The Weather Wire

February 2005                                                                                                              Volume 13 Number 02

January 2005

Avg High 44.9

Avg Low 20.0

Snow - 7.4"

Season Snow - 21.4"

Precipitation - 0.37"

February

Avg High 47.2

Avg Low 19.1

Avg Snow - 6.3"

Avg Precip - 0.49"

New this year Skyview Weather is developing a new piece of equipment, a lightning warning/notification system.  The system consists of warning horns and a flashing strobe light that can be mounted on a pole, clubhouse roof or on a building wall.  The warning system is activated by phone through a relay switching system, allowing Skyview Weather to provide lightning warning information to locations without an office or full time personnel.

Skyview Weather will monitor weather conditions and storm development, and utilize the National Lightning Detection Network to locate cloud to ground lightning strikes.  When a strike is detected at a predetermined distance from the site, Skyview Weather will phone the system via telephone, triggering the horn and strobe lights.  Warning horns will sound for 30 seconds, and the strobe will continue to flash while the lightning threat continues  When the threat has passed, another call is made to the warning system to deactivate it, again triggering the horns for 30 seconds, and turning off the strobe.

We feel that a system such as this would be perfect for ball fields, swimming pools, and parks where numerous games and other outdoor activities occur.  Umpires or other personnel would be instructed to suspend play when the horn sounds and strobes light. Signs will also be posted alerting the public as to what the horn and strobes indicate.

Skyview Weather will begin testing this new system in Douglas County this spring.  Call Skyview Weather at 303-688-9175 for my information or to schedule a demonstration.

Weather Stations

Most people know Skyview Weather for its timely and accurate weather forecasts, but Skyview Weather also carries a fully operational weather station.  The weather station is one of the most complete on the market.  Not only does is measure all the important weather parameters such as temperature, humidity, winds and precipitation, but with the included software, data can be stored and displayed on the web.  With a web cam, images from your location can also be displayed on the web.  Sensors mounted outside, with data wirelessly sent to the computer system inside for display on the receiving computer’s screen.  With the wireless feature, installation is simplified, with no wires to run, nor holes to drill.  The software will automatically connect to the internet and updates your information at regular intervals.  The installation of weather stations provides valuable information to Skyview Weather and others, and can be invaluable with regard to heavy rains, high winds, or hazmat situations.   Contact Skyview Weather for more information on the wireless weather station.

Online Forecasts Available Again

Skyview Weather is happy to announce that online forecasts and snow reports are again available on our sister www.anythingweather.com website.  Forecasts and snow reports are password protected, but an email to Tim@Skyview-WX.com requesting your forecast and/or snow reports be available online will result in an account being setup for you.  As always, forecasts and snow reports are for client use only, but with the online access, forecasts and snow reports are just a click away from any computer with an internet connection!

Drought Update

Drought conditions continue to improve across most of Colorado, with normal to slightly above average precipitation  during January 2005.  Considerable improvement occurred in southwestern Colorado.

The map below shows forecasted temperature deviances for the February 2005 time period. As can be seen,   normal temperatures are expected for much of Colorado for February, with above normal temperatures forecast for east to northeast Colorado.

The map below shows forecasted precipitation deviances for February 2005.  Normal or near normal precipitation is expected for much of Colorado for February 2005.  Above normal precipitation is possible for the southeastern third of Colorado for February 2005.

As can be seen in the below map, drought conditions are expected to continue to improve across much of Colorado through April 2005.

January Summary

Both moisture and snowfall were below normal during the 1^st month of the new year.  The month finished with 0.37 inch which was 0.14 inch below the normal of 0.51 inch.  January 2005 became the third month in a row with below normal precipitation.  Snowfall tallied a total of 7.4 inches which was only 0.3 inch below the normal of 7.7 inches.  There were 5 days that had measurable moisture and only two days with 0.10 inch or more.  Four days recorded 1 inch or more of snow with the greatest 24 hour snowfall occurring between January 5^th and 6^th with a total of 3.7 inches. 

Temperatures finished above normal, but not near enough to get into the top 10.  The month recorded an average reading of 32.5 degrees which was 3.3 degrees above normal.  Mercury readings ranged from a high or 70 degrees down to a low of -3.  The 70 degree reading was a record breaking the old record of 69 last set in 1971.  The month finished with 27 of 31 days recording lows at or below freezing which is 3 below normal.  The coldest day of the month occurred on the 5^th when the high only reached 6 degrees and the low hit a chilly -3 degrees.

January Stats

February Preview

February has a reputation as a rather grim month in many parts of the country.  However, that is not usually the case in Denver.  Even though it may not be grim, it is still winter with below freezing temperatures occurring almost every night.  Snowfall for the month averages 6.3 inches, making it the 6^th snowiest month.  February stands out as having relatively uneventful weather and joins September and October for the quiet months of the year.  February is a transitional month between the occasional severe cold of mid-winter and the spring storms that are common along the Front Range.

Many times during February we enjoy plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the 60s giving Denver residents a false sense of spring.  The month of March usually dispels most thoughts of spring though.

Sunrise/Sunset (Denver area)

 Snowfall

January 2005