BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2008 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
BOTH NEARBY PONDS QUICKLY FROZE OVER LAST NIGHT
 
The gusty winds of yesterday kept both nearby
ponds, Houghton's and Ponkapoag, ice free 
most of yesterday.  However, winds diminishing
to calm and temperatures dipping into the single
numbers (low of 8F before midnight at Norwood
Airport) resulted in a rapid and complete freeze
over of both ponds overnight.  Today's date,
December 9th, is being entered into our records
as the first freeze over for this season. Ponkapoag
had frozen over on November 24th but soon thawed
after a unusual November cold spell ended. 
 
Yesterday was a unseasonably cold day here at
Blue Hill with an afternoon high temperature of only
21 degrees which followed a morning low of 10F.  The
average for the day of 16F was 17 degrees colder than
the 30-year normal. This was our coldest day since
last February 29th which also averaged 16 degrees. The
previous colder day was last February 11th with a
high of 22F and low of 7F giving a mean of 15F.
The record low maximum temperature for December 8th
is way down at 8F in 1906.  
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Overcast nimbostratus, higher clouds visible south,
very light snow shower ended 10 past 6 a.m.
Temperature: 19F, Dew point: 6F, Wind: ESE at 8 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 30.50 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 20 miles, 30 miles NE-SE, light haze
24-hour precipitation: trace  
6-hour snowfall: trace
Total snow on ground: 1 inch
6-hour minimum temperature: 14F
BHO SA 1155 E55 OVC 20 328/19/6/1208/050/
HIER CLD VSB S VSBY NE-SE 30 THN K ALG
HRZN W-N LGT HZ ALQDS SE10/ 8/02/ 4/001
58009 MANUAL 6000/ 10019 20014
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Overcast altostratus, few stratocumulus, sun's disc
dimly visible 
Temperature: 28F, Dew point: 19F, Wind: SE at 9 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 30.27 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 25 miles, mountain 45 miles WNW looming above
an inversion
BHO SA 1455 E130 OVC 25 319/28/19/1409/047/
FEW SC AND SC LYR NE-SE SUN DISC DMLY VSB THN K W-N
HAZY SMT OF MTN 45 WNW LOOMING ABV INVSN/
8/52/ 56009 
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Overcast stratocumulus
Temperature: 38F, Dew point: 30F, Wind: S at 15G23 kts,
Wind: Peak wind gust 26 kts SSE @ 12:21 p.m.  
Sea-level pressure: 30.33 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 40 miles
6 hour maximum temperature: 38F
BHO SA 1755 E50 OVC 40 272/38/30/1715G23/033/
FEW BRGHT SPTS IOVC PK WND 1626/21/ 8/5//
58047 10038 20019
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 8
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....21    NORMAL.....41
MIN.....10    NORMAL.....26
MEAN....16    NORMAL.....33
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL...............-17
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH...............- 3 [-0.6 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY.............49  DEPARTURE........+18
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH............245  DEPARTURE........+ 2
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........1495  DEPARTURE........-35
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....1397  DIFFERENCE.......+98
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............50   W AT 12:34 A.M. * 
                   AEROVANE.............50   W AT 12:10 A.M.
                   ASOS.................48   W AT 12:10 A.M.
                   DAVIS................48   W AT 12:10 A.M. 
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............37   W AT 12:11 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........37   W AT 12:11 A.M.     
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........38   W AT 12:11 A.M.    
                   AVERAGE............15.9   W
                   ASOS...............14.6
                   DAVIS..............16.0   W [280 deg]
* last of several occurrences....
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.... trace  DEPARTURE.......-0.15
                         ASOS...............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH...........0.24   DEPARTURE.......-0.96
                         ASOS...............0.24
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........50.53   DEPARTURE.......+2.67 
                         ASOS..............53.25 #
# Includes erroneous ASOS precipitation data on 2/13/08.
 
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M........Trace  DEPARTURE.....-0.3
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................1.6  DEPARTURE.....-0.4
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON...............1.6  DEPARTURE.....-3.3
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 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 gust when significant
TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day)
....: Data not yet available, records not finalized
 
12/1  59/43/51/+15/0.12/0.0/374/67   43 SSW 
12/2  47/32/40/+4/0.00/0.0/451/81    33 SSW
12/3  44/29/37/+2/0.00/0.0/556/100   24 SSW
12/4  53/33/43/+8/T/0.0/122/22       42 SSW   Aero 43 MPH S
12/5  38/26/32/-3/0.00/0.0/404/73    26 WNW
12/6  37/23/30/-4/0.00/0.0/309/56    21 S
12/7  32/20/26/-8/0.12/1.6/000/00    54 W     Aero 53 MPH W
12/8  21/10/16/-17/0.00/0.0/.../..   50 W     Aero 50 MPH W
 
12/9  morning low temp. 13F; our normal low is now 26F
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 2008...
 
None to date.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 9
HIGH 68 IN 1966
LOW -14 IN 1902
PRECIP 1.52 INS. IN 1956
SNOWFALL 10.8 INS. IN 2005
PEAK GUST 66 SE IN 1973
 
RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 10
HIGH 62 IN 1946
LOW -6 IN 1902
PRECIP 1.67 INS. IN 1907
SNOWFALL 6.0 INS. IN 1905
PEAK GUST 66e SW IN 1940
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED By: Robert Skilling