BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
  
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2008
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
BRUSHED BY POWERFUL LATE JANUARY NOR'EASTER HERE
AT BLUE HILL WHILE CAPE COD WAS POUNDED BY GALES
AND 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOWFALL
 
A rapidly intensifying ocean storm moved to the northeast 
passing southeast of Cape Cod last night lashing the Cape
and Islands with heavy snow and N-NNE winds gusting close to 
or over 60 MPH. Buoys southeast of Cape Cod reported wind
gusts of 60 kts and seas which topped out at 28 feet! 
Snowfall totals from southern Bristol and Plymouth counties 
eastward across Cape Cod ranged between 6 and 12 inches. 
 
Here at Blue Hill we recorded peak gusts of 45 to 50 MPH 
from the N early last evening but this storm was a very 
minor snowfall event with just 1.2 inches and 0.13 inch 
of melted precipitation.
 
Peak wind gusts recorded all from the north:
 
Maximum, Inc. Maestro 50 MPH
420C 47 MPH  
ASOS 46 MPH 
Maximum, Inc. Merlin 46 MPH 
Aerovane 44 MPH 
Davis    41 MPH
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M. 
Weather: Overcast with stratocumulus clouds, break/line of clearing
extending SW-NNW 
Temperature: 21F, Dew point: 7F, Wind: NNW at 15G27 kts 
Wind: peak gust past hour from NNW @ 31 kts @ 15 past the hour 
Wind: variability WNW-N 
Sea-level pressure: 29.93 inches Hg, steady 
Visibility: 50 miles
6-hour min temp: 19F 
24-hour precip: 0.13 inch
24-hour snowfall: 1.2 inches 
Snow depth on ground: 3 inches
BHO SA 1155 E36 OVC 50 136/21/7/3315G27/993/ LINE OF CLRG/BINOVC SW-NNW 
VIRGA DSNT NE-SE PK WND 3331/15/ WND 29V36 TOTAL NEW SNW PST 24 HRS 1.2 INS/ 
8/5// 4/003 55004 ASOS 70010 MANUAL 7013/ 10021 20019    
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Overcast stratocumulus, large break or clearing slowly advancing
from wes extending SW-NW, virga offshore distant NE-SE  
Temperature: 27F, Dew point: 11F, Wind: NNW at 16G130 kts 
Wind: peak gust past hour from NNW @ 32 kts @ 41 past the hour  
Wind: variability W-N 
Sea-level pressure: 29.97 inches Hg, rising 
Visibility: 60 miles, 30 miles NE-SE 
BHO SA 1455 E35 OVC 60 148/27/11/3316G30/997/ LINE OF CLRG/BINOVC 
SW-NW VRY SLWLY ADVCNG E VIRGA OFFSHR DSNT NE-SE VSBY NE-SE 30 
PK WND 3332/41/ WND 28V36/ 8/5// 53012
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Broken variable overcast stratocumulus, mostly clear sky 
to the southwest through northwest 
Temperature: 35F, Dew point: 15F, Wind: NW at 15G23 kts 
Wind: peak gust past hour from NW @ 28 kts @ 35 past the hour  
Wind: variability W-N 
Sea-level pressure: 29.91 inches Hg, falling 
Visibility: 65 miles, 70 miles NW 
6-hour max. temp. 35F
BHO SA 1755 E30 BKN 65 130/35/15/3115G23/991/ BKN V OVC 
MSTLY CLR SKY SW-NW SCSL ALQDS VSBY NW 70 PK WND 3128/35/
WND 28V35/ 8/500 56018 10035 20021 
    
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 27
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....30    NORMAL.....34 
MIN.....21    NORMAL.....18
MEAN....26    NORMAL.....26
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL........... 0 
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.........+114 [+4.0 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............39  DEPARTURE....... 0
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........939  DEPARTURE.....-113 
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........3106  DEPARTURE.....-274  
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....2778  DIFFERENCE....+328  
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............47  N   AT 7:45 P.M. *      
                   AEROVANE.............44  N   AT 7:45 P.M. *       
                   ASOS.................46  N   AT 7:45 P.M.   
                   DAVIS................41  N   AT 7:08 P.M.       
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............31  N   AT 7:48 P.M. *      
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........30  N   AT 7:42 P.M.     
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........30  N   AT 7:06 P.M.        
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.......15.5 NNW     
                   ASOS................14.5 
                   DAVIS...............15.1 N [010 deg]
* last of several occurrences...
   
