BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2008 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
DECEMBER TEMPERATURES STILL SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL
AFTER 2ND COLDEST DAY OF THIS MONTH TO DATE
THIN ICE COVER FORMS AGAIN ON NEARBY PONDS
 
December temperatures continue on a roller coaster
ride.  Yesterday's maximum of 28F occurred at midnight
at the start of the day and again at mid-afternoon.
The low by midnight was 17F and at 23F Saturday averaged
9 degrees colder than the normal for the date. The cold
day yesterday followed a 61-degree maximum on Friday.  
The monthly temperature average is still over one degree
above normal to date after 8 days on the warm side and
5 days on the cold side.  Ice formed across both Houghtons
and Ponkapoag Ponds overnight for the second time this
month but rapidly thawing and freezing conditions have
not allowed any kind of persistence of ice cover. 
 
7 A.M.
Weather: High thin overcast with breaks in the overcast, 
few altocumulus and altocumulus lenticularis
Temperature: 21F, Dew point: 8F, Wind: SSE at 9 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.56 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 60 miles
24-hour precipitation: 0.00 in.
6-hour minimum temperature: 17F
BHO SA 1155 250 –OVC 60 348/21/8/1509/056/
FEW AC BINOVC/ 8/047 52007 10021 20017
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Thin scattered high cirrus, few altocumulus, and
altocumulus lenticularis, few dense cirrus SW-NW 
Temperature: 29F, Dew point: 15F, Wind: S at 13 kts,
Wind: gust to 21 kts past hour
Sea-level pressure: 30.57 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 50 miles  
BHO SA 1455 250 –SCT 50 353/29/15/1713/057/ FEW AC/ACSL PTCHS
DENS CI SW-NW GST 21 KTS PST HR/ 8/042 53005 
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered altocumulus, altocumulus lenticularis,
thin overcast cirrus, breaks in overcast, few stratocumulus
forming E-S-W 
Temperature: 37F, Dew point: 26F, Wind: S at 19G27 kts,
Wind: Peak gust 27 kts at 12:53 p.m.
Sea-level pressure: 30.49 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 55 miles
6 hour maximum temperature: 37F
BHO SA 1755 150 180 SCT E220 SCT 250 -OVC 55 324/37/26/1719G27/049/
SC FRMG E-S-W PTCHS ACSL ALQDS BINOVC PK WND 1727/53/
8/541 58029 10037 20021            
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....28    NORMAL.....39
MIN.....17    NORMAL.....24
MEAN....23    NORMAL.....32
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL...............-9
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH..............+21 [+1.4 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY.............42  DEPARTURE........ +9
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH............384  DEPARTURE........-19
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........1634  DEPARTURE........-58
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....1575  DIFFERENCE.......+59
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............33   W AT  2:39 A.M. 
                   AEROVANE.............31   W AT  2:39 A.M. 
                   ASOS.................31 WNW AT 10:51 A.M. 
                   DAVIS................33 WNW AT  2:39 A.M. 
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............24 WNW AT 11:08 A.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........23 WNW AT 11:10 A.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........25 WNW AT 11:07 A.M.
                   AVERAGE............13.8 WNW
                   ASOS...............12.8
                   DAVIS..............13.7 WNW [290 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...........4.52   DEPARTURE.......+2.59
                         ASOS...............4.75
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........54.81   DEPARTURE.......+6.22
                         ASOS..............57.76 #
# 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.....-0.3
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................1.6  DEPARTURE.....-1.9
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON...............1.6  DEPARTURE.....-4.8
 
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  53/13/33/0/0.01/T/000/00       48 S     Aero 50 MPH S
12/10 60/37/49/+16/0.43/0.0/000/00   55 S     Aero 58 MPH S
12/11 37/34/36/+4/.../T/000/00       38 NNE   Aero 35 MPH NNE
12/12 61/28/45/+13/.../0.0/.../..    75 SSE   Aero 76 MPH SSE
12/13 28/17/23/-9/0.00/0.0/.../..    33 W
 
12/14 morning low temp: 17F; our normal low is now 24F
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 2008...
 
12/12 PEAK GUST 75 MPH SSE; PREVIOUS 74 MPH W IN 2000
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 14
HIGH 62 IN 1901
LOW -6 IN 1893
PRECIP 1.94 INS. IN 2002
SNOWFALL 8.0 INS. IN 1907
PEAK GUST 78e ENE IN 1941
 
RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 15
HIGH 64 IN 1975
LOW 4 IN 1900, 1905, 1933
PRE 1.80 INS. IN 1981
SNOW 7.5 INS. IN 1951
PEAK GUST 65 MPH NW IN 1991
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED By: Robert Skilling