A Winter Storm Watch has already been issued for the northern and central mountains where 6 - 12 inches of snow is possible by at higher elevations. The foothills could receive 4 - 8 inches in some areas.

Here in the Denver metro area, after reaching a high near 70 Monday, temperatures will drop in the evening and a rain / snow mix will begin to fall overnight. By Tuesday morning, this will change to all snow although with the ground being relatively warm, little will accumulate except on grassy areas where we may see 1 to 2 inches. After noon Tuesday as we warm up this will again change to all rain.

We’ll recover a bit Wednesday and warm up to near 60. Thursday again brings unstable air and a 30% chance of precipitation. The good news is that at this point the weekend is looking to be beautiful.

As our May weather preview pointed out, snow and cold in May is not at all unheard of - nor is just about any other possible weather condition. Average May snowfall is 1.3 inches which we have already exceeded but in terms of overall precipitation, we are more than three inches below normal thus far in 2008 due to an unusually dry April. This is seen in the number of Red Flag and Fire Weather Watches we have already seen issued so the precipitation on tap this week should be welcomed.

Sunday, Mother’s Day, we’ll wake to a chilly morning but then things will shape up nicely.  Mostly clear skies will prevail as we warm up to a high around 70 degrees.  Winds will be light and there will be plenty of sun so it will be a near perfect day to be with our mom’s. 

For the latest forecast and weather conditions, please visit Examiner.com’s weather forecast pages. 

To all the mom's out there...  Quite simply, THANK YOU! 

Wednesday started out bright and early looking very promising.  A flash of light as I was getting for work at 4:30am got my attention.  LIGHTNING!  Then the slow, steady, telling rumble of thunder.  Finally!  The first real thunderstorms of the season for the Denver area. 

I finished getting ready and run down to check my weather computer and it is lit up like a Christmas tree!  The two radar programs I run are bright green and blue and the lightning detector screen has X's and and *'s all over it showing lightning striking all around.  It was a sight to behold for a weather geek!  Sadly though, I had to go to work - kind of a bummer that we have to do that.  :)

At work I was able to still keep a close eye on things via my website (ThorntonWeather.com) - all the same information was there, albeit not as dynamically.  I watched my rain measurements steadily climb, the lightning popping all around the metro area, the gusting winds....  Oh it was awesome - until.....  I click to view a different part of my website and....NOTHING.  The little bar just sits there, and sits there, and sits there. 

I close my browser and try again - nothing!  I try a different website - nothing.  As the IT manager for a company, all sorts of network hardware is in my office including the Internet router.  I look over and I see a light I did not want.  A bright red one on our router for our T1.  NO!  It should be green!!!!  "Okay, no panic, it will come back on in a minute" I say to myself.  It never does.  By now I am fielding calls from co-workers complaining about the Internet being down.  Heck, I'm not worried about them!  What about watching the storm?!?!?!  Don't they understand the priorities?!?!?!?!

I call our provider and spend an hour on the phone convincing them it is nothing wrong on our end.  Finally they agree to dispatch a tech.  It is noon before he shows up and fixes things in the box down the street.  By then the storm was over and the sun was peeking out. 

I missed the first big thunderstorms of the season while sitting in my office staring at a red light on a router.  That is just wrong! 

Weather Underground – Like many weather sites, the Weather Underground is a one stop shop for everything weather.  All of the standard stuff like conditions and forecasts from around the U.S. and the globe are here.  A few things set it apart from others though.  First are the weather maps that you see when you visit their main page – temperature, dew point, wind, satellite, fronts and more are all easily accessible.  The second and most unique feature is the network of Personal Weather Stations (PWS) that provide data to the Weather Underground.  Clicking on the “Personal Weather Stations” link toward the top right of their site allows you to select a state and then view data from one of thousands of weather stations operated by weather enthusiasts.  Look at the Colorado list and you will almost certainly be able to find a station within a couple of miles of your home.  You can then view real time conditions for that station thus providing you with a more accurate view of the conditions where you live – not 20 miles away at Denver International Airport or downtown.

National Weather Service (NWS) – Unbeknownst to most folks is that the United States’ government run weather service is quite unique in the world.  No country has a government department with the resources of our own National Weather Service.  On weather.gov you will find a dizzying array of information from weather conditions and radar to climatological and severe weather information.  In terms of sheer amount of information available, it is second to none.  Where it does suffer however is in usability – it just isn’t always that easy to find what you are looking for.  It is there though and well worth spending some time investigating.  Also be sure to check out our local Denver / Boulder Weather Forecast Office for information specific to Colorado. 

Weather Channel – By far the most “commercial” of weather websites, this is the online arm of the TV station of the same name.  Surprisingly the depth of information isn’t as great as one might expect considering its name and reputation but it is still a good site to remember.  I would consider this a good “consumer” weather website for someone just wanting the no frills basics without all the details.  One neat new feature is the weather maps that the Weather Channel now provides via Google Maps.  Click here to view them.  Using this map you can zoom in on an area of the country and view current conditions.  The neatest thing though is the overlays that you can add to the map including cloud cover and radar. 

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – This government agency is a one stop shop for all things related to the climate.  Like their website says, “Our reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as we work to keep citizens informed of the changing environment around them.”  NOAA operates everything from satellites that monitor the sun and the Earth from space to more terrestrial monitoring of our climate and environment.  Long term forecasting and data analysis provide the public, government and researchers with information vital to understanding the world in which we live.  Like many government sites, there is a ton of information here but you do have to hunt for it a bit.

