations, there will be a mix of clouds and sunshine on Monday, with some widely scattered showers. The storm system will move to the east of Colorado by Tuesday, with skies returning to hazy sunshine for the middle of the week.Late this week a stronger cold front will move south from Canada. This front will have some pretty chilly air associated with it and will bring rain and snow to the state late Friday and Saturday. The arrival of the front is still several days away, so we will keep an eye on it in terms of just how chilly things will be by Saturday. At this point, look for next weekend to be a much more gray, cold and wet weekend than this past weekend.Oct. 2-4, 2009 September ended on a warm note, with highs in the 80s for the last two days. With the change of the calendar, the weather turned as well, with much colder air over Colorado. A strong cold front swept across Colorado late Wednesday and brought a 20-30 degree drop in temperatures by Thursday afternoon. Strong northwest winds whipped over the region behind the front, with gusts to 50 mph helping to bring in the chilly air.The winds will be diminishing over the area and with clear skies, the temperatures will take a nighttime tumble. Lows will drop into the 20s in the mountains and 30s at lower elevations through the weekend. Freezing conditions will make it tough on tomatoes through Saturday morning, so C.Y.P. - Cover Your Plants!!Folks may wonder about their sprinkler systems and if they are in jeopardy with the cold nights. In general, the underground pipes are just fine for now, the ground is too warm for the pipes to freeze. The exposed pipes on the side of your home are a different story though. It is a good idea to put a blanket or an old sleeping bag over those pipes for the next few nights. As far as getting the system winterized, any time now is a good idea as your lawn is starting to slow it's growth in preparation for winter.There is an exciting event this weekend - the annual SOLAR HOME TOUR in Denver. See some of the latest breakthroughs and the smartest homes in the neighborhood. The event is on Saturday and for all the details go to www.cres-energy.org.Sept 29, 2009 A very active severe weather season will get some extra legs over the next couple of days as a very potent storm system moves across the country. Large hail, strong winds, and isolated tornadoes will be possible Wednesday and Thursday from Kansas into Missouri and Arkansas.Wednesday's storm potential rests across western Kansas and Nebraska as the system starts to interact with the moist atmosphere. A strong cap, or warm air aloft, may prevent storms from forming til well after dark across the region, but if storms are able to form in this region early on, supercells are likely to develop with very large hail and a few tornadoes.Thursday looks to be the more potent day. The strong cold front that will drop our temperatures here in Colorado will be sweeping across the plains and will trigger a large damaging squall line for areas in eastern Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma, western Missouri, and western Arkansas. A few supercells may form early before the cold front plows through causing those storms to quickly merge into a fast moving wind driven line of heavy thunderstorms.While not likely, the setup Thursday may produce a very significant outbreak of severe weather, including the potential for a few strong tornadoes. However given the speed of the cold front, its not likely that storms will be isolated long enough to produce such strong tornadoes.After a very successful season, 7News Weather Producer and Storm Chaser Tony Laubach will give it one more go as he will be out chasing this event Wednesday and Thursday. Tony will be blogging during his trip with pictures and status updates and you can keep track of him and Corey at http://www.tornadoeskick.com. There you will find a live updated map showing Tony's location as well as his blog updates from the field. Tony's videos and reports will also be aired on 7News shows over the next couple of days, so definitely stay tuned as they cover this potential autumn severe weather outbreak.Sept 28, 2009 The weather was pretty chilly early today, with lows in the upper 20s to low 30s across northeastern Colorado. A weak cold front slipped through the state last night, bringing in cooler air, but very little clouds cover and no precipitation. High temperatures held in the low 70s for today, with 60s in the mountains. The cooldown will not last long, as southwesterly winds will sweep across Colorado Tuesday and Wednesday. High temperatures will bounce back into the 80s at lower elevations, with 70s in the mountains.The weather will begin to shift on Wednesday as a strong cold front moves toward Colorado from the northwest. The weather will be warm ahead of this front, but showers and thunderstorms will be developing later in the day. By Wednesday night and Thursday, a chilly airmass will descend upon the state, with chilly rain on the plains and snow for the mountains.The chilly weather will linger into Friday and there is a chance for some frost in Denver and over the northeastern plains Friday morning. By the weekend, the weather will rebound with warmer and drier conditions returning.Attention local gardeners! The Horizon House is a local care center for people with cancer and other terminal diseases. Every year, they make salsa from home grown green tomatos and sell them to raise money for their organization. Unfortunately, the July 20th hailstorm took out most of the garden and they are in search of green tomatoes. So if you are in your garden and have some extra green tomatos to pass along, please contact Harry Lester at harrylester@q.com.The Autumn color is still looking very good in the central and southwestern mountains where brilliant gold remains in abundance. The northern mountain areas still have pockets of good color, but are past the peak. The next few days will offer very good weather and no driving problems, so if you can get to the mountains, here are some of our favorite routes.1) Steamboat Springs, Elk River country north on County Road 129. Also check the view on Rabbit Ears Pass and Buffalo Pass east.2) Colorado 14 through the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins3) Trail Ridge Road (US 34) through Rocky Mountain National Park4) Flat Tops country between Buford and Newcastle5) Tennessee Pass, US 24, from Leadville to Vail6) Boreas Pass between Como and Breckenridge, a 23 mile road cresting at 11,481 feet.7) Guanella Pass between Georgetown and Grant - Normally a great route, but this year there is major road construction above Georgetown!!8) Grand Mesa, Colorado 65 east of Grand Junction and north of Delta.9) Maroon Bells near Aspen, a classic Colorado view!10) Independence Pass, Colorado 82 between Twins Lakes and Aspen.11) Colorado 135 between Crested Butte and Gunnison. Also try Kebler Pass west of Crested Butte on Gunnison County Road 12!12) Cottonwood Pass, Colorado 306 between Buena Vista and Taylor Park13) Monarch Pass, US 50 from Salida to Gunnison.14) Cochetopa Pass between Saguache and Gunnison.15) Gold Camp Road - Colorado 67 between Divide and Cripple Creek.16) Lizard Head Pass, Colorado 145 between Dolores and Telluride.17) Slumgullion Pass, Colorado 149 between Lake City, Creede and South Fork.18) US 160, Navajo Trail, between Pagosa Springs and Cortez.19) Platoro Reservoir, south of Del Norte and west of Conejos.20) Cucharas Pass, Colorado 12, from Trinidad to Walsenburg.21) CO 103 from Evergreen Parkway west to Echo Lake.22) McClure Pass - This is a spectacular 8,755 foot pass south of Carbondale along Colorado 133 and the Crystal River.Be sure to send us your digital images of the aspen. I will try to show as many as possible on TV and we will put them together into slideshows right here on TheDenverChannel.com!Sept 24, 2009 After a very cool, cloudy, and wet week, Nature will make up for it and then some this weekend with a gorgeous stretch of days. As the lingering storm system hobbles it's way off to the east, a ridge of high pressure is developing over the region, resulting in much warmer temperatures and the sun.The showers moved in on Monday and were still wandering over eastern Colorado five days later. Scattered thunderstorms rumbled over the Denver area and across the eastern plains in the early morning hours of Friday, but dry weather is now on tap. Temperatures will warm into the 70s to low 80s.The fall colors took a beating in the northern mountains from snow this week, but there are still some great areas of across the central and southwest mountains.Here is a good website, with info on the fall color... www.parks.state.co.us.Here are some great places to view the aspen gold!1) Steamboat Springs, Elk River country north on County Road 129. Also check the view on Rabbit Ears Pass and Buffalo Pass east.2) Colorado 14 through the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins3) Trail Ridge Road (US 34) through Rocky Mountain National Park4) Flat Tops country between Buford and Newcastle5) Tennessee Pass, US 24, from Leadville to Vail6) Boreas Pass between Como and Breckenridge, a 23 mile road cresting at 11,481 feet.7) Guanella Pass between Georgetown and Grant - Normally a great route, but this year there is major road construction above Georgetown!!8) Grand Mesa, Colorado 65 east of Grand Junction and north of Delta.9) Maroon Bells near Aspen, a classic Colorado view!10) Independence Pass, Colorado 82 between Twins Lakes and Aspen.11) Colorado 135 between Crested Butte and Gunnison. Also try Kebler Pass west of Crested Butte on Gunnison County Road 12!12) Cottonwood Pass, Colorado 306 between Buena Vista and Taylor Park13) Monarch Pass, US 50 from Salida to Gunnison.14) Cochetopa Pass between Saguache and Gunnison.15) Gold Camp Road - Colorado 67 between Divide and Cripple Creek.16) Lizard Head Pass, Colorado 145 between Dolores and Telluride.17) Slumgullion Pass, Colorado 149 between Lake City, Creede and South Fork.18) US 160, Navajo Trail, between Pagosa Springs and Cortez.19) Platoro Reservoir, south of Del Norte