BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186 ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY CLIMATE SUMMARY MONDAY, AUGUST 02, 2004 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME [unless otherwise noted] TODAY'S DISCUSSION.... JULY 2004 WAS A COOL MONTH AVERAGING 2.1 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL BUT.... THE MONTHLY EXTREMES WERE IN A RECORD NARROW RANGE--57 TO 86 DEGREES MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 57 EQUALS HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR JULY PRECIPITATION WAS OVER AN INCH ABOVE NORMAL OUR AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.6 MPH (CORRECTED) WAS LOWEST FOR JULY SINCE 1991 ONLY TWO THUNDERSTORM DAYS...WELL BELOW AVERAGE OF FOUR OR FIVE While July 2004 was a cool month for mid-summer, it was not as cool as two very recent Julys, 2000 and 2001. Considering our average temperature using the long term correction method of the average of 2 a.m.; 8 a.m.; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., this month came out at 68.6 degrees or 0.9 degrees below the 119-year mean. However, July 2000 and July 2001 were much cooler at 67.3 and 67.6 degrees. This July actually tied with another recent July in 1996 also at 68.6 degrees. The month's temperatures were in a record narrow range. This month's minimum temperature of 57 degrees ties with last July, July 2003, for "highest monthly minimum" on our record first set way, way back in July 1887! That's pretty amazing considering this being such a cool July on average. This month's maximum temperature of only 86 degrees tied for the second lowest July maximum temperature on our record checked back to 1971. July 2000 holds the record at 85 degrees. Precipitation totaled almost 5 inches and was over one inch wetter than normal. Thunderstorm days totaled only two or well below the long term average of four or five. Curiously, though, the two days with thunderstorms each had an occurrence of hail, a weather event not often recorded for Blue Hill. Wind speeds were well below a recent average of 11.7 MPH for the period July 1981 through July 1999. This month ended with 10.6 MPH, the lowest since 10.5 MPH in July 1991. TODAY'S MANUAL OBSERVATIONS.... 8/2/2004 MON 8 a.m. broken clouds with 10 miles visibility in thin fog and haze; temp. 72 and dewpoint 70; wind wnw at 08 mph; six hour minimum temp. 69; 24 hour precipitation 0.03 inch... BHO SA 1155 85 SCT E95 BKN 10 163/72/70/3007/001/ FEW STRA W FEW ACC VCNTY STN THN FH ALQDS VSBY NE 12 WND GRDLY VEERING/ 8/680 51010 MANUAL 70003 ASOS 70002 10072 20069 11 a.m. clear with cumulus forming away from the seabreeze to our southeast through southwest through north and visibility 15 miles and hazy; temp. 78; dewpoint 65; wind ene at 10 mph and variable from nne to east.. BHO SA 1455 CLR 15 164/78/65/0609/001/ CU FRMG SE-SW-N HAZY WND 02V08/ 8/100 50001 2 p.m. thin scattered cirrus and cumulus except overhead-ne-se and hazy with visibility 20 miles; temp. 81; dewpoint 62; wind nne 04 mph but light and variable; six hourly maximum temp. 82 degrees; six hourly minimum temp. 72 deg. BHO SA 1755 250 -SCT 20 155/81/62/0203/999/ CU XCPT OVHD-NE-SE HAZY WND L/V/ 8/101 58009 10082 20072 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 01: TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....79 NORMAL.....81 HAZEN SHELTER: 79.0 @ 5:40 p.m. MIN.....70 NORMAL.....63 HAZEN SHELTER: 70.0 @ 11:59 p.m. ** MEAN....75 NORMAL.....72 ** eastern standard time DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.........