March was cool and wet for much of the Denver area as two signficant winter storms affected the region. The average high was 50.5° compared to the normal value of 53.6°. The average low was 23.4° compared to the normal of 26.4°. Extremes ranged from a high of 76° on the 16th to a low of 2° on both the 24th and 25th. Precipitation for the month measured 1.43 inches compared to the normal of 1.25 inches. There was 16.7 inches of snow recorded with a maximum snow depth of 7 inches on the 24th.

Below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation headlined the month of February around the Denver area. The average high was 43.6° which was below the normal high of 46.1°. The average low of 17.3° was below the normal low of 19.6°. Temperature extremes ranged from a high of 63° on the 18th to a low of 3° on both the 25th and 26th. Precipitation was 0.67 inches which was above the normal value of 0.47 inches. Denver Stapleton measured 10.2 inches of snow for the month and reported a maximum snow depth of 7 inches on the 25th.

Temperatures are Denver Stapleton were slightly below normal to start the new year, in particular, for the overnight lows. The high averaged 45.1° which is just a bit higher than the average of 44.5° for the month. Overnight lows avearged 14.2° which is cooler than the normal value of 17.4°. Temperature extremes ranged from a high of 67° on the 25th to a low of -7° on the 15th. It was a drier than normal month at Denver Stapleton with the mothly precipitation measuring 0.24 inches. The normal value is 0.47 inches. There was 2.5 inches of snow measured during the month with a maximum snow depth of 2 inches recorded on the 29th.

Temperatures were above normal for December 2012 at Denver Stapleton, with the average high coming in at 46.1°. The normal high is 43.3°. Overnight lows were also warmer than normal, avearging 18.7° which was above the normal value of 16.7°. Extremes ranged from a balmy 71° on the 6th to a low of 1° on the 26th. The month was drier than normal with 0.22 inches of precipitation measured compared to the normal value of 0.59 inches. There was 2.5 inches of snow measured during December with the maximum snow depth reaching 1 inch on the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th.

A record-setting 73 days of high temperatures in Denver above 80 degrees finally ended in September, a streak which lasted since late June. The previous record, set in 2002, was 59 consecutive days of temperatures above 80. August of 2011 was the hottest August in record for Denver, and the sixth-hottest month ever on record for the city. Read more online at: The Denver Post

Despite an uptick in precipitation throughout April, fire danger remains high for most of the northern Front Range. High winds add to the potential for wildfires to spread quickly, and with the increase in thunderstorm activity in the late spring, the potential for lightning to start fires increases dramatically. Recovery efforts from the Franktown and Crystal fires earlier this year are well underway, but the potential for further wildfires remains a risk due to continued drought conditions along the northern Front Range.

Read more online at: Fire Weather Index Page