and west of Conejos.20) Cucharas Pass, Colorado 12, from Trinidad to Walsenburg.21) CO 103 from Evergreen Parkway west to Echo Lake.22) McClure Pass - This is a spectacular 8,755 foot pass south of Carbondale along Colorado 133 and the Crystal River.Be sure to send us your digital images of the aspen. I will try to show as many as possible on TV and we will put them together into slideshows right here on TheDenverChannel.com!Sept 22, 2009 The deep upper level low pressure system that has been swirling over eastern Colorado for the last few days is done finished with us. The sluggish storm is still spinning over the Colorado-Kansas border and will sweep more clouds and showers over the I-25 Corridor, the mountains along and east of the Divide and the eastern plains. Western Colorado will be a different story, with mostly sunny skies and mild weather today.The snow threat will be low, as the temperatures will be in the low 50s, but it will still be quite cool for early Autumn - about 15-20 degrees below normal. There will be some scattered showers on the plains today, with snow mixing in above 9,000 feet. A few more inches of slushy snow will fall in the higher mountains.It has been a year filled with weather oddities and events. In fact, people are still recovering from summer events, including the big storm that plowed through the city back in July. The Horizon House is a local care center for people with cancer and other terminal diseases. Every year, they make salsa from home grown green tomatos and sell them to raise money for their organization. Unfortunately, that July storm took out most of the garden and they are in search of green tomatos. So if you're in your garden and have some extra green tomatos to pass along, please contact Harry Lester at harrylester@q.com.By tomorrow, the upper air disturbance will swirl away across the Great Plains and will leave Colorado. Sunny skies and warmer temperatures will return for the weekend.The fall color will have taken a beating over the northern mountains, but central and southern areas will still be gold and glorious!Here is a good website, with info on the fall color... www.parks.state.co.us.Here are some great places to view the aspen gold!1) Steamboat Springs, Elk River country north on County Road 129. Also check the view on Rabbit Ears Pass and Buffalo Pass east.2) Colorado 14 through the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins3) Trail Ridge Road (US 34) through Rocky Mountain National Park4) Flat Tops country between Buford and Newcastle5) Tennessee Pass, US 24, from Leadville to Vail6) Boreas Pass between Como and Breckenridge, a 23 mile road cresting at 11,481 feet.7) Guanella Pass between Georgetown and Grant - Normally a great route, but this year there is major road construction above Georgetown!!8) Grand Mesa, Colorado 65 east of Grand Junction and north of Delta.9) Maroon Bells near Aspen, a classic Colorado view!10) Independence Pass, Colorado 82 between Twins Lakes and Aspen.11) Colorado 135 between Crested Butte and Gunnison. Also try Kebler Pass west of Crested Butte on Gunnison County Road 12!12) Cottonwood Pass, Colorado 306 between Buena Vista and Taylor Park13) Monarch Pass, US 50 from Salida to Gunnison.14) Cochetopa Pass between Saguache and Gunnison.15) Gold Camp Road - Colorado 67 between Divide and Cripple Creek.16) Lizard Head Pass, Colorado 145 between Dolores and Telluride.17) Slumgullion Pass, Colorado 149 between Lake City, Creede and South Fork.18) US 160, Navajo Trail, between Pagosa Springs and Cortez.19) Platoro Reservoir, south of Del Norte and west of Conejos.20) Cucharas Pass, Colorado 12, from Trinidad to Walsenburg.21) CO 103 from Evergreen Parkway west to Echo Lake.22) McClure Pass - This is a spectacular 8,755 foot pass south of Carbondale along Colorado 133 and the Crystal River.Be sure to send us your digital images of the aspen. I will try to show as many as possible on TV and we will put them together into slideshows right here on TheDenverChannel.com!Sept 22, 2009 The much advertised storm system has deeked and dodged and will leave Denver dry. Well, not entirely dry, just a little wet, but not white. The upper level low that was expected to move over the eastern plains has shifted into western Kansas and that will make all the difference. Instead of a moist upslope flow over the Front Range, all of the moisture is over the plains east of Denver. Along the foothills, we have had a gentle westerly flow and that is all downslope - hence very little precipitation, but a lot of egg of the faces of forecasters!Well, it is not always easy to forecast in Colorado and this one will be a check mark against us in the accuracy column, sorry about that. The entire prediction was based on the position of the upper level low and that darn thing has wobbled off too far to the east. Instead of snow and rain in Denver and heavy snow in the foothills, we will have clouds, cool temperatures and some light showers today.The good news, no tree damage in Denver, the aspens trees will still look pretty in the mountains and the weekend looks great!Sept 22, 2009 The Fall season officially arrived at 3:19 PM today, however the new season got a major jump start as a strong cold front swept through the state early Monday. The moisture associated with the 30-40 degree drop in temperatures came in both wet and white form. Four to eight inches of snow was reported over much of the northern and central mountains and the adjacent foothills.Temperatures in Denver went on a wild ride with highs in the mid 80s on Sunday afternoon to the low 30s with flakes flying across Denver Monday morning. But now, we may be in for the first real snow of the season in Denver. Some suburban areas did get light snow yesterday, but no snow fell at DIA or downtown. Our average first day of snow is not until October 19th, but September snows do occur about every 3-4 years. Last year, the first flakes flew on November 14.Snow will fall heavily in the mountains and foothills west of Denver, and along the Palmer Divide this afternoon and tonight. In fact - a WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for areas above 6,500 feet for tonight. Six to sixteen inches of snow may plop down in the warning area by Wednesday afternoon. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY has been issued for the Palmer Divide areas with up to 10 inches of snow possible in the higher elevations of Douglas and Elbert counties.It will be a wet, sloppy snow that will be tough on trees. You may need to get out with a broom and try to knock down as much of the snow as possible as the trees, still being in leaf, will take a pounding.Denver prpoer, will get a mix of rain and snow, but some light accumulations are likely - perhaps a couple of slushy inches on grassy surfaces.The chilly weather will hang around for most of this week as a deep upper air disturbance swirls on top of Colorado. This chilly air aloft makes the atmosphere very unstable and the result is the soggy, cold and sloppy weather. Gardeners will probably want to cover your tomato plants tonight. The chance for a hard freeze is low because of the clouds, but some areas may get a little frost nip during the next two nights. In addition, if you are in an area that will get wet snow, try to put some kind of support over the tomatoes to keep the weight of the snow off of the plants.It is likely, the wet and snowy weather will completely wipe out the aspen viewing in northern Colorado. The display has been ahead of schedule this year, due to the cool summer. A couple of days of rain and snow will knock down many of the leaves.It's all a fitting start to the season in a year filled with weather oddities and events. In fact, people are still recovering from summer events, including the big storm that plowed through the city back in July. The Horizon House is a local care center for people with cancer and other terminal diseases. Every year, they make salsa from home grown green tomatos and sell them to raise money for their organization. Unfortunately, that July storm took out most of the garden and they are in search of green tomatos. So if you're out salvaging your garden to get them in ahead of this first snowstorm and you have some extra green tomatos to pass along, please contact Harry Lester at harrylester@q.com.By the weekend, the weather will improve dramatically, with sunshine and very pleasant early fall weather. If the leaves manage to hang on over the next 72 hours, we should have a lovely weekend to check out the aspen gold, but the best viewing will shift to the central and southern mountains.Here is a good website, with info on the fall color... www.parks.state.co.us.Here are some great places to view the aspen gold!1) Steamboat Springs, Elk River country north on County Road 129. Also check the view on Rabbit Ears Pass and Buffalo Pass east.2) Colorado 14 through the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins3) Trail Ridge Road (US 34) through Rocky Mountain National Park4) Flat Tops country between Buford and Newcastle5) Tennessee Pass, US 24, from Leadville to Vail6) Boreas Pass between Como and Breckenridge, a 23 mile road cresting at 11,481 feet.7) Guanella Pass between Georgetown and Grant - Normally a great route, but this year there is major road construction above Georgetown!!8) Grand Mesa, Colorado 65 east of Grand Junction and north of Delta.9) Maroon Bells near Aspen, a classic Colorado view!10) Independence Pass, Colorado 82 between Twins Lakes and Aspen.11) Colorado 135 between Crested Butte and Gunnison. Also try Kebler Pass west of Crested Butte on Gunnison County Road 12!12) Cottonwood Pass, Colorado 306 between Buena Vista and Taylor Park13) Monarch Pass, US 50 from Salida to Gunnison.14) Cochetopa Pass between Saguache and Gunnison.15) Gold Camp Road - Colorado 67 between Divide and Cripple Creek.16) Lizard Head Pass, Colorado 145 between Dolores and Telluride.17) Slumgullion Pass, Colorado 149 between Lake City, Creede and South Fork.18) US 160, Navajo Trail, between Pagosa Springs and Cortez.19) Platoro Reservoir, south of Del Norte and west of