ThorntonWeather.com – Of course I have to plug my own website!  There are hundreds of personal weather stations across the state and many provide their data free to the Internet public.  With data from my own weather station coupled with the many freely available resources on the Internet, my website is a bit of a one stop weather information center, particularly for those living in the north metro area.  Everything you need in a weather website is there – current conditions, forecasts, radar, maps, weather news, climatological information, historical data, education and even lightning detection.  Be sure to check it out – you will probably be surprised just how much is readily available to a weather enthusiast!  Two other metro area personal weather station websites that are run by fellow weather geeks that I help maintain are ArvadaWx.com for those on the west side of town and ReunionWeather.com for those to the northeast.

1. MYTH: Lightning Never Strikes The Same Place Twice
   TRUTH: Lightning often strikes the same place repeatedly, especially if it’s a tall pointy isolated object. The Empire State Building used to be used as a lightning laboratory, since it is hit nearly 25 times a year. Places prone to lightning are places to avoid when thunderstorms are nearby!
   
   
2. MYTH: If It’s Not Raining, Or If Clouds Aren’t Overhead, I’m Safe From Lightning
   TRUTH: Lightning often strikes more than three miles from the thunderstorm, far outside the rain or even thunderstorm cloud. ‘Bolts From The Blue’, though infrequent, can strike 10-15 Miles from the thunderstorm. Anvil lightning can strike the ground over 50 Miles from the thunderstorm, under extreme conditions. Lightning in clouds has traveled over 100 miles from the thunderstorm.
   
   
3. MYTH: Rubber Tires Protect You From Lightning In A Car By Insulating You From The Ground
   TRUTH: Lightning laughs at two inches of rubber! Most cars are reasonably safe from lightning. But it’s the metal roof and metal sides that protect you, not the rubber tires. Thus convertibles, motorcycles, bicycles, open shelled outdoor recreational vehicles, and cars with plastic or fiberglass shells offer no lightning protection. Likewise, farm and construction vehicles with open cockpits offer no lightning protection. But closed cockpits with metal roof and sides are safer than going outside. And don’t even ask about sneakers!
   
   
4. MYTH: A Lightning Victim Is Electrified. If You Touch Them, You’ll Be Electrocuted.
   TRUTH: The human body doesn’t store electricity. It is perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim to give them first aid. This is the most chilling of lightning myths. Imagine someone dying needlessly, for want of simple CPR or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, when their chances of survival was ~90%!
   
   
5. MYTH: If Outside In A Thunderstorm, Go Under A Tree To Stay Dry
   TRUTH: Being underneath trees is the second leading activity for lightning casualties – enough said?!
   
   
6. MYTH: I’m In A House, I’m Safe From Lightning
   TRUTH: While a house is a good place for lightning safety, just going inside isn’t enough. You must avoid any conducting path leading outside, such as corded telephones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, plumbing (including plastic pipes with water in them), metal doors or window frames, etc. Don’t stand near a window to watch the lightning. An inside room is generally best.
   
   
7. MYTH: When Playing Sports And Thunderstorms Threaten, It’s Okay To Finish The Game Before Seeking Shelter
   TRUTH: Sports is the activity with the fastest rising rate of lightning casualties. No game is worth death or life-long severe injury. All people associated with sports should have a lightning safety plan and stick to it strictly. Seek proper shelter immediately when lightning threatens. Adults are responsible for the safety of children!
   
   
8. MYTH: Structures With Metal, Or Metal On The Body (Jewelry, Watches, Glasses, Backpacks, Etc.), Attract Lightning
   TRUTH: Height, pointy shape, and isolation are the dominant factors controlling where a lightning bolt will strike. The presence of metal makes virtually no difference on where lightning strikes. Mountains are made of stone, but receive many strikes each year. When lightning threatens, take proper protective action immediately. Don’t waste time shedding metal off your body, or seeking shelter under inadequate structures. But while metal doesn’t attract lightning, touching or being near long metal objects (fences, railings, bleachers, vehicles, etc.) is still unsafe when thunderstorms are nearby. If lightning does happen to hit it, the metal can conduct the electricity a long distance (even over 100 yards) and still electrocute you.
   
   
9. MYTH: If Trapped Outside And Lightning Is About To Strike, Lie Flat On The Ground
   TRUTH: This advice is decades out of date. Better advice is to use the ‘Lightning Crouch’: put your feet together, squat low, tuck your head, and cover your ears. Lightning induces electric currents along the top of the ground that can be deadly over 100 Feet away. While lying flat on the ground gets you as low as possible, which is good, it increases your chance of being hit by a ground current, which is bad. The best combination of being low and touching the ground as little as possible is the ‘Lightning Crouch’. But the ‘Lightning Crouch’ should be used only as a last resort. Much better would be to plan outdoor activities around the weather to avoid thunderstorm exposure and to have proper shelter available.
   
   
10. MYTH: Go near a tall pointy isolated object when thunderstorms threaten, to be within the 45° “cone of protection”
    TRUTH: The “cone of protection” is a myth! While tall pointy isolated objects are statistically more likely to be struck by lightning, it’s not nearly reliable enough to rely on for safety. Lightning can still strike you near the tall object. Besides, the lightning electricity will likely spread out along the surface of the ground and can still kill you over 100 Ft from the “protecting” object. Also, if you are close to or touching the tall object, you can be electrocuted via side flash or contact voltage. NO PLACE OUTSIDE IS SAFE NEAR A THUNDERSTORM!
    

Source:  National Weather Service Lightning Safety Website.  http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov