BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186 ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2004 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL BEGINS AFTER DRIEST FIRST 90 DAYS IN ANY YEAR..... Measurable rain began just before noon today and promises to be very substantial over the next several days. However, the first 90 days of 2004 were the driest for any year on record with just 6.78 inches. The previous driest first 90 days (usually Jan. 1 through and including March 31) is 7.20 inches in 1947 followed by 7.39 inches in 1985. This year, being leap year, the first 90 days ended with March 30, so today's rainfall doesn't count for the first 90 days. TODAY'S SCHEDULED OBSERVATIONS.... 7 a.m. obscurement at 200 ft. with 1/16 mile visibility in dense fog; temp. and dewpoint 36 deg; wind ene at 15 gusting 22 mph; six hourly minimum temperature 35 deg; no precipitation past six hours... BHO SA 1155 W2 X 1/16F 191/36/36/0613G19/009/ 8//// 57007 10036 20035 10 a.m. obscurement at 200 ft. with 1/16 mile visibility in light drizzle (very light) and dense fog and 38 deg; wind ene at 16 mph.. three hourly precipitation a trace BHO SA 1455 W2 X 1/16L-F 189/38/38/0714/009/ PCPN VRY LGT/ 8//// 58002 6000/ 1 p.m. obscurement at 200 ft. with 1/16 mile visibility in light rain and dense fog; temp. and dewpoint 38; wind ne at 12 gusting 17 mph; six hourly minimum temp. 36 deg; six hourly precipitation, 0.07 inch... BHO SA 1755 W2 X 1/16R-F 177/38/38/0510G15/005/ 8//// 55012 ASOS 60006 MANUAL 6007/ 10038 20036 OUR WEATHER SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY MARCH 30 TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....41 NORMAL.....50 HAZEN SHELTER: 41.4 @ 3:33 P.M. MIN.... 29 NORMAL.....32 HAZEN SHELTER: 29.0 @ 1:43 A.M. MEAN....35 NORMAL.....41 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL....- 6 TOTAL DEPARTURE MARCH TO DATE....+ 28 THE MARCH TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE IS NOW + 0.7 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL... ASOS MAX/MIN FOR 3/30: 41/29 /// TIMES: 3:41 P.M. AND 7:07 A.M. HEATING DEGREE DAYS TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR YESTERDAY.......30 DEPARTURE.....+ 6 TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR MARCH..........838 DEPARTURE.....-28 TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR THE SEASON....5464 DEPARTURE.....+24 TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR LAST SEASON...5767 DIFFERENCE...-303 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY........20 ESE AT 7:08 P.M. AEROVANE.........22 ESE AT 7:08 P.M. ASOS.............21 ESE AT 7:08 P.M. FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..........N/A MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.......16 ENE AT 5:38 P.M. AVERAGE WIND SPEED/DIRECTION...... 8.1 E (corrected wind speed)(7.1 uncorrected) AVERAGE ASOS WIND FOR YESTERDAY .. 6.9 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) UPDATED MARCH 31 TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....TRACE ASOS..............0.00 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR MARCH..............3.30 DEPARTURE FOR MARCH TO DATE...............-1.34 TOTAL ASOS PRECIPITATION FOR MARCH.........2.74 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR 2004...............6.78 DEPARTURE....-6.70 TOTAL ASOS PRECIPITATION FOR 2004..........5.73 SNOWFALL (INCHES) TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.....TRACE TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR MARCH...................15.8 DEPARTURE..... +5.1 TOTAL SNOWFALL THIS SEASON.................57.5 DEPARTURE......+5.0 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MARCH 2004......CALENDAR DAY DATA DATA REPORTED: DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO GUST AERO: Aerovane recording wind system when significant TSTM: Thunderstorm day ....: Data not yet available 3/1 55/38/47/+15/0/0/588/87 27 MPH S 3/2 63/37/50/+18/0.04/0/298/44 50 MPH W Aerovane 50 MPH W 3/3 53/37/45/+13/0/0/592/87 46 MPH WNW Aerovane 51 MPH WNW 3/4 48/35/42/+9/0.07/0/000/00 22 MPH WSW 3/5 45/38/42/+9/0.02/0/000/00 31 MPH SSE 3/6 57/36/47/+14/0.26/0/028/04 53 MPH W Aerovane 55 MPH WNW 3/7 46/32/39/+6/0/0/658/95 43 MPH W 3/8 33/26/30/-4/0.50/3.5/000/00 31 MPH NE 3/9 31/26/29/-5/0.01/0.2/000/00 15 MPH SSE 3/10 39/27/33/-1/0/0/294/42 40 MPH NE 3/11 44/29/37/+2/0/0/113/16 38 MPH N 3/12 46/27/37/+2/0.10/0.8/156/22 51 MPH W 3/13 40/25/33/-2/0/0/682/96 40 MPH WNW Aerovane 43 MPH NW 3/14 40/21/31/-5/0/0/357/50 35 MPH S 3/15 50/32/41/+5/T/T/630/88 43 MPH W Aerovane 43 MPH W 3/16 35/24/30/-6/0.76/5.2/043/06 46 MPH NE 3/17 27/21/24/-13/0.45/4.0/000/00 47 MPH NE Aerovane 46 MPH NE 3/18 30/22/26/-11/0.18/2.0/138/19 27 MPH NNE 3/19 32/22/27/-10/0.01/0.1/015/02 35 MPH ENE 3/20 41/22/32/-6/0.25/T/409/56 37 MPH S 3/21 47/26/37/-1/0.32/0/154/21 47 MPH W Aerovane 48 MPH W 3/22 30/18/24/-14/0/0/714/97 38 MPH W Aerovane 43 MPH W 3/23 40/15/28/-10/T/T/687/93 33 MPH SSW 3/24 52/27/40/+1/0/0/631/85 27 MPH SSE 3/25 53/37/45/+6/0.01/0/015/02 35 MPH S 3/26 66/43/55/+16/0.01/0/351/47 33 MPH S 3/27 62/43/53/+13/0.31/0/053/07 35 MPH NE 3/28 44/32/38/-2/0/0/000/00 46 MPH NNE 3/29 40/29/35/-5/0/0/529/70 30 MPH NE 3/30 41/29/35/-6/T/T/228/30 20 MPH ESE 3/31 morning low temp. 34; normal low now 32; 0.07 rain thru 1 p.m. Sunshine for the month is 139.4 hours or only 38% of possible... considering no sunshine for 31st... Normal for March is 48%....this is the least sunshine during March only since 38% in 2001...1995 had 35%.... There is JUST ONE NEW DAILY RECORD FOR MARCH 2004; record high max. temp. of 63 on March 02, the previous record was 61 in 1991. THE DAILY EXTREMES.... RECORDS FOR MARCH 31 HIGH 89 IN 1998 [RECORD HIGH FOR MONTH] LOW 16 IN 1923 PRECIP 2.89 IN 1987 SNOWFALL 15.0 IN 1997 PEAK GUST 81 MPH SSE IN 1987 RECORDS FOR APRIL 01 HIGH 74 IN 1967 LOW 06 IN 1923 PRECIP 2.28 INCHES IN 1962 SNOWFALL 15.0 INCHES IN 1997 [RECORD FOR MONTH] PEAK GUST 75 MPH SSW IN 1962 TODAY'S REPORT BY: Robert Skilling