Conejos.20) Cucharas Pass, Colorado 12, from Trinidad to Walsenburg.21) CO 103 from Evergreen Parkway west to Echo Lake.22) McClure Pass - This is a spectacular 8,755 foot pass south of Carbondale along Colorado 133 and the Crystal River.Be sure to send us your digital images of the aspen. I will try to show as many as possible on TV and we will put them together into slideshows right here on TheDenverChannel.com!Sept 14, 2009 The past weekend was a half and half affair over Colorado. Saturday was cool and cloudy with scattered showers and even a touch of snow over the high mountains. Sunday returned to more typical late summer weather with scattered afternoon thunderstorms and much warmer temperatures. The cause of the cool weather on Saturday was a weak upper air disturbance that settled over the region. The chilly temperatures aloft helped make the atmosphere unstable and brought showers and even some light snow. By Sunday, the upper air disturbance had moved out of the region, allowing temperatures to warm again. There was still enough moisture trapped in the mid levels of the atmosphere to bring some afternoon storms to the mountains and foothills.The next few days will bring more late summer thunderstorms to much of the state as the winds aloft will be quite light and no major weather system will be moving into the central Rockies. There will continue to be some moisture in the middle part of the atmosphere (about 15-25 thousand feet) and that means we will continue to have scattered thunderstorms each day. The best chance for storms will be in the mountains and foothills, with only a slight chance expected over the eastern plains.Temperatures will be slightly warmer than average across Colorado. Highs will be in the upper 70s to mid 80s on the plains, with 60s expected in the mountains. Nighttime lows will slip into the upper 40s to mid 50s at lower elevations, with mainly 30s in the mountains.Speaking of the mountains, we are getting some good color over the northern and central mountains right now. You had better be quick this year, as the wet summer will likely mean a short season for the aspen gold. Typically moist summers tend to make the leaves turn black and fall off the trees more quickly. Once again this year, we are providing some great fall color routes to explore. Just click on the Discover Colorado button on the left side of this page.Sept 10, 2009 A brief, but big change is in store for this weekend with much cooler temperatures and a showery weekend. A strong upper level storm system moving out of the Pacific northwest will move across the Northern Plains, but a surface cold front will push through Colorado bringing the start of a weekend-long change. The storm system will be too far north to make for a widespread rain event, but some upslope winds behind the front will keep showers in the forecast through Sunday.Temperatures will be the big story with this system as we get our first taste of Fall. Friday will be 10-15 degrees cooler than Thursday, but even cooler temperatures await us on Saturday where highs won't break out of the 60s. It may feel even cooler than that with the clouds, a sign of Fall for sure. Temperatures rebound a little bit on Sunday, then bounce back to near 80 early next week.Fall colors are starting to show in the high country thanks in part to the cooler than average summer. Unfortunately the early start to the colors may signal a shorter fall viewing season than normal. Its probably worth getting up early to enjoy the colors before the peak. Get brushed up on some of my favorite fall color routes by clicking here! I have 20 different routes filled with some of the best fall color Colorado has to offer!Enjoy the NFL kickoff weekend! It will definitely feel like football weather!Sept 4-7, 2009 The weather pattern that has brought so much severe weather to Denver and the eastern plains of Colorado will start to mellow out as we get deeper into September. The days are growing shorter as we now have about 12.5 hours of daylight, about 2 hours less than in late June. The shorter days mean less solar heating to help inspire thunderstorm development. We will still have some widely scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms, but the really severe storms are just about done for the season.We are now beginning to hear some reports of the aspen changing color in the northern mountains! It looks like we should see our peak color pretty much on schedule this year, but the wet summer may make this year's display a little less brilliant. The best years for aspen viewing are those with well-timed rains and no major fall storms. A too dry summer will send the leaves falling quickly, while a wet summer tends to make them darken to brown or black. The best color over the northern mountains should be from September 20th to the 30th. The central mountains will be about five days behind, with the southern mountain areas rounding out the last days of the month and the first ten days of October.Usually the first signs of aspen gold tend to begin in late August over the higher forests of central and northern Colorado. By the second and third week of September, many aspen groves are well worth a day's drive. Usually the peak time to view aspen is around the last weekend of September. After that, early snows will knock down the leaves and others drop away by themselves. Aspen color does not vary nearly as much as the rich reds and purple leaves of the Midwest and East, but there is something about gold leaves against a backdrop of rich evergreen and deep blue sky that makes our fall mountains special indeed!Historically, native tribes used the aspen bark to make medicinal teas to alleviate fever. The inner bark was sometimes eaten raw in the spring, and the outer bark occasionally produces a powder that was used as a sunscreen. Aspen is a favorite of Colorado wildlife too. Beaver use aspen for food and building; elk, moose, and deer eat the twigs and foliage. Other names for quaking aspen are golden aspen, mountain aspen, popple, poplar and trembling poplar.Many people have asked why we have had such a wet summer and if it has anything to do with climate change. The basic answer is no - the wet summer of 2009 does not negate the long term outlook of hotter and drier weather for the west. The impact of man made climate change is on a very long time scale and cannot be assigned to any particular storm or short term weather event. We have had a wet summer because of the jetstream conditions this year. The winds aloft have been very active and have brought a greater than normal amount of thunderstorm activity to the Rocky Mountain region. Our soils were full of moisture which meant more evaporation and thus, more thunderstorms.The wet weather has help refill our reservoirs and greatly decrease the need for urban irrigation. The cooler weather has also meant less need for air conditioning and thus a lower energy usage - all good news for this season. Over the long term, however, the increase in carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases will mean a gradual warming of the annual temperature for the western United States in particular and the world in general. It is incorrect to try and correlate temperature trends over a matter of months or even a few years with the trends expected over the course of decades.One of the additional factors in our wet weather across Colorado and surrounding states has been the shift from a cool La Niña pattern in the Pacific to a warmer El Niño condition. After three years, a fledgling El Niño has developed and is expected to last through this winter. The last El Niño was back in 2006 and while it brought drenching storms to the West Coast, Colorado didn't feel as many effects as it normally would. This new El Niño is still very weak, but it may still have a fairly profound impact on our weather in the coming months.As we enter the season of Autumn, the weather will likely continue to be slightly wet across eastern Colorado and New Mexico as the El Niño tends to inspire a stronger flow of moisture into the southwestern United States. Keep in mind, however, that the early fall weather pattern is not particularly stormy, so the amount of precipitation may only be an inch or two through October.The term El Niño became familiar to the public's ear back in the early 1980s when a very strong El Niño event during the winter of 1982-1983 hit California with heavy, wet storms causing flooding and mudslides. El Niño typically occurs every two to five years and usually lasts for 12 months.El Niño's impacts depend on a variety of factors such as the time of the year and how much the ocean temperature increases. This change in ocean temperature can cause a variety of effects. El Niño can suppress Atlantic hurricane activity, bring much needed winter precipitation to the arid Southwestern states, more mild winters in the North, and can decrease the risk of wildfires in Florida.In Colorado, we typically see the most significant changes in the Southwest and Central Mountains where they tend to receive increased amounts of winter precipitation. On the Eastern Plains, the winters are usually more mild and the Spring has an increase in precipitation. In late summer, we often see an increase in monsoonal moisture giving us more storms through those dry months. Although in Autumn, El Niño is not usually very noticeable, although the big snowstorm in October of 1997 was during an El Niño year!In a El Niño diagnostic discussion released recently by the NOAA National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, scientists noted that eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures were at least 1.0 degree C above average at the beginning of July. From this, NOAA expects this El Niño event to continue developing over the next few months, with further strengthening possible.According to Klaus Wolter of the University of Colorado- CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center NOAA-ESRL Physical Science Division, we were under weak-to-moderate La Niña conditions since fall of 2008. These conditions continued through