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M... 0.13  DEPARTURE.....-0.02    
                         ASOS..............0.10 
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........3.83  DEPARTURE.....-0.35
                         ASOS..............3.91  
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........3.83  DEPARTURE.....-0.35
                         ASOS..............3.91 
  
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........1.2  DEPARTURE.....+0.7
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH...............13.6  DEPARTURE.....+0.1 
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............44.1  DEPARTURE....+17.0
 
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/+6/0.24/1.8/049/09   30 E   
1/2   29/7/18/-9/T/T/006/01         43 NW   Aero 43 MPH NW
1/3   11/2/7/-20/0/0/539/98         35 NW
1/4   30/2/16/-11/0/0/242/44        31 SSW
1/5   38/24/31/+4/0/0/287/52        28 SSW
1/6   47/34/41/+15/0/0/133/24       27 SSW 
1/7   54/39/47/+21/0/0/188/34       29 S 
1/8   65/45/55/+29/0/0/283/51       37 S 
1/9   59/42/51/+25/0.01/0/167/30    48 S
1/10  47/35/41/+15/0/0/340/61       35 W
1/11  55/35/45/+19/1.58/T/0/0       46 S    Aero 48 MPH S
1/12  47/32/40/+14/0/0/376/67       28 W
1/13  42/30/36/+10/0/0/455/81       33 ENE 
1/14  36/24/30/+4/1.45/10.3/000/00  37 NE   Aero 36 MPH NE
1/15  30/21/26/0/T/T/000/00         25 NW 
1/16  30/16/23/-3/0/0/560/99        28 NW
1/17  32/17/25/-1/T/T/165/29        23 ESE  Aero 19 MPH ESE
1/18  44/28/36/+10/0.39/0.2/331/58  41 W    Aero 39 MPH W
1/19  33/24/29/+4/0/0/086/15        25 W 
1/20  29/13/21/-4/0/0/367/64        38 WNW  Aero 40 MPH WNW  
1/21  21/10/16/-10/0/0/564/98       35 W    Aero 33 MPH W 
1/22  37/15/26/+1/0.03/0.1/110/19   52 S    Aero 55 MPH S   
1/23  35/23/29/+4/0/0/574/99        31 W 
1/24  29/19/24/-2/0/0/203/35        28 NW   Aero 25 MPH NW
1/25  28/11/20/-6/0/0/583/100       36 W    Aero 33 MPH W 
1/26  31/17/24/-2/0/0/.../..        23 WSW
1/27  30/21/26/0/0.13/1.2/000/00    47 N    Aero 44 MPH N     
 
1/28  morning low tmperature 19F; normal low is now 18F
 

NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR JANUARY 2008:
 
1/8 - New record high temperature of 65 deg; 
the previous record, 59 deg. in 1930
New record high minimum temperature of 45 deg; 
the previous record, 41 deg. in 1930, 1935, 1967
 
1/9 - New record high minimum temperature of 42 deg;
the previous record, 39 deg. in 1937, 1956.
 
1/11 - New record rainfall of 1.58 inches; surpasses
previous record of 1.14 inches in 1956
 
1/14 - New record daily snowfall of 10.3 inches; surpasses 
previous record of 9.0 inches in 1999. 
New record maximum daily precipitation of 1.45 inches; 
surpasses 1.35 inches in 2006
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR JANUARY 28
HIGH 59F IN 1916
LOW -9F IN 1888, 1924
PRECIP 2.18 INCHES IN 1897
SNOWFALL 15.0 INCHES IN 1897
PEAK GUST 78e MPH SSE IN 1977
 
RECORDS FOR JANUARY 29
HIGH 66F IN 2002
LOW -11F IN 1888
PRECIP 1.48 INS. IN 1973
SNOWFALL 8.0 INS. IN 1943
PEAK GUST 72 MPH NW IN 1973
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED By: Robert Skilling