BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY, MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186 ELEVATION 635 FT. ABOVE MSL....10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 27 2002 PLEASE VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT: http://www.bluehill.org/ DAILY DISCUSSION.....2/27/2002 @ 1 P.M. Here's another update from Mike Iacono this afternoon... Through Tuesday, 2/26, the February mean of 33.6 is tied for 6th warmest February on record, and the DJF mean of 34.8 is warmest by over 2 whole degrees. The normal mean for February is 28.2 and the normal winter mean is 28.4, so we're running +6.4 degrees above normal for the winter. Note that the average winter departure over the past 30 years is about +/- 2.4 degrees, so this is an enormous difference! For winter, it's a clean sweep with the mean, max and min all warmest on record, with the greatest departure in the minimum temperature. Warmest Mean Warmest Max Warmest Min Year FEB Year FEB Year FEB 1984 34.9 1976 44.0 1998 27.8 1998 34.0 1981 43.5 1984 27.1 1954 33.9 1984 43.2 1925 26.3 1981 33.9 1954 42.9 1954 26.2 1976 33.7 2002 42.8 1981 25.7 1997 33.6 1991 41.7 1997 25.5 2002 33.6 1925 41.4 2002 25.3 1925 33.1 1930 41.3 1999 24.7 1991 32.6 1951 41.2 1960 24.7 NRML 28.2 NRML 36.4 NRML 20.4 Warmest Mean Warmest Max Warmest Min Year DEC-FEB Year DEC-FEB Year DEC-FEB 2001-02 34.8 2001-02 42.5 2001-02 28.0 1997-98 32.6 1936-37 40.7 1997-98 26.2 1936-37 32.3 1990-91 40.7 1948-49 25.2 1998-99 32.3 1889-90 40.6 1932-33 25.1 1932-33 32.2 1932-33 40.4 1936-37 25.0 1990-91 32.1 1998-99 40.3 1952-53 24.9 NORMAL 28.4 NORMAL 36.3 NORMAL 20.8 The February snow of 2.9 inches is 9th least, and the current winter total of 28.7 inches is about 70% of normal to date. Least Snow Year FEB 1937 0.4 1984 0.6 1925 1.0 1998 1.0 1941 1.5 1912 1.8 1954 1.8 1976 2.4 2002 2.9 (through 2/26) 1890 4.0 1973 4.0 February precip of 1.85 inches now ranks 13th driest, and this ranking will drop further with more rain due today. This month will likely be the sixth consecutive month with below normal precip (and seven out of eight) and we've accumulated a deficit of about 12 inches since July. This means we've had about 2/3 of the normal precipitation for that period. Mike TODAY'S OBSERVATIONS.... 2/27/2002 WED BHO SA 1155 E10 OVC 5F 020/49/48/2012/959/ LINE OF DRK SKY W-NW/APRNT FRNT APPRCHNG STN VSBY W-NW 60 PK WND 2030/1058/ 8/6/// 53004 6005/ 70012 10054 20049 BHO SA 1455 E10 OVC 35 011/46/38/2807/956/ BRGHT SKY E-SE VSBY WNW 45/ 8/6/// 58009 BHO SA 1755 E24 OVC 30RW- 965/39/35/3115G23/943/ FEW STFRA NE VSBY SE-S 9 PCPN VRY LGT PRESFR/ 8/72// 58046 6003/ 10049 20039 DATA RECORDED FOR TUESDAY FEBRUARY 26.... TEMPERATURES.... MAX : 60 MIN: 39 // ASOS MAX: 60 ASOS MIN: 39 NORMAL HIGH AND LOW: 39/23 MEAN 50 [+19 ] TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR FEBRUARY TO DATE: + 160 degrees February is averaging 6 degrees WARMER than normal daily... PRECIPITATION....ON 02/27 AS OF 7 A.M. 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M. . 0.12 IN. ASOS......................0.12 IN. TOTAL FOR FEBRUARY........1.85 IN. STD. GAGE DEP. FROM NORMAL.........-1.92 IN. PRECIP. TOTAL YEAR 2002: 5.52 IN. (std. gage ) DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL....-3.05 IN. SNOWFALL.... ON 02/27 AS OF 7 A.M. 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.... 0.0 IN. FEB. TOTAL................2.9 INS. SEASONAL TOTAL TO DATE. 28.7 INS. WIND DATA....FOR 02/26... PEAK GUST ASOS: 50 MPH S AT 11:57 P.M. PEAK GUST 420C: 47 MPH S AT 11:57 P.M. PEAK GUST AERO: 45 MPH S AT 11:57 P.M. FEBRUARY 2002 PRELIMINARY DATA.... MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/SUNSHINE/ WIND GUST 2/01 37/31/34/+8/0.36/0/000/00/ 53 W 2/02 34/18/26/0/0/0/506/84/ 63 WNW 2/03 35/17/26/+0/0/0/508/84/ 36 SSW 2/04 38/24/31/+5/0/0/522/86/ 36 NW 2/05 27/15/21/-6/0/0/500/82/ 42 NW 2/06 37/19/28/+1/0/0/601/98/ 31 W 2/07 41/29/35/+8/0/0/049/08/ 24 SSW 2/08 45/29/37/+10/0/0/617/100/ 36 NW 2/09 37/24/31/+4/0/0/608/98/ 30 NW 2/10 51/25/38/+11/0.13/0/087/14/ 63 S (Aero 68 mph S) 2/11 51/11/31/+4/0.66/0/075/12/ 58 SSW 2/12 39/9/24/-4/0/0/263/42/ 50 SSW 2/13 36/16/26/-2/T/T/530/84/ 46 W 2/14 34/12/23/-5/0/0/627/99/ 27 SSW 2/15 46/28/37/+9/0/0/146/23/ 43 S 2/16 54/39/47/+19/0/0/339/53/ 28 SSW 2/17 40/31/36/+7/0.23/1.6/000/00/ 39 N 2/18 39/26/33/+4/T/T/631/98/ 42 N 2/19 49/23/36/+7/0/0/633/98/ 21 W 2/20 53/37/45/+16/0/0/117/18/ 37 SSE 2/21 56/45/51/+22/0.35/0/052/08/ 36 SSE 2/22 46/32/39/+9/T/0/229/35/ 37 W 2/23 42/27/35/+5/0/0/506/77/ 27 W 2/24 39/25/33/+2/0/0/489/74/ 18 S 2/25 48/28/38/+7/0/0/192/29/ 36 S 2/26 60/39/50/+19/0.02/0/.../../ 47 S 2/28 morning high 54 degrees... RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 27 HIGH 61 IN 1976 LOW -08 IN 1900 PRECIP 0.90 INS 1922 SNOWFALL: 6.0 INS. 1922 PEAK GUST 67 MPH W IN 1985 RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 28 HIGH 62 IN 1976 LOW -02 IN 1907,1934 PRECIP 1.79 INS 1958 SNOWFALL: 7.9 INS. 1956 PEAK GUST 88e MPH SSW IN 1943 e = estimated Robert Skilling