last winter keeping Colorado dry and mild. Over the summer, however, conditions have changed toward a weak El Niño pattern in the Pacific. The current status of the El Niño / La Niña pattern could be considered "neutral", as the transition takes place. Many Colorado observations from the past few decades indicate that even a neutral condition tends to bring more moisture to Colorado.If you would like to see more information from Klaus Wolter and his Executive Summary check out the Earth System Research Laboratory Web page.For more details on El Niño, you can check out NOAA's El Niño site at http://www.elnino.noaa.govFor more information about aspen leaves, El Nino, climate change and Colorado, please check out a copy of my book - THE COLORADO WEATHER ALMANAC. I cover these topics in much more thorough detail. THE COLORADO WEATHER ALMANAC is available at most local bookstores or you can search and order it from Amazon.com.August 27, 2009 With August winding down and the weather on a rare string of quiet days, the time is finally available to look back and take stock after one of the busiest severe weather seasons in Colorado history.Tornadoes, hail, heavy rains, high winds... they all played havoc with the city over the last several months. Insurance agencies across the state recorded some of the highest insurance claim totals ever for a single summer.With all the events, its hard to go back and list them all, but two will stand out for years to come for Denver-area residents.On the afternoon of Sunday, June 7, several tornadoes touched down across the metro area. The biggest, most notable of them was in southeast Denver and hit the Southlands Mall. This tornado was rated EF-1 from the damage it did around the mall area. The storm responsible for this tornado also spawned several other weaker tornadoes east of town as the storm moved east along an outflow boundary.Later in the summer, a very significant wind event occured in a rare nighttime storm over western Denver. Just after 10:30pm on July 20, a very strong thunderstorm rapidly developed just north of Arvada and tore south across the western suburbs of Denver doing extensive damage to trees and buildings along and west of Kipling from Arvada south into Lakewood. This storm was responsible for the second highest single storm damage totals in Colorado history. A couple of brief tornadoes were reported in Wheat Ridge, Englewood, and Castle Rock, but the majority of the damage was from straight line winds that likely reached speeds over 90 m.p.h.Denver wasn't the only location in the state to get hammered this year. Not long after the Wheat Ridge storm, Pueblo took the brunt of a hailstorm that dropped baseball sized hail across the downtown area. Residents all across eastern Colorado had several episodes of heavy hail and tornadoes all throughout the late Spring and early summer.Severe weather season is on the downhill side, however it is not out of the question to see a couple more events before cooler and quieter weather settles in. Tornadoes have occured in the Denver area as late as October, but the threat will typically subside in early September.The severe weather of the summer kept our storm chasers very busy all season. Storm Chaser Tony Laubach tallied over 30,000 miles, two-dozen tornadoes, and enough hail to fill an ocean. He has kept a detailed log of his travels on his blog, and includes a very in-depth analysis of the July 20 storm which he chased. You can view his blog here. Storm Chasers Verne Carlson, Roger Hill, and Tim Samaras also kept extremely busy with the record severe weather year. You can check out all their adventures on their blogs linked above.August 19, 2009 THERE ARE SEVERAL EVENTS COMING TO THE DENVER AREA THAT YOU SHOULD NOT MISS!The 2009 Colorado Renewable Energy Conference - August 28-30 at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden - is fast approaching. This conference is open to the public and will include presentations on cleaner energy, sustainability, bio-fuels, photo voltaic and wind energy systems.The keynote address will be given by Dr. Eric Barron - Director of The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). I will be the featured dinner speaker for the event.The Conference web page is www.cres-energy.org/conference - with all of the most up-to-date Conference information.HERE ARE SOME UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGEIn preparation for the next UN Climate Change talks (COP15), the Danish Board of Technology and The Danish Cultural Institute are organizing a world-wide public deliberation about climate change and climate change policy. On September 26, 2009 - from sites in over 40 countries on every continent, citizens will deliberate and vote on some of the questions negotiated at COP15.The idea is that because citizens of the world have to live with global warming and future climate policy, they should be consulted before political decision-makers negotiate at COP15. One of the US sites (there are five) is being sponsored by the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Sandy Woodson, Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies Undergraduate Advisor and Senior Lecturer, is the Project Manager - according to Woodson, "we need 100 citizens who are demographically representative of the metro area and there is no better way to reach a large number of people than if you would announce this event."The Danes have named this project "World Wide Views on Global Warming" (see www.wwviews.org), and the intention is to provide COP negotiators with our findings.If you are interested in participating in this important event, please contact Sandy Woodson at (swoodson@mines.edu).IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE!HERE ARE SOME FUTURE CLIMATE-RELATED EVENTS...The Denver Museum of Nature & Science hopes to inspire critical thinkers who understand the lessons of the past and act as responsible stewards of the future. In support of this vision, the Museum offers a variety of adult programs that connect credible experts and scientists to popular science topics. The following programs and events relate to the topic of climate change.GET TO KNOW YOUR ENERGY SOURCESThe average Colorado household uses 600 to 900 kilowatt-hours of electricity each month. This field trip takes participants along the Front Range to explore local sources for this energy. Stops include Cherokee Station in Denver, where low-sulfur coal is turned into energy; the new Vestas plant in Windsor, which manufactures 65-foot blades for wind turbines; Ponnequin Wind Farm in northern Colorado, the state's first commercial wind factory; and New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, a pioneer in sustainability that is 90 percent wind-powered.Field trip led by geologist Bob Raynolds, PhD, a research associate in the Museum's Earth Sciences Department 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. on September 9. $75 for members, $105 for nonmembers. Call 303.322.7009 for reservationsKENJI WILLIAMS PRESENTS "BELLA GAIA" (BEAUTIFUL EARTH)Award-winning director and musician Kenji Williams presents Bella Gaia, a spectacular audio and visual journey around the world. The production is inspired by emotional response of astronauts after seeing the Earth from space. Experience a stunning simulation of the views from space—from fires in the Amazon to time-lapse images of the arctic ice melt—enhanced by Williams' live classical violin performance.Live musical performance with stunning visuals 8 p.m. on September 17, 18 and 19 $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers. Call 303.322.7009 for reservationsCOLORADO AND CLIMATE CHANGEThis course evaluates global climate change and its impact on Colorado. Participants examine water resources, biodiversity, and the challenges associated with ongoing changes in the landscape.Course and field trip led by geologist Bob Raynolds, PhD, a research associate in the Museum's Earth Sciences Department 6:30–8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, September 29 through October 8; all day on Saturday, October 10 $150 for members, $180 for nonmembers. Call 303.322.7009 for reservationsThe Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum, check www.dmns.org or call 303-322-7009.SOME THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ON OUR RECENT WEATHER AND OUR CHANGING CLIMATEMany people have asked why we have had such a cool and wet summer and if it has anything to do with climate change. The basic answer is no - the wet summer of 2009 does not negate the long term outlook of hotter and drier weather for the west. The impact of man made climate change is on a very long time scale and cannot be assigned to any particular storm or short term weather event. We are having a wet summer because of the jetstream conditions this year. The winds aloft have been very active and have brought a greater than normal amount of thunderstorm activity to the Rocky Mountain region. Our soils are now full of moisture which lends itself to more evaporation and thus, more thunderstorms. It is a wet cycle, similar to when we get into a periodic drought cycle.It is worth noting that not all of the western United States has had a cool, wet summer. In fact, the Pacific Northwest has had a very hot and dry summer, with extensive wildfire issues. This problem extends well into western Canada, where hundreds of thousands of acres have burned. Meanwhile, in the southwestern United States, Las Vegas just sweltered through their fourth hottest July on record.The wet weather in Colorado has help refill our reservoirs and greatly decrease the need for urban irrigation. The cooler weather has also meant less need for air conditioning and thus a lower energy usage - all good news for this season. Over the long term, however, the increase in carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases will mean a gradual warming of the annual temperature for the western United States in particular and the world in general. It is incorrect to try and correlate temperature trends over a matter of months or even a few years with