BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
  
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2008
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 65 DEGREES BY 2:30 PM 
RECORD WARM EARLY JANUARY TEMPERATURES CONTINUE...
 
Today's record high temperature of 59 degrees was set
in 1930. It was easily broken late this morning when 
the thermometer went up 8 degrees in one hour from 55 
to 63 degrees in one hour from 11 a.m. to noon.  A high
of 64.2 was recorded in the Hazen shelter at 12:47 p.m.
 
The record high minimum temperature for today of 41 degrees 
in 1930, 1935, and 1967 will most likely be broken if our 
morning low of 45 degrees holds through midnight. This 
will leave today's average temperature close to 30 degrees
warmer than normal!
 
Tomorrow's record high temperature is 62 degrees set in 
1937 and record high minimum is 39 in 1937 and 1956. 
 
Just one year we recorded new record maxima of 61 and 
66 degrees on January 5th and 6th.  
 
Today's 65 is among the warmest temperatures ever recorded
in January:

Warmest January Temperature (deg F):

 68 on 26 Jan 1950
 66 on 29 Jan 2002
 66 on 6 Jan 2007
 65 on 21 Jan 1906
 65 on 14 Jan 1995
 65 on 8 Jan 2008 

  
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.   
Weather: High thin broken cirrus clouds, scattered lower dense cirrus 
Temperature: 49F, Dew point: 44F, Wind: SSW at 16 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.13 inches Hg, steady
Visibility: 12 miles, thin fog, smoke layer along horizon (brown ring),
below inversion    
6-hour min temp: 45F 
Snow on ground: trace
BHO SA 1155 220 SCT 250 –BKN 12 203/49/44/2016/013/ 
PTCHS LWR DENS CI  THN F ALQDS PTCH DENSE SHLW GF 3 SW 
K LYR ALG HRZNS BLO INVSN/ 8/002 53001 10051 20045  

10 A.M.
Weather: Broken dense cirrus, thin overcast cirrus, breaks in overcast  
Temperature: 53F, Dew point: 45F, Wind: S at 11 kts 
Sea-level pressure: 30.13 inches Hg, steady
Visibility: 12 miles, smoke layer along horizon, hazy   
BHO SA 1455 200 SCT E220 BKN 250 –OVC 12 204/53/45/1811/013/ 
DENS CI ALQDS K LYR ALG HRZNS BLO INVSN ESTMTD TOP 9 HND OVR 
CTY N HAZY/ 8/002 50002

1 P.M. 
Weather: High thin overcast with breaks in overcast 
Temperature: 63F, Dew point: 48F, Wind: S at 17 kts 
Sea-level pressure: 30.06 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 25 miles, hazy, thin smoke west through northeast  
6-hour max. temp. 64F 
BHO SA 1755 220 SCT 250 –BKN 300 –OVC 25 180/63/48/2017/006/
PTCHS DENS CI BINOVC THN K W-NE HAZY/ 8/002 58024 10064 20047 
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 7
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....54    NORMAL.....34 
MIN.....39    NORMAL.....18
MEAN....47    NORMAL.....26
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL..........+21 
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH..........+ 6 [+0.7 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............18  DEPARTURE......-21 
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........262  DEPARTURE......- 5 
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........2429  DEPARTURE.....-167
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....2007  DIFFERENCE....+422
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............29 S AT 9:58  A.M.  
                   AEROVANE.............30 S AT 9:58  A.M.      
                   ASOS.................28 S AT 9:58  A.M.   
                   DAVIS................30 S AT 11:19 A.M.   
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............22 S AT 9:59  A.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........22 S AT 9:58 A.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........23 SSW AT 11:07 P.M.   
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION......15.0 S  
                   ASOS...............15.4    
                   DAVIS..............15.5 SSW [200 deg] 
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00  DEPARTURE....-0.15 
                         ASOS..............0.00 
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........0.24  DEPARTURE....-0.81
                         ASOS..............0.23  
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........0.24  DEPARTURE....-0.81
                         ASOS..............0.23  
 
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE.....-0.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................1.8  DEPARTURE.....-1.7
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............32.3  DEPARTURE....+15.2
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 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
 
1/1   38/28/33/+6/0.24/1.8/055/10   30 E   
1/2   29/7/18/-9/T/T/006/01         43 NW   Aero 43 MPH NW
1/3   11/2/7/-20/0/0/540/98         35 NW
1/4   30/2/16/-11/0/0/.../..        31 SSW
1/5   38/24/31/+4/0/0/.../..        28 SSW
1/6   47/34/41/+15/0/0/.../..       27 SSW 
1/7   54/39/47/+21/0/0/.../..       29 S 
 
1/8   morning low temp. 45F; our normal low is now 18F
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR JANUARY 2008: 
No new daily records.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR JANUARY 8
HIGH 59F IN 1930
LOW -8F IN 1968
PRECIP 1.70 INS. IN 1958,1979
SNOWFALL 12.5 INS. IN 1996
 
RECORDS FOR JANUARY 9
HIGH 62F IN 1937
LOW -9F IN 1968
PRECIP 3.00 INS. IN 1956
SNOWFALL 10.0 INS. IN 1904
PEAK GUST 101e MPH SE IN 1978 [RECORD FOR MONTH]
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED By: Robert Skilling/Mike Iacono