BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
  
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2008  (EARTH DAY)
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME UNLESS NOTED
 
SUNNY AND MUCH WARMER TODAY AS WINDS SHIFT 
LONG SUNNY SPELL CONTINUES WITH 92% OF THE 
POSSIBLE BRIGHT SUNSHINE OVER THE PAST 8 DAYS
RAINFALL DEFECIT INCREASING--NOW OVER 1.5 INCHES
 
Our long stretch of sunny, mild and dry April 
weather continues and today becomes the third 
day with temperatures reaching the 70's over the
past week.  The past week has also featured 
very sunny days with an average of 92% of the 
possible sunshine during the past 8 days.  This
included three consecutive days with 100% sunshine,
quite unusual at any time of year.
 
There has been no rainfall since April 12th and so 
we continue to dry out with many days of low humidity
causing an increasing threat of brush fires.  
 
Today's observations:
 
8 A.M. EDT
Weather: Clear, few cirrus W-NW 
Temperature: 51F, Dew point: 45F  Wind: SE at 4 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.33 inches Hg, steady
Visibility: 15 miles, WNW 25 miles above dissipating inversion      
6-hour min temp: 45F
24-hour precipitation: None 
BHO SA 1155 CLR 15 270/51/45/1404/033/ FEW CI W-NW THN F ALQDS 
VSBY WNW 25 ABV DSSPTNG INVSN/ 8/001 51004 10051 20045 
 
11 A.M. EDT
Weather: High thin broken cirrus clouds     
Temperature: 64F, Dew point: 40F, Wind: SE at 5 kts 
Wind: Light  
Sea-level pressure: 30.32 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 25 miles, 45 WNW 
BHO SA 1455 250 –SCT 300 –BKN 25 269/64/40/1305/032/ 
HAZY VSBY WNW 45 WND LGT/ 8/001 58001
 
2 P.M. EDT
Weather: High thin overcast cirrus
Temperature: 71F, Dew point: 37F, Wind: SE at 2 kts 
Wind: Light and variable, speed estimated 
Sea-level pressure: 30.27 inches Hg, falling
Visibility:  25 miles hazy 
6-hourly max. temp. 72F 
BHO SA 1755 250 –BKN 300 –OVC 25 251/71/37/E1302/027/ 
HAZY WND L/V/ 8/007 56018 10072 20051 
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, APRIL 21 PATRIOTS' DAY
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....61    NORMAL.....58
MIN.....41    NORMAL.....39
MEAN....51    NORMAL.....48
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.......... +3 
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH..........+54 [+2.4 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............14  DEPARTURE........-3
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........373  DEPARTURE.......-54 
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........5510  DEPARTURE......-381
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....5526  DIFFERENCE......-16
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............17 E   AT  7:27 P.M.    
                   AEROVANE.............15 E   AT  7:27 P.M.    
                   ASOS.................16 E   AT  7:28 P.M.        
                   DAVIS................27 E   AT  7:27 P.M.      
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............12 ESE AT  8:32 P.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........12 SSE AT 11:57 P.M.    
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........14 SE  AT 10:16 P.M.      
                   AVERAGE.............7.4 NE  
                   ASOS................7.4      
                   DAVIS...............7.4 E [080 deg]   
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00   DEPARTURE......-0.14  
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........1.52   DEPARTURE......-1.58
                         ASOS..............1.66 
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........19.12   DEPARTURE......+2.39
                         ASOS.............21.54 #
# Includes erroneous ASOS precipitation data on 2/13/08.
 
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.........0.0    DEPARTURE......-0.1
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR APRIL...................0.0    DEPARTURE......-2.2
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON.............66.5    DEPARTURE......+7.3
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR APRIL 2008 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, records not finalized
 
4/1  59/50/55/+14/0.20/0/000/00    54 S    Aero 58 MPH SSW
4/2  47/31/39/-3/0/0/745/97        52 W    Aero 51 MPH W
4/3  52/27/40/-2/0/0/648/84        37 SSW 
4/4  43/34/39/-3/0.71/0/000/00     35 E
4/5  51/37/44/+1/0.06/0/093/12     21 W
4/6  40/36/38/-5/0.09/0/000/00     36 NE 
4/7  39/34/37/-6/0/0/172/22        35 NE    Aero 36 MPH NE
4/8  47/30/39/-5/0/0/627/80        22 NE
4/9  59/33/47/+3/0/0/150/19        29 S    
4/10 71/44/58/+14/T/0/624/79       34 W
4/11 54/40/47/+2/0.03/096/13       24 SE 
4/12 70/43/57/+12/0.43/0/342/43    40 WNW   Aero 42 WNW
4/13 47/34/41/-4/T/0/104/13        30 NW 
4/14 53/30/42/-4/0/0/625/78        29 NW  
4/15 57/33/45/-1/0/0/803/100       23 SSE 
4/16 64/39/52/+6/0/0/806/100       24 SSE
4/17 64/14/53/+6/0/0/810/100       23 NE
4/18 70/42/56/+9/0/0/723/89        23 NW
4/19 70/46/58/+11/0/0/799/98       22 NE 
4/20 67/42/55/+7/0/0/760/93        25 ESE
4/21 61/41/51/+3/0/0/615/75        17 E
 
4/22 morning low temp. 45F; our normal low is now 39F
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR APRIL 2008
None to date.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR APRIL 22
HIGH 85 IN 1977, 2001
LOW 26 IN 1981
PRECIP 1.85 IN. IN 2000
SNOWFALL 3.0 IN. IN 1940
PEAK GUST 68e MPH NW IN 1945
 
RECORDS FOR APRIL 23
HIGH 85 IN 1908, 2007 
LOW 25 IN 1933,1989
PRECIP 1.51 IN. IN 1998
SNOWFALL 0.5 IN. IN 1911, 1956
PEAK GUST 64 MPH WNW IN 1962
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED By: Robert Skilling