the trends expected over the course of decades.For more information about climate change and Colorado, please check out a copy of my book - THE COLORADO WEATHER ALMANAC. I cover this topic in much more thorough detail in chapter six of the book. THE COLORADO WEATHER ALMANAC is available at most local bookstores or you can search and order it from Amazon.com.EL NINO AND LA NINAOne of the additional factors in our wet weather across Colorado and surrounding states has been the shift from a cool La Niña pattern in the Pacific to a warmer El Niño condition.After three years, a fledgling El Niño has returned and is expected to last through this winter. The last El Niño was back in 2006 and while it brought drenching storms to the West Coast, Colorado didn't feel as many effects as it normally would. This new El Niño is still very weak, but it may still have a fairly profound impact on our weather in the coming months.The term El Niño became familiar to the public's ear back in the early 1980s when a very strong El Niño event during the winter of 1982-1983 hit California with heavy, wet storms causing flooding and mudslides. El Niño typically occurs every two to five years and usually lasts for 12 months.El Niño's impacts depend on a variety of factors such as the time of the year and how much the ocean temperature increases. This change in ocean temperature can cause a variety of effects. El Niño can suppress Atlantic hurricane activity, bring much needed winter precipitation to the arid Southwestern states, more mild winters in the North, and can decrease the risk of wildfires in Florida.In Colorado, we typically see the most significant changes in the Southwest and Central Mountains where they tend to receive increased amounts of winter precipitation. On the Eastern Plains, the winters are usually more mild and the Spring has an increase in precipitation. In late summer, we often see an increase in monsoonal moisture giving us more storms through those dry months. Although in Autumn, El Niño is not usually very noticeable, although the big snowstorm in October of 1997 was during an El Niño year!In a El Niño diagnostic discussion released recently by the NOAA National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, scientists noted that eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures were at least 1.0 degree C above average at the end of June. From this, NOAA expects this El Niño event to continue developing over the next few months, with further strengthening possible.According to Klaus Wolter of the University of Colorado- CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center NOAA-ESRL Physical Science Division, we have been under weak-to-moderate La Niña conditions since fall of 2008. These conditions continued through the winter keeping Colorado dry and mild. Over the past eight weeks, however, conditions have changed toward an El Niño pattern in the Pacific. The current status of the El Niño / La Niña pattern could be considered "neutral", as the transition takes place. Many Colorado observations from the past few decades indicate that a neutral condition brings more moisture to Colorado.If you would like to see more information from Klaus Wolter and his Executive Summary check out the Earth System Research Laboratory Web page.For more information on El Niño, you can check out NOAA's El Niño site at http://www.elnino.noaa.govCLIMATE CHANGE - A LESSON IN PHYSICAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCEThe topic of climate change has been given much political attention and in that light, there is a seemingly large controversy about what is happening and to what extent mankind is helping to cause some of the changes.In the strict world of truly peer reviewed science, the degree of controversy is not as great as some politically driven organizations would have you believe.There is an often quoted issue of 1997 being the warmest year and that global temperatures have cooled since that time. This information is misleading. In 1997, the world climate was influenced by one of the strongest El Nino events ever recorded. This pool of very warm Pacific Ocean water bumped global temperatures higher. At the present time, the Pacific is just emerging from a La Nina - cooler sea surface temperatures. These periodic warming and cooling episodes need to be taken into consideration in the the overall global temperature trend.There is much discussion, especially on talk radio about the fact that the sun has by far the largest impact on our climate. The sun has certainly not been overlooked by the many experts worldwide that contributed to the most recent IPCC Assessment on climate. The periodic changes in solar output and the orbital changes are taken into account in the climate studies and modeling.Another comment often heard is that CO2 is just a tiny fraction of the atmosphere. Just because CO2 is a trace gas does not mean that it is not important in the equation. Small amounts do matter - I weigh 200 pounds, but it certainly does not take 200 pounds of arsenic to kill me.The majority of climate scientists are in agreement that the overall warming of the planet (about 1.4 degrees Farhenheit since 1900), has been caused in part by mankind. This warming is due to the increase of so called "greenhouse gases" - such as CO2, methane and CFCs (chloro-fluorocarbons). These gases absorb outgoing heat from our planet and "reflect" it back to Earth. When this happens, energy from the Sun is trapped in our atmosphere and warms our climate.As often noted, the Greenhouse Effect is normal and natural, in fact if not for this effect, the Earth would be about 60 degrees Farenheit colder - a lifeless ice planet. The problem we face is that the delicate balance of temperature may be upset by a change in atmospheric chemistry. In the past 200 years (since the Industrial Revolution) the increased burning of fossil fuels has released vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The concentration of CO2 has risen about 25% in the past two centuries from 280 parts per million to over 385 parts per million. Human activity releases about seven billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year - adding to the 750 billion metric tons that are already there. Of the 7 billion tons, only about three billion tons stays in the atmosphere; the rest is absorbed by plants and the oceans. This "carbon sink" capacity complicates the issue of global warming, because the oceans have had a vast holding capacity for CO2. The oceans are becoming more acidic, however, and there is concern that this carbon sink capacity may reach a limit.Some scientists feel that the increase in atmospheric CO2 will be offset by the ability of plants and the oceans to absorb this gas. In fact, some experts believe that the increase in CO2 will be a good thing - improving crop yields and making more parts of the world able to support crops. At the same time, others worry that warming will cause more severe droughts in key agricultural areas. In addition, which plants will benefit most - will it be useful crops, or weeds!The issue is not a simple one because we must use computer models to predict future climate. These models are very complicated and must be run on a supercomputer. Even with today's technology, we cannot perfectly model something as complex as our atmosphere, so the models are simplified and do have errors. One of the undisputable facts is "we cannot even predict tomorrow's weather with 100% accuracy, how can we expect to predict the weather for the next 100 years! Of course, we are not attempting to forecast day to day weather that far in advance, just trends. There is no way to run an actual atmospheric simulation of the changes to come as we only have this one Earth - there isn't another similar planet nearby to run actual experiments.In the Rocky Mountains, the long term impact of a warming of the climate will likely mean hotter, drier summers and milder, but still perhaps stormy winters. The amount of snowfall may drop on the plains, aside from infrequent major blizzards, while the mountains may see the snow levels and the tree level rise to higher elevations. The biggest worry that climate scientists have is that the weather will become more extreme - more heatwaves, drought, but also more flash floods and severe local storms. These events have always been with us, but the concern is that they will occur with greater regularity.One of the best lines that I have heard about our climate and it's unpredictability is that "climate is like an angry bear, we keep prodding and irritating it, and the results will likely be both severe and unpredictable".Here are a few websites to check out.www.globalwarming.orgwww.epa.gov/globalwarming/www.realclimate.orghttp://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071213_climateupdate.htmlhttps://www.meted.ucar.edu/loginForm.php?urlPath=broadcastmet/climate&go_back_to=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.meted.ucar.edu%252Fbroadcastmet%252Fclimate%252Findex.htm#August 6, 2009 During the course of this very busy storm season, I appreciate the many comments on our rather frequent television program interruptions due to the severe weather. We have had so much thunderstorm, hail and tornado activity lately, that we have had to break into programming much more often than usual and often for extended periods of time.The storms have been quite severe over Colorado, with numerous reports of hail, lightning and tornadoes. In light of the Windsor Tornado in 2008 and the damaging tornado that touched down in southeast Aurora on June 6th and the major hail and wind storm over the western metro area on July 20th, many local residents, especially children, are very anxious about the weather.In regard to a decision to cut to local weather coverage, instead of regular programming, we have had a number of viewers write in to express their feeling both ways. In general, when the storms are near that viewer's community, they are very grateful, but if the skies are not threatening overhead, it may seem to that viewer that we are going overboard on the