+ 3 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.........+ 3 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.........32 SSW AT 5:02 p.m. AEROVANE..........35 SSW AT 5:02 p.m. ASOS..............31 SSW AT 5:02 p.m. DAVIS.............35 SSW AT 1:07 a.m. ASOS 2-MINUTE.....24 SSW AT 1:27 a.m. FASTEST MILE......23 SSW AT 1:27 a.m. OUR AVERAGE.......14.5 MPH SSW ASOS AVERAGE......15.0 MPH SSW [200 deg.] DAVIS AVERAGE.....15.7 MPH SSW [210 deg.] PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EDT) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 8 A.M....0.03 DEPARTURE....-0.09 ASOS..............0.02 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........0.03 DEPARTURE....-0.09 ASOS..............0.02 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........27.76 DEPARTURE....-1.77 ASOS.............26.18 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JULY 2004......CALENDAR DAY DATA DATA REPORTED: 24 HOUR PERIODS ENDING MIDNIGHT EST DATE MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO GUST AERO: Aerovane recording wind system when significant TSTM: Thunderstorm day ....: Data not yet available 7/1 82/62//72/+2/0.06/T/507/55 29 MPH S TSTM trace/sml hail 7/2 83/59/71/+1/0.93/T/575/63 45 MPH W TSTM trace of hail * 7/3 80/59/70/0/0/892/98 21 MPH NNW AERO 44 MPH W [2ND] 7/4 81/59/70/0/0/817/90 23 MPH SSE 7/5 69/63/66/-5/1.29/000/00 33 MPH S 7/6 79/65/72/+1/T/367/40 22 MPH NW 7/7 78/63/71/0/0/690/76 23 MPH SSE 7/8 75/62/69/-2/0.01/045/05/ 24 MPH S 7/9 75/62/69/-2/0/534/59 25 MPH S 7/10 80/59/70/-1/0/842/93 21 MPH NW 7/11 74/60/67/-5/0/713/79 20 MPH N 7/12 76/59/68/-4/0/189/21 24 MPH S 7/13 64/60/62/-10/0.27/000/00 28 MPH ENE 7/14 63/59/61/-11/0.51/000/00 27 MPH NNE 7/15 77/60/69/-3/0/395/44 ** 29 MPH S AERO 33 MPH S **SUNSHINE CORR. 7/16 79/62/71/-1/0/395/44 30 MPH SW AERO 33 MPH SW 7/17 84/63/74/+2/0/600/67 23 MPH WSW 7/18 82/66/74/+2/T/751/84 22 MPH ESE 7/19 72/64/68/-4/0.13/9/01 22 MPH NNE 7/20 84/67/76/+4/0/587/66 22 MPH WSW 7/21 84/66/75/+3/0/728/82 16 MPH SE AERO 20 MPH SE 7/22 86/67/77/+5/0/700/79 24 MPH SSW 7/23 83/67/75/+3/0/389/44 28 MPH S 7/24 72/58/65/-8/1.45/000/00 30 MPH N AERO 34 MPH N 7/25 70/58/64/-9/T/326/37 21 MPH ENE 7/26 73/57/65/-7/0/615/70 21 MPH E 7/27 72/60/66/-6/0.05/254/29 18 MPH ENE 7/28 57/64/61/-11/0.16/000/00 25 MPH NNE 7/29 81/62/73/0/367/42 17 MPH SSW 7/30 84/65/75/+3/0/618/71 24 MPH S 7/31 85/70/78/+6/720/83 39 MPH SSW AERO 42 MPH SSW 8/1 79/70/75/+3/0.03/.../.. 32 MPH SSW AERO 35 MPH SSW 8/2 morning minimum temp. 69 deg. THERE WERE NO NEW DAILY TEMPERATURE, PRECIP. OR WIND RECORDS SET FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2004.... VERY HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT ON JULY 2ND..... 7/2.. * short period rainfall 0.41 in 3 mins.; 0.50 in 5 mins.; 0.80 in 10 mins. 0.86 in 15 mins.... DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): RECORDS FOR AUGUST 02 HIGH 101F IN 1975 [STATION RECORD MAXIMUM - Tied with 8/10/1949] LOW 50 IN 1929, 1947 PRECIP 1.59 INCHES IN 1946 PEAK GUST 45e MPH NW IN 1946 RECORDS FOR AUGUST 03 HIGH 96F IN 1930 LOW 50F IN 1976 PRECIP 1.45 INCHES IN 1979 PEAK GUST 41 MPH NE IN 1964 TODAY'S REPORT BY: Robert Skilling