BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186 ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY MONDAY, MAY 17, 2004 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME [unless otherwise noted] MAY TEMPERATURES NOW AVERAGING MORE THAN 6 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL... A HALF INCH LESS RAINFALL THAN AVERAGE.... HIGH BAROMETRIC PRESSURE THIS MORNING NEARLY 30.5 INS. After seven consecutive days of above normal temperatures we find that our May average temperature is now running more than 6 degrees above the 30-year normal. Light amounts of precipitation since very early in the month have left us with a deficit of one half inch for the month with the year now showing an increasing deficit of over one inch. The highest barometer for the month to date reached nearly 30.5 inches this morning with a maximum reading of 30.49 inches on the ASOS recording system at 10:53 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Today's observations: 5/17/2004 MON 8 a.m. low overcast with 2 miles visibility in light fog; temp/dewpoint 52 and wind ssw at 05 mph; six hour minimum temp. 49 deg; 24 hour precip. 0.08 inch... 5/17/2004 MON BHO SA 1155 E3 OVC 2F 316/52/52/2004/046/ OVC PTLY THN OVHD VSBY INCRSNG/ 8/6// 53014 MANUAL 70008 ASOS 70009 10052 20049 11 a.m. overcast at 16 hundred feet with small break in overcast west; hazy with visibility of 15 miles; temp. 57; dewpoint 52; wind ene at 04 mph... BHO SA 1455 E16 OVC 15 325/57/52/0703/049/ SML BINOVC W HAZY ALQDS VSBY WNW 20/ 8/5// 50009 2 p.m. scattered clouds and mostly sunny with 15 miles visibility and hazy; temp. 64; dewpoint 54; wind south at 10 mph; six hour maximum temp. 65 deg. BHO SA 1755 16 SCT 300 SCT 15 312/64/54/1709/045/ FEW MDT CUFRM TOPS HAZY ALQDS VSBY WNW 20 WND 13V19/ 8/500 58013 10065 20052 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, MAY 16: TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....68 NORMAL.....67 HAZEN.....68.0 @ 12:00 a.m. MIN.....49 NORMAL.....47 HAZEN.....49.0 @ 11:59 p.m. ** MEAN....59 NORMAL.....57 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.....+ 2 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.....+90 (+6.3 DEGREES/DAY) ** eastern daylight time HEATING DEGREE DAYS TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR YESTERDAY....... 6 DEPARTURE....- 3 TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR THE MONTH.......99 DEPARTURE....- 75 TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR THE SEASON....6092 DEPARTURE....- 108 TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR LAST SEASON...6633 DIFFERENCE...- 541 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)(ALL TIMES LOCAL DAYLIGHT TIME) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY........30 ENE AT 11:57 a.m. AEROVANE.........31 ENE AT 11:57 a.m. ASOS.............31 ENE AT 11:57 a.m. FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..........23 NE AT 10:55 a.m. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.......22 ENE AT 11:57 a.m. AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION... 8.8 ENE [corrected ] ASOS..............8.6 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EDT) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 8 A.M....0.08 DEPARTURE....-0.04 ASOS..............0.00 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........1.50 DEPARTURE....-0.51 ASOS..............1.47 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........18.85 DEPARTURE....-1.11 ASOS.............17.28 2003-2004 SNOWFALL (INCHES) TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............58.0 DEPARTURE....+1.7 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MAY 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 5/1 78/50/64/+12/ 0/769/91 39 MPH SSW 5/2 72/56/64/+12/0.06/127/15 45 MPH S Aerovane 49 MPH S 5/3 61/47/54/ +1/0.66/000/00 35 MPH S 5/4 58/39/49/ -4/0.32/725/85 40 MPH WNW Aerovane 46 MPH WNW 5/5 65/38/52/ -1/ T/453/53 37 MPH S 5/6 70/45/58/ +4/ 0/711/83 28 MPH SSW 5/7 84/48/66/+12/0.04/730/85 40 MPH W Aerovane 41 MPH W 5/8 63/41/52/ -2/ 0/621/72 28 MPH S 5/9 55/44/50/-5/0.33/043/05 30 MPH SW 5/10 70/49/60/+5/0/632/73 29 MPH S 5/11 86/53/70/+15/T/573/66 27 MPH WNW 5/12 87/58/73/+17/0/513/59 24 MPH W 5/13 72/43/58/+2/T/.../.. 31 MPH NE 5/14 77/45/61/+4/T/.../.. 26 MPH S 5/15 88/58/73/+16/0/.../.. 35 MPH WSW 5/16 68/49/59/+2/0.08/009/01 30 MPH ENE 5/17 morning low temp. 49 deg.... DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): RECORDS FOR MAY 17 HIGH 88F IN 1974, 1977 LOW 34F IN 1956, 1957 PRE 2.07 INS IN 1916 PEAK GUST 52 MPH SW IN 1967, W IN 1974 RECORDS FOR MAY 18 HIGH 88F IN 1906, 1936, 1986 LOW 35F IN 2002 PRE 1.58 INS IN 2002 SNOW TRACE IN 2002 (Ice pellets) PEAK GUST 64 MPH SSW IN 2000 TODAY'S REPORT BY: Robert Skilling