coverage.During the past several weeks, I have received quite a few e-mails from viewers that have tuned into 7News instead of the other local TV stations because that station was not covering the storm sufficiently. It can be a tough call, but especially after Windsor and the Holly Tornado in 2007, we want to make sure that all of our viewers get the latest information on these powerful and sometimes deadly storms.The next few days look as though they will stay rather busy, with more thunderstorms likely across the Denver area and the eastern plains through Friday. A weak cold front will slide through the state FRiday night and that should bring in slightly cooler and drier air, lessening the chances for severe storms.I am looking forward to this weather pattern settling down a bit, so that we can all better enjoy the more pleasant side of Colorado in the summertime as well as enjoy the regular programming on ABC.July 31- August 2, 2009 After several very cool days, the weather pattern will return to much more typical mid summer form across Colorado. The chilly northwest flow in the upper atmosphere that brought October-like conditions to late July is shifting to a more westerly flow. Warmer air will shift back across the region through the first part of August and temperatures will bounce back to normal.Drier weather will cover the region for Sunday through Tuesday, but by Wednesday there will be a return to thunderstorms as the "monsoon flow" is expected to develop across the southwestern United States. This should mean more thunderstorms and locally heavy rain in our forecast.Many people have asked why we have had such a wet summer and if it has anything to do with climate change. The basic answer is no - the wet summer of 2009 does not negate the long term outlook of hotter and drier weather for the west. The impact of man made climate change is on a very long time scale and cannot be assigned to any particular storm or short term weather event. We are having a wet summer because of the jetstream conditions this year. The winds aloft have been very active and have brought a greater than normal amount of thunderstorm activity to the Rocky Mountain region. Our soils are now full of moisture which lends itself to more evaporation and thus, more thunderstorms. It is a wet cycle, similar to when we get into a periodic drought cycle.The wet weather has help refill our reservoirs and greatly decrease the need for urban irrigation. The cooler weather has also meant less need for air conditioning and thus a lower energy usage - all good news for this season. Over the long term, however, the increase in carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases will mean a gradual warming of the annual temperature for the western United States in particular and the world in general. It is incorrect to try and correlate temperature trends over a matter of months or even a few years with the trends expected over the course of decades.For more information about climate change and Colorado, please check out a copy of my book - THE COLORADO WEATHER ALMANAC. I cover this topic in much more thorough detail in chapter six of the book. THE COLORADO WEATHER ALMANAC is available at most local bookstores or you can search and order it from Amazon.com.One of the additional factors in our wet weather across Colorado and surrounding states has been the shift from a cool La Niña pattern in the Pacific to a warmer El Niño condition.After three years, a fledgling El Niño has returned and is expected to last through this winter. The last El Niño was back in 2006 and while it brought drenching storms to the West Coast, Colorado didn't feel as many effects as it normally would. This new El Niño is still very weak, but it may still have a fairly profound impact on our weather in the coming months.The next four to six weeks will likely continue to be rather wet across eastern Colorado and New Mexico as the El Niño tends to inspire a stronger flow on monsoon moisture into the southwestern United States. This may bring us heavy showers and thunderstorms through August.The term El Niño became familiar to the public's ear back in the early 1980s when a very strong El Niño event during the winter of 1982-1983 hit California with heavy, wet storms causing flooding and mudslides. El Niño typically occurs every two to five years and usually lasts for 12 months.El Niño's impacts depend on a variety of factors such as the time of the year and how much the ocean temperature increases. This change in ocean temperature can cause a variety of effects. El Niño can suppress Atlantic hurricane activity, bring much needed winter precipitation to the arid Southwestern states, more mild winters in the North, and can decrease the risk of wildfires in Florida.In Colorado, we typically see the most significant changes in the Southwest and Central Mountains where they tend to receive increased amounts of winter precipitation. On the Eastern Plains, the winters are usually more mild and the Spring has an increase in precipitation. In late summer, we often see an increase in monsoonal moisture giving us more storms through those dry months. Although in Autumn, El Niño is not usually very noticeable, although the big snowstorm in October of 1997 was during an El Niño year!In a El Niño diagnostic discussion released recently by the NOAA National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, scientists noted that eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures were at least 1.0 degree C above average at the end of June. From this, NOAA expects this El Niño event to continue developing over the next few months, with further strengthening possible.According to Klaus Wolter of the University of Colorado- CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center NOAA-ESRL Physical Science Division, we have been under weak-to-moderate La Niña conditions since fall of 2008. These conditions continued through the winter keeping Colorado dry and mild. Over the past eight weeks, however, conditions have changed toward an El Niño pattern in the Pacific. The current status of the El Niño / La Niña pattern could be considered "neutral", as the transition takes place. Many Colorado observations from the past few decades indicate that a neutral condition brings more moisture to Colorado.If you would like to see more information from Klaus Wolter and his Executive Summary check out the Earth System Research Laboratory Web page.For more information on El Niño, you can check out NOAA's El Niño site at http://www.elnino.noaa.govJuly 23, 2009 We might be taking a break from all the severe weather, but the unusual weather pattern will hardly subside. This summer has been a wild one, from late night tornadoes to hail drifts several feet deep. Another change is expected to move through the area in the coming days.Through Friday the weather will be very warm in the Denver Metro area with highs climbing into the lower 90s. A high pressure building over southwestern Colorado will allow for a dry and hot weather trend over the next couple of days. However, back to back cold fronts are going to make their presence by Saturday with a cool down on the way.The first cold front will dive across the state early Saturday bringing a chance for storms, and slightly cooler temperatures. On Monday afternoon, a stronger cold front will make its way across the region dropping temperatures some 10-15 degrees by Wednesday. Some wet weather will accmpany these cooler temperatures as showers and thunderstorms will develop as the cooler air moves into the region.The coolest weather will settle into the Front Range on Tuesday and Wednesday. A cool Canadian airmass will sweep across the northern plains and will bring a brief taste of fall to Colorado for the middle of next week. Highs will stay in the 60s and 70s over the northern mountains and adjacent plains, with nighttime lows dipping into the 40s to low 50s.By the end of next week, the weather will return to typical late July - early August conditions with temperatures bouncing back to near 90. We are still watching for the advent of the "monsoon season". So far, that flow of tropical moisture is not yet apparent from Mexico across the desert southwest.July 21, 2009 The wild weather that roared through Denver and vicinity late last night was caused by a rotating thunderstorm called a "supercell". We get this type of storm along the eastern plains every summer, but they are rare near the Denver area, due to our proximity to the mountains. It was especially rare to have a supercell form after 10 PM. A passing cold front, combined with an upper air disturbance helped to power laast night's storm.Most tornadoes form from these large rotating thunderstorms. These monster storms tend to develop ahead of cold fronts that push southward from Canada across the central U.S. As the fronts sag into the warm and humid air that covers the southern plains, the colder air wedges under the warm air, creating lift. The lifted air rises up to form thunderstorms that can rapidly grow to heights of 40 to 50 thousand feet above the ground.The storm pushes high into the sky, reaching into the jet stream - the band or river of fast moving air that flows around the world. It is the increase in wind speed with height that causes the thunderstorm to begin a large, slow counterclockwise rotation. This rotating thunderstorm is what is classified as a "supercell".Once the supercell storm develops, the best analogy for thinking about how the tornado forms is to think of a figure skater doing a spin. The skater starts with their arms out, and is rotating rather slowly. As the skater brings their arms in, the rotation begins to speed up. In physics, this is called "the conservation of angular momentum". The rotation gets faster and faster as the size of the rotating column grows narrower. This is a very simplistic description, but eventually this narrow rapidly rotating column of air will drop to the ground as a tornado.Tornadoes are classified by the wind damage that they cause. The original scale was developed by Dr. Ted Fujita from the University of