BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186 ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2005 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME [unless otherwise noted] INCREASING CLOUDS AND MUCH COLDER TODAY... NEAR RECORD WARMTH WITH RAIN AND STRONG WINDS ON FRIDAY... The final storm total precipitation for Thursday night into Friday afternoon was 0.63 inch, which ended with a trace of snow and sleet mixing with the rain between 1:45 and 3 PM. Our automated ASOS rain gage measured 0.75 inch, with much of the excess occurring due to condensation being counted as precipitation by this instrument during much of Thursday night. The peak gust of 68 mph S at 8:48 AM Friday morning ties the record gust for the date of 68 mph WNW measured in 1976. The high temperature for Friday of 61 degrees was 4 degrees short of the record for the date of 65 set in 1995. Colder air returned quickly at mid-day Friday, causing the temperature to drop 16 degrees in the hour from 10:10 to 11:10 AM. The temperature continued to drop all day to this morning's low of 22 degrees, which is one of the coldest readings so far this month. Sea level pressure climbed to at least 30.72 inches today, reaching this level for the second time this month. The continuing warmth for January, now at 8 degrees above normal per day, along with the highs on Friday has caused the ice cover on nearby Ponkapoag Pond to drop to just 1/10. This is not low enough to consider it thawed, and it might freeze over again as much colder air is set to return to New England this week with snow a possibility on Sunday night. Today's observations: 7 A.M. Weather: Scattered cirrus and altocumulus Temperature: 22F, Dew point: 8F, Wind: NNW 12 mph Sea-level pressure: 30.63 inches, rising BHO SA 1155 150 SCT 200 -SCT 70 372/22/8/3311/063/ AC DSNT SW-NW FEW SC DSNT OFFSHR NE-ESE/ 8/571 51024 70060 10028 20022 10 A.M. Weather: Thin broken cirrus with altocumulus Temperature: 26F, Dew Point: 8F, Wind: NW 7 mph Visibility: 70 miles Sea-level pressure: 30.71 inches rising BHO SA 1455 150 SCT 200 SCT 250 -BKN 70 402/26/8/3106/071/ SC DSNT ALQDS WND LGT/ 8/571 51034 1 P.M. Weather: Overcast with cirrostratus and cirrus Temperature: 28F, Dew Point: 7F, Wind: W 8 mph Visibility: 75 miles BHO SA 1755 180 SCT 250 OVC 75 392/28/7/2706/068/ BINOVC DSNT E-SE SC DSNT N-ESE SUN VSBL WND LGT AND VRB/ 8/507 58010 10028 20022 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 14: TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....61 NORMAL.....34 ASOS.....60 AT 10:03 P.M. MIN.....30 NORMAL.....18 ASOS.....30 AT MIDNIGHT P.M. MEAN....46 NORMAL.....26 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.....+20 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH....+116 (+8.1 DEGREES/DAY) HEATING DEGREE DAY UNITS TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR YESTERDAY.......19 DEPARTURE....-20 TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR THE MONTH......425 DEPARTURE...-115 TOTAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR THE SEASON....2642 DEPARTURE...-227 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY........68 S AT 8:48 A.M. AEROVANE.........67 S AT 8:48 A.M. ASOS.............60 S AT 8:33 A.M. DAVIS............66 S AT 8:48 A.M. FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..........48 S AT 8:49 A.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.......46 S AT 8:33 A.M. AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION..23.6 S ASOS...........22.9 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.60 DEPARTURE....+0.44 ASOS..............0.58 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........3.81 DEPARTURE....+1.65 ASOS..............3.74 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........3.81 DEPARTURE....+1.65 ASOS..............3.74 SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M............T DEPARTURE.....-0.5 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH...............10.0 DEPARTURE.....+3.0 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............34.0 DEPARTURE....+13.4 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 2005......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 1/1 49/32/41/+14/0/0/538/98 45 MPH W 1/2 39/26/33/+6/0.05/0/297/54 36 MPH S 1/3 51/39/45/+18/0.26/0/006/01 40 MPH SSW 1/4 42/36/39/+12/0.41/0/006/01 25 MPH NNE 1/5 36/24/30/+3/0.15/1.8/0/0 22 MPH NNE 1/6 35/22/29/+3/0.89/5.2/0.0 30 MPH NE 1/7 36/26/31/+5/0/0/0/0/.../.. 44 MPH W Aero 46 MPH W 1/8 32/26/29/+3/0.86/1.0/000/00 25 MPH N 1/9 29/21/25/-1/0/0/011/02 22 MPH NNW 1/10 38/28/33/+7/T/T/017/03 36 MPH SSW Aero 42 MPH SSW 1/11 32/26/29/+3/0.05/0.5/.../.. 27 MPH WSW 1/12 37/26/32/+6/0.56/1.5/000/00 33 MPH ENE 1/13 56/30/43/+17/T/0/.../.. 46 MPH S 1/14 61/30/46/+20/0.63/T/.../.. 68 MPH S Aero 67 MPH S 1/15 ..morning low 22 DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): RECORDS FOR JANUARY 15 HIGH 64F IN 1995 LOW -16F IN 1957 [RECORD FOR MONTH] PRECIP 2.63 INS. IN 1958 SNOWFALL 8.8 INS. IN 1983 PEAK GUST 69e MPH SE IN 1940 RECORDS FOR JANUARY 16 HIGH 63F IN 1995 LOW -12F IN 2004 PRECIP 1.32 INS. IN 1936 SNOWFALL 14.0 INS. IN 1965 PEAK GUST 79 MPH WNW IN 1960 TODAY'S REPORT BY: Mike Iacono