BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2008 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME UNLESS NOTED
 
PASSAGE OF OCCLUDED FRONT BRINGS AN END TO THE
RAIN AND BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS AND A WIND SHIFT
TO SSE WITH GUSTS OVER 40 MPH BY 2 P.M. EDT
 
The center of an intensifying low pressure system
passing to our west was accompanied by an occluded frontal
passage just after 1 P.M. EDT. Winds shifted from
east to south-southeast and suddenly became quite gusty to
over 40 MPH. At the same time the rain ended after 0.39 inch
and breaks appeared in the clouds together with some peeks of
sunshine. The barometric pressure was low and had fallen
to 29.26 inches while still dropping as of 2 P.M. EDT
 
Today's observations:
 
8 A.M. EDT
Weather: Scattered stratocumulus, overcast with increasing
altocumulus/nimbostratus, breaks in overcast north thru east,
very light rain shower past hour  
Temperature: 47F, Dew point: 45F, Wind: NNE at 9 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.55 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 8 miles, north 5 miles, southwest 10 miles,
thin fog all directions 
6-hourly minimum temperature: 46F
24-hourly precipitation: trace
BHO SA 1155 30 SCT 50 SCT E100 OVC 8 007/47/45/0209/955/
FEW LWR STRA FEW SCSL BINOVC N-E THN FG ALQDS VSBY N 5 SW 10
RB40E50/ 8/55/ 58033 MANUAL 6000/ 10047 20046
 
11 A.M. EDT
Weather: Obscurement with heavy fog, moderate rain in progress
Temperature: 47F, Dew point: 47F, Wind: NNE at 16G26 kts,
Wind: Peak gust 26 kts NNE at 10:55 a.m. EDT
Sea-level pressure: 29.39 inches Hg, falling rapidly
Visibility: 1/16 mile, moderate rain and heavy fog
3-hourly precip: 0.28 inch
BHO SA 1455 W2 X 1/16RF 951/47/47/0216G26/939/
PK WND 0226/55/ PRESFR/ 8//// 58056 ASOS 60027
MANUAL 6028/
 
2 P.M. EDT
Weather: Broken, overcast stratocumulus, rain ended
at 10 past the hour, breaks in overcast, ceiling (cloud
bases) ragged  
Temperature: 49F, Dew point: 45F, Wind: SSE at 22G35 kts,
Wind: direction variability SE-SSW, windshift at 10
past the hour with frontal passage, peak wind gust
35 kts SSE at 50 past the hour
Sea-level pressure: 29.26 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 12 miles, thin fog
6-hourly maximum temperature: 49F
6-hourly precip: 0.39 inch 
BHO SA 1755 E12 BKN 15 BKN 30 OVC 12 910/49/45/1522G35/926/
CIG RGD BINOVC WSHFT 10 FROPA PK WND 1535/50/ WND 13V20/
RE10/ 8/5// 56041 ASOS 60041 MANUAL 6039/ 10049 20047
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 27
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....66    NORMAL.....56
MIN.....47    NORMAL.....40
MEAN....57    NORMAL.....48
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL..............+9
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.............+14 [+0.3 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............ 8  DEPARTURE........-9
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........330  DEPARTURE.......-21
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........446  DEPARTURE.......-74
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....275  DIFFERENCE.....+171 
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............21 NE  AT  6:11 P.M.    
                   AEROVANE.............17 NE  AT  6:43 P.M. *   
                   ASOS.................21 NE  AT  6:11 P.M.      
                   DAVIS................20 ENE AT  6:11 P.M. 
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............14 NE  AT  6:13 P.M. *
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........15 NE  AT  6:12 P.M.    
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........16 SSW AT  N/A
                   AVERAGE............ 8.1 NE  
                   ASOS................8.0
                   DAVIS...............8.7 SE [135 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..........1.61   DEPARTURE.......-2.21
                         ASOS..............1.61
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........44.51   DEPARTURE.......+3.09
                         ASOS.............47.09 #
#  Includes erroneous ASOS precipitation data on 2/13/08.
 
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/-2/0.11/455/65     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/+6/0.00/514/77     30 SSE
10/15 64/52/58/+6/0.00/618/93     21 ENE  
10/16 67/51/59/+8/T/026/04        35 NW
10/17 59/42/51/0/0.00/474/72      26 NW
10/18 51/37/44/-7/0.00/440/67     25 N
10/19 46/36/41/-10/0.00/176/27    36 NNE  Aero 36 MPH NNE
10/20 54/34/44/-6/0.00/631/97     25 N 
10/21 59/43/51/+1/0.01/129/20     20 W
10/22 44/38/41/-9/0.10/000/00     32 NNW
10/23 45/31/38/-11/0.00/520/81    23 N   
10/24 62/34/48/-1/0.00/589/92     22 WSW
10/25 66/44/55/+6/0.28/038/06     60 SSE  Aero 61 MPH SSE TSTM **
10/26 64/48/56/+8/0.60/.../..     55 SSE  Aero 60 MPH SSE
10/27 66/47/57/+9/0.00/.../..     21 NNE
 
10/28 morning low temp. 46F; normal now 39F

** Thunderstorm day added  
# 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 28
HIGH 81 IN 1919
LOW 23 IN 1914
PRECIP 2.46 INCHES IN 2006
SNOWFALL TRACE IN 1934,1957,1979
PEAK GUST 71 MPH SSW IN 1995
 
RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 29
HIGH 74 IN 1989
LOW 23 IN 1891
PRECIP 2.27 INCHES IN 1953
SNOWFALL 1.5 INCHES IN 2005
PEAK GUST 69 S IN 2003
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED By: Robert Skilling