Chicago. Dr. Fujita based his "F scale" on a 0 to 5 basis for tornadoes. The F0 is a weak tornado, while the F5 storms are the most powerful winds ever observed on Earth.F0 - up to 72 mph - light damage F1 - 73 to 112 mph - moderate damage F2 - 113 to 157 mph - considerable damage F3 - 158 to 206 mph - severe damage F4 - 207 to 260 mph - devastating damage F5 - above 261 mph - incredible damageAbout 70 % of the annual average of 1000 tornadoes nationwide are classified as F0 or F1.About 28 % of all tornadoes fall into the F2 or F3 category.Only about 2% of all tornadoes are classified as F4 or F5.Often a severe weather season will come and go without a single F5 tornado reported.However, about 80% of all tornadoes deaths are the result of the F3, F4 and F5 tornadoes. These storms are much less common, but much more dangerous.As of 2007 this scale was replaced by the enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. The EF attempts to rate tornadoes more accurately, taking into account that it often requires much lower wind speeds to create F5-like damage. The new EF scale is now the official standard to measure the strength of tornadoes.EF 0 - 65 to 85 mphEF 1 - 86 to 110 mphEF 2 - 111 to 135 mphEF 3 - 135 to 165 mphEF 4 - 166 to 200 mphEF 5 - Over 200 mphMost tornadoes in the United States occur in the central plains, with the greatest likelihood of twisters in the southern plains around Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Colorado lies of the western fringe of "Tornado Alley", but our state still averages between 40 and 60 tornadoes per year.The peak season for tornadoes is in the spring and early summer. From March through June, about 70% of all the tornadoes in a year will occur. This is due to the fact that the weather patterns that are needed for tornado development are most common in the spring and early summer.Tornadoes are not named like hurricanes are, but the strong or deadly tornadoes are usually remembered for the town or location that they affected. For instance, the infamous "Xenia Ohio Tornado" of April 1974, or in Colorado, the "Limon Tornado" in June of 1990 and now the "Windsor Tornado" in 2008 and now "Denver's Late Night Tornado" in 2009!Perhaps the single worst tornado on record was the great "Tri-State Tornado" of March 1925. This huge tornado started in southeastern Missouri and tore a path of destruction all across Illinois, before ending in western Indiana. The twister covered a distance of 219 miles and was on the ground for over 3 hours. In the days before adequate warnings, the storm caught everyone off guard. The Tri-State Tornado killed 689 people, injured over 2,000 and caused 17 million dollars in damage - a very large figure in 1925!In Colorado, the peak season for tornadoes is in early June. At that time, the almost daily dose of thunderstorms can easily rise up to the jet stream level and begin to rotate into a super cell. These storms tend to form along the Front Range, roll over the Denver metro area and then really get severe over the eastern plains of the state. About 90% of all Colorado tornadoes occur east of I-25. Although tornadoes can form in the high country, the rough terrain tends to disrupt the rotation needed to form a supercell.In my 30 years in meteorology, I have been through many tornado watch and warning situations. I have walked through a small town in southern Wisconsin, named Barneveld, just hours after it was ripped apart by an F5 tornado. Only one time have I seen a tornado, as most of the time I am right here in the 24/7 Weather Center issuing warnings and weather updates, so I do not get much of a chance to chase these storms. However, we do have a crew of storm chasers that go out in search of these deadly weather events and you can follow along with them as the blog for us here at Channel 7.Tornadoes have done some very unusual things. The powerful winds can pick up a railroad locomotive, lift a water tower off the ground, and drive blades of grass into walls just like a hammer and a nail. At the same time, there have been reports where tornadoes have picked a refrigerator off the ground, tossed it several hundreds of yards, dropped it back on the ground and not even broken an egg inside the refrigerator!Tornadoes usually form on the back edge of the thunderstorm cloud, meaning that most of the storm has already passed overhead. Often the rain, hail, thunder and lightning have mostly gone by and then the tornado occurs. That is why you will often see the sky looking very bright behind the tornado - a dramatic contrast to the very dark funnel. After the tornado, the sky often quickly clears as the storm moves away. There are, however, no hard and fast rules for tornados, so sometimes the twister occurs in the midst of a large area of thunderstorms, so after the tornado occurs, it just rains and rains.I thought since we are on the subject of storms, you might like to have a little information about rain and hail, some things that usually accompany a tornado...Here are a few facts about rain and hail. Most of the rain that we get in Colorado forms from a mix of water droplets and ice crystals in the clouds. Under certain conditions, water will remain in liquid form even with temperatures that are well below freezing. This type of water is called "super-cooled". In most of our summertime clouds, we have a mix of super-cooled water and ice crystals floating around high above us. The ice crystals rapidly grow as they "feed" off of the super-cooled water and they basically form big fat snowflakes. These snowflakes fall slowly to Earth and begin to melt as they reach warmer air closer to the ground. The resultant raindrops will fall to Earth at about 15-20 mph.In stronger thunderstorms, the tiny ice crystal gets bombarded by the super-cooled water thanks to the extreme turbulence in the storm cloud. The ice crystal forms a small stone of ice which is the beginning of a hailstone. If the storm is quite strong, there are intense updrafts of wind that can keep the growing hailstone suspended in the cloud for a long time. A hailstone that is the size of a golf ball needs an updraft of nearly 60 mph to stay aloft. A baseball sized stone requires a 100 mph updraft to keep it "afloat".When the hail falls to Earth, they come zipping down at 70 to 100 mph. That is why it is a good idea to stay indoors during a major hailstorm!You can still go to King Soopers and get a special WEATHER ALERT RADIO. The radio will signal when there is a storm nearby. If the radio stays quiet, there is nothing to worry about. Most of the local stores will still have these radios in stock, but if not, you can get the radios from our website.http://www.thedenverchannel.com/alertradios/index.html.I also have a book in the bookstores that will provide even more information about tornadoes. The book is titled THE COLORADO WEATHER ALMANAC and it is available in most bookstores or from Amazon.comJuly 20, 2009 Our recent hot weather is going to change for a few days. A cold front passed through northern Colorado overnight. This front will drop temperatures across much of Colorado for the next two days; we should see close to a ten degree temperature difference between Monday and Tuesday.There is a chance for scattered thunderstorms in the foothills and mountains due to the northeasterly winds behind this front. This upslope condition will be the main cause for any storms late in the day. On the eastern plains, the weather will be much calmer, a nice break from the stormy pattern that has dominated the area for most of the summer.So far, July has been significantly drier than the month of June. We have seen 1.24 inches of precipitation so far this month. The average is about 1.37 inches, meaning Denver is 0.13 inches below normal. Despite the lack of moisture this month we are still 2.16 inches above average for the year. Typically Denver has seen 9.46 inches of precipitation by this point in the year. For 2009, we have seen 11.62 inches of precipitation leaving us well above average for the year.How does the rest of July look? The Climate Prediction Center's forecast for the rest of the month is expecting very seasonal temperatures. This means Denver will see mid to upper 80s for high temperatures, and mid to upper 50s for overnight lows. For moisture, we can anticipate above average precipitation for the Denver metro area and the eastern plains for the rest of July. Extra moisture should make up for the 0.13 we are behind.This year Denver's July looks to become a very average month. Not contributing to the extra precipitation we have seen this year, but not negating it either.With El Niño building in the Pacific the extra moisture could continue into the Fall and potentially bring lots of snow for this winter.July 16-19, 2009 Mid July is typically the warmest time of the year in Colorado. Our average high temperatures are in the high 80s to low 90s in the Denver area, with upper 70s to mid 80s in the high country. The next few days will fill that billing, warm and comfortable conditions under mostly sunny skies. There will be some widely scattered thunderstorms in the forecast each day through the weekend. The storms will generally develop in the mid to late afternoon and should be diminishing after sunset. Rain chances will not be very high - only in the 20-30% range and most of the storms will be moderate - not severe.The jet stream winds are blowing down from the northwest across the central Rockies, so most of our thunderstorms will drift from the northwest to the southeast at about 20 mph. The airmass over Colorado is pretty warm at higher levels, so the risk of large hail from the storms will be low, but some storms will produce some brief very heavy rain. Probably the biggest weather threat will be from the lightning, so be careful when the dark skies are near.Despite the recent wet weather, the fire danger has been slowly increasing over Colorado. The western half of the state is the driest and there have been a couple of wildfires reported west of the Divide. All of the rain during the past several weeks has lead to a lush growth of grass and underbrush. As