BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2008 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME UNLESS NOTED
 
COLDEST TEMPERATURE OF THE SEASON TO DATE THIS
MORNING AFTER MOSTLY CLOUDY, COLD WINDY DAY SUNDAY
OCTOBER CONTINUES VERY DRY; ONLY 0.63 RAINFALL
 
HEATING DEGREE DAY DATA ADDED TO DAILY REPORTS 
Since the heating weather season is now fully
underway we have added the daily heating degree
day units, total for the month, season, and
departure from normal, and last year's total
plus difference compared to this year.  Heating
degree day units begin accumulating for the season
on July 1 and the season continues through June 30.  
 
A low temperature of 34 degrees occurred this
morning with winds averaging 15 MPH from the NNW.
This was 8 degrees colder than average for
this date. Also, this was our lowest temperature
since 33 degrees which occurred on April 15th.
Sunday was a mostly cloudy, cold and windy day
with the strongest winds from the NNE averaging
25 MPH gusting to 36 MPH around noon. The day
averaged 10 degrees colder than normal.  
 
A very dry October continues with only 0.02 inch
rainfall since the first couple days of the month.  
The month is 2 inches drier than average.   
 
Today's observations:
 
8 A.M. EDT
Weather: Clear, stratocumulus cloud layer and cirrus
cloud layer distant northeast thru southeast 
Temperature: 36F, Dew point: 27F,  Wind: NNW at 13 kts,
Wind: Variability in direction NW-N; gust to 20 kts past hour
Sea-level pressure: 30.24 inches Hg, steady
Visibility: 70 miles, west thru north 80 miles
6-hourly minimum temperature: 34F
24-hourly rainfall: 0.00
BHO SA 1155 CLR 70 239/36/27/3413/024/
SC/CI LYRS DSNT NE-SE WND 31V01 GST TO 20 KTS PST HR/
8/508 56005 10036 20034
 
11 A.M. EDT
Weather: Clear, stratocumulus, dense cirrus distant NE-SE,
few altocumulus distant W-NW 
Temperature: 49F, Dew point: 24F, Wind: NNW at 13 kts
Wind: Variability in direction WNW to NNE, gust to 19 kts
past hour
Sea-level pressure: 30.20 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 75 miles
BHO SA 1455 CLR 75 228/49/24/3413/020/ SC/DENS CI DSNT NE-SE 
FEW AC DSNT W-NW GST TO 19 KTS PST HR WND 29V02/ 8/542 58011
 
2 P.M. EDT
Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus distant E-SE, few
altocumulus distant WNW-NW, dense cirrus layer distant
ENE-SSE      
Temperature: 54F, Dew point: 25F, Wind: NE at 7 kts,
Wind: Variability in direction N-E, gradually veering,
gust to 17 kts past hour 
Sea-level pressure: 30.14 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 75 miles
6-hourly maximum temperature: 54F
BHO SA 1755 CLR 75 205/54/25/0407/014/ FEW SC DSNT E-SE FEW 
AC DSNT WNW-N DENS CI LYR DSNT ENE-SSE WND GUST 17 KTS PST HR 
WND GRDLY VEERING WND 35V08/ 8/542 58023 10054 20036 
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....46    NORMAL.....59
MIN.....36    NORMAL.....42
MEAN....41    NORMAL.....51
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL............-10
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH............+17 (+0.7 DEGREES/DAY)
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............24  DEPARTURE........+9
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........200  DEPARTURE.......-22
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON......... 316  DEPARTURE.......-75
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.... 227  DIFFERENCE......+89
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............36 NNE AT 11:33 A.M. *
                   AEROVANE.............36 NNE AT 11:33 A.M. 
                   ASOS.................33 NNE AT 11:33 A.M.
                   DAVIS................34 NNE AT 11:00 A.M.
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............25 NNE AT 11:00 A.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........24 NNE AT 11:00 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........25 NNE AT 11:00 A.M.
                   AVERAGE............14.0  N
                   ASOS...............13.2
                   DAVIS..............13.9  N  [360 deg]
* Last of several occurrences
 
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..........0.63   DEPARTURE.......-2.03 *
                         ASOS..............0.63
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........43.53   DEPARTURE.......+3.25 **
                         ASOS.............46.11 #
#  Includes erroneous ASOS precipitation data on 2/13/08.
* Monthly total and departure corrected from 0.62 and -2.04 inches in 
earlier reports.
** Annual total and departure corrected from 43.52 and +3.26 inches in
earlier reports. 
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 2008 CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/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
 
10/1  68/58/63/+6/0.49/120/17     38 SW   TSTM #
10/2  62/46/54/-2/0.12/455/65     45 W
10/3  62/45/54/-2/T/376/54        44 SSW  Aero 43 MPH SSW
10/4  61/40/51/-5/0.00/612/88     32 WSW
10/5  53/45/49/-6/T/000/00        18 WNW
10/6  58/39/49/-6/0.00/303/44     28 WNW
10/7  64/37/51/-4/0.00/687/100    23 WNW
10/8  69/43/56/+2/0.00/581/85     32 S    Aero 30 MPH S
10/9  72/55/64/+10/0.02/510/75    33 WSW 
10/10 69/53/61/+7/0.00/664/98     29 W
10/11 68/49/59/+6/0.00/668/99     20 NNW
10/12 67/47/57/+4/0.00/625/93     21 W
10/13 62/50/56/+4/0.00/308/46     20 NE
10/14 65/50/58/+6/0.00/.../..     30 SSE
10/15 64/52/58/+6/0.00/.../..     21 ENE  
10/16 67/51/59/+8/T/.../..        35 NW
10/17 59/42/51/0/0.00/.../..      26 NW
10/18 51/37/44/-7/0.00/.../..     25 N
10/19 46/36/41/-10/0.00/.../..    36 NNE  Aero 36 MPH NNE
 
10/20 morning low temp. 34F; our normal low is now 42F
 
# Thunderstorm gust 
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR OCTOBER
 
None...
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 20
HIGH 78 IN 1965,1984
LOW 24 IN 1972
PRECIP 7.10 INCHES IN 1996 (RECORD FOR MONTH)
SNOWFALL TRACE IN 1934,1943
PEAK GUST 63 MPH W IN 1966
 
RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 21
HIGH 79 IN 1979
LOW 24 IN 1974
PRECIP 2.39 INCHES IN 1944
SNOWFALL TRACE IN 1895,1907,1940
PEAK GUST 69e MPH S IN 1976
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED By: Robert Skilling