these plants mature, they will dry out and become much more likely to burn. Do not be lulled into thinking that the risk of wildfire will stay low for the rest of this summer. Despite the storms, be very careful with any outdoor burning, especially in western Colorado.Our annual "monsoon pattern" should be developing by the end of the month. Just about every summer we get a rich flow of moisture moving north from the Pacific Ocean across Mexico and into the southwestern states. This pattern is what we call our "monsoon" and it often brings some very heavy rainfall to Colorado by the end of July and through much of August. The current northwest flow aloft is blocking this monsoon pattern, so our thunderstorms over the next 5 to 7 days will be smaller and will not produce widespread heavy rainfall.Typical of summertime in Colorado, we will enjoy the mild and sunny mornings, dodge the drops in the afternoon, watch out for lightning, and worry about both fire and rain!July 15, 2009 After a very stormy start to July, things will be drying out during the next week. A cold front moved in late Tuesday, making conditions less moist and decreasing the chance for thunderstorms. Temperatures will remain pleasant, in the upper 80s and low 90s throughout the rest of the work week.Skies are a little hazy in the wake of the cold front, the airmass that has moved into Colorado may have brought just a little dust and smoke from southern Canada - perhaps from some distant forest fires. Nonetheless, it will be a pretty day today and very comfortable with highs in the 80s.The weekend looks nice and sunny. Although there will be a slight chance of thunderstorms Saturday afternoon, conditions will still be much drier than they have been recently, so it is a great time to get outside and enjoy the nice July weather. The next week is looking just as pleasant, with temperatures remaining in the upper 80s to low 90s and more sunny skies!As discussed in the former entry, El Niño has returned and will be affecting our weather patterns as we head toward August. With temperatures in the Pacific Ocean rising, the monsoon season will be strenghthened, bringing wet weather back to Colorado soon enough. Enjoy the drier days while you can, because thunderstorms will be frequenting your forecast again come August.July 10-12, 2009 After three years, El Niño has returned and is expected to last through this winter. The last El Niño was back in 2006 and while it brought drenching storms to the West Coast, Colorado didn't feel as many effects as it normally would.The term El Niño became familiar to the public's ear back in the early 1980s when a very strong El Niño event during the winter of 1982-1983 hit California with heavy, wet storms causing flooding and mudslides. El Niño typically occurs every two to five years and usually lasts for 12 months.El Niño's impacts depend on a variety of factors such as the time of the year and how much the ocean temperature increases. This change in ocean temperature can cause a variety of effects. El Niño can suppress Atlantic hurricane activity, bring much needed winter precipitation to the arid Southwestern states, more mild winters in the North, and can decrease the risk of wildfires in Florida.In Colorado, we typically see the most significant changes in the Southwest and Central Mountains where they tend to receive increased amounts of winter precipitation. On the Eastern Plains, the winters are usually more mild and the Spring has an increase in precipitation. In late summer, we often see an increase in monsoonal moisture giving us more storms through those dry months. Although in Autumn, El Niño is not usually very noticeable, although the big snowstorm in October of 1997 was during an El Niño year!In the monthly El Niño diagnostic discussion released today by the NOAA National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, scientists noted that eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures were at least 1.0 degree C above average at the end of June. From this, NOAA expects this El Niño event to continue developing over the next few months, with further strengthening possible.According to Klaus Wolter of the University of Colorado- CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center NOAA-ESRL Physical Science Division, we have been under weak-to-moderate La Niña conditions since fall of 2008. These conditions continued through the winter keeping Colorado dry and mild. Over the past four weeks, however, conditions have changed toward an El Niño pattern in the Pacific. The current status of the El Niño / La Niña pattern could be considered "neutral", as the transition takes place. Many Colorado observations from the past few decades indicate that a neutral condition brings more moisture to Colorado.If you would like to see more information from Klaus Wolter and his Executive Summary check out the Earth System Research Laboratory Web page.For more information on El Niño, you can check out NOAA's El Niño site at http://www.elnino.noaa.gov or you can pick up my book, "Colorado Weather Almanac" at any bookstore or on Amazon.com.July 9, 2009 Temperatures reached the 90 degree mark on Wednesday, a rare feat for this summer season. In an average year, the Denver area will hit ninety degrees 33 times. The record for the most days of 90 degrees or higher was in 2000, when we soared to the nineties 61 times! Not much chance of reaching that level in 2009, as the stormy weather pattern has kept the temperatures cooler than average.The weather will be a bit cooler over the next 24 to 48 hours, thanks to a weak cold front that has slipped into the northern half of Colorado. This front will stall over the area and help to stir up afternoon showers and thunderstorms through Friday. With the increased cloud cover, the readings will stay in the 80s to near 90 degrees.By the weekend, the front will weaken even further and move to the east of Colorado. Temperatures will rebound a bit as highs return to the low 90s Saturday through early next week. Rain chances will be low this weekend, unlike the soggy scenario we had over the Fourth of July Holiday.Despite the warmer and drier pattern, we have had plenty of moisture and the landscape is lush and green along the Front Range. In that light, be careful to not get carried away with watering your lawn or garden. The folks at Denver Water want to remind you to "only use what you need". Water your lawn only 2-3 times per week and try to cut back on the watering time for each zone. Watering each zone for two minutes less can save an amazing amount of water - a billion gallons if every Denver Water customer followed those guidelines!July 8, 2009 This work week brings pleasant temperatures and drier weather back to your forecast. Temperatures will be in the upper 80s and 90s throughout most of the week. Chances of thunderstorms will remain slight through Wednesday evening. Those storms will probably return for a bit on Thursday and Friday but with temperatures remaining warm, conditions will dry back out just in time for a beautiful weekend!The storms that do fire on Thursday and Friday will be due to a weak cold front rolling through the area Thursday morning. The front will bring along more moisture and lift, which will help to generate the storms. The temperatures will see a change to the cooler side with highs on Thursday reaching into the upper 80s. Friday will see a return to the 90s with a slight chance of storms in the afternoon. The weekend will see a warm and dry reunion tour with highs topping out in the lower 90s.After a soggy June and a similar start to July, our weather pattern will be drying out, at least for the next few days. The rains washed out a few Independence Day celebrations around the state, but things are set for a change toward sun and heat. A large ridge of high pressure will be influencing our weather for the upcoming week. There was another round of severe thunderstorms on Monday, but the trend will be a return to the usually toasty early July weather. Why have we had such a cool, wet Spring and early Summer? Perhaps we can attribute it to the apparent transition currently taking place from La Niña to El Niño conditions.La Niña is the periodic cooling of the sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean, (the opposite of El Niño), related to changes in trade wind patterns. According to Klaus Wolter of the University of Colorado- CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center NOAA-ESRL Physical Science Division, we have been under weak-to-moderate La Niña conditions since fall of 2008. These conditions continued through the winter keeping Colorado dry and mild. Over the past four weeks, however, conditions have changed toward an El Niño pattern in the Pacific. The current status of the El Niño / La Niña pattern could be considered "neutral", as the transition takes place. Many Colorado observations from the past few decades indicate that a neutral condition brings more moisture to Colorado.Keep in mind that El Niño / La Niña is suspected to influence the overall climate and should not be used to predict short-term local weather.Wolter says that our recent weather has many features of an early monsoon - the seasonal flow of moist air from Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. It appears that similar conditions will continue for our area into July. Wolter believes that eastern New Mexico to eastern Colorado will experience a slightly enhanced amount of precipitation for the next couple weeks. For the coming week though, strong high pressure will be in charge.It's anyone's guess if El Niño will become the dominant force on our weather for the next few months into Fall. However if El Niño is here to stay through the rest of the year we can expect a much wetter more snow-filled winter for 2009-10. This would be especially true for the central and southwestern mountain areas.If you would like to see more information from Klaus Wolter and his Executive Summary check out the Earth System Research Laboratory webpage.Previous Entries:
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