BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
TEMPERATURES RISE TO 55F LATE WEDNESDAY THROUGH
MIDNIGHT SO 18 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL MAXIMA
FOR BOTH DECEMBER 21 AND 22...WINTER SOLSTICE 12:30 A.M.
WITH WIND SHIFT COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE ABOUT THAT TIME  
 
Rising temperatures through the 50's yesterday afternoon
made it up 55F by 11 P.M. and through midnight and until a
wind shift and cold frontal passage occurred around
12:30 A.M. coinciding with the winter solstice. The
peak wind gust reached 45 MPH at 12:33 A.M. right after
the wind shift but temperatures only fell slowly during
the early morning bottoming out at 46F about 8:45 A.M.
The approach and passage of the warm and cold fronts
brought only light showers and some drizzle with the
total on Wednesday just 0.04 inch.  A brief moderate
to heavy shower with the frontal passage left another
0.11 inch after midnight.  Today is another unusually
warm day for late December with a maximum of 53F by
early this afternoon.    
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M. 
Weather: Clear, stratocumulus along and near horizon distant SW-N,
cirrus/dense cirrus distant SE-SW
Temperature: 47F, Dew point: 40F, Wind: WNW at 18G29 kts,
Wind: Peak wind from W at 35 kts @ 6:34 A.M.,
Wind: Direction variable from WSW to NW 
Sea-level pressure: 29.88 inches Hg, RISING RAPIDLY
Visibility: 55 miles, light distant haze 
6-hour min. temp: 47F
6-hour precip: 0.02 in.
24-hour precip: 0.15 in.
BHO SA 1155 CLR 55 117/47/40/2918G29/988/ SC DSNT SW-W-N
CI/DNS CI DSNT SE-SW PK WND 2835/34/ WND 25V32 PRESRR LGT DSNT HZ/
8/502 53045 ASOS 60003 MANUAL 6002/ ASOS 70018 MANUAL 70015
10051 20047   
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Thin scattered cirrus, few cumulus fractus forming vicinity
of station E-SE and forming distant S-SW, statocumulus distant SW-N-ENE,
lower dense cirrus distant SE-SW
Temperature: 49F, Dew Point: 38F; Wind: WNW at 19G30 kts,
Wind: Peak wind 30 kts from WNW @ 9:53 A.M.,
Wind: Direction variable WSW to NW  
Sea-level pressure: 29.99 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 55 miles, light distant haze  
BHO SA 1455 250 –SCT 55 156/49/38/2919G30/999/ FEW CUFRA FRMG VCTY
STN E-ESE AND FRMG DSNT S-SW SC DSNT SW-N-ENE LWR DNS CI DSNT SE-SW
PK WND 2930/53/ WND 25V32/ 8/802 51039 
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Broken mostly dense cirrus, thin overcast cirrus,
cumulus fractus/cumlus forming mostly SE-SW-N, stratocumulus
mostly distant SW-N, dense cirrus all quadrants 
Temperature: 53F, Dew Point: 36F; Wind: WNW at 17G25 kts,
Wind: Direction variable WSW-NW 
Sea-level pressure: 29.98 inches Hg, falling  
Visibility: 60 miles, light distant haze
6-hour max. temp: 53F
6-hour min. temp: 46F
BHO SA 1755 E220 BKN 250 –OVC 60 152/53/36/3017G25/998/
CUFRA/CU FRMG SE-SW-N SC MSTLY DSNT SW-N DNS CI ALQDS
LGE BINOVC ESE LGT DSNT HZ WND 25V32/ 8/802 10053 20046
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....55    NORMAL.....37
MIN.....29    NORMAL.....22
MEAN....42    NORMAL.....30
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.....................+12
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH....................+134 [+6.2 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY.............23   DEPARTURE........-12
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH............547   DEPARTURE.......-129
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON....... ..1454   DEPARTURE.......-511
 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....1891   DIFFERENCE......-437
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............36 SSW AT  4:33 P.M.                   
                   AERO..................37 SSW AT  4:33 P.M.  
                   ASOS..................37 SSW AT  4:57 P.M.  
                   DAVIS.................27 S   AT  4:32 P.M. 
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........28 S   AT  3:10 P.M. 
AXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.............29 S   AT  3:10 P.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...........29 S   AT  3:10 P.M. 
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.......18.3 S
                   ASOS................17.8
                   DAVIS...............17.0 S [180 deg]
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.15  DEPARTURE...........0.00
                         ASOS..............0.18
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........2.93  DEPARTURE..........-0.13
                         ASOS..............2.97
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........61.62  DEPARTURE.........+11.90
                        ASOS..............62.06**
**ASOS data is in error due to system failure on 1/12-13/11
     
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE.........-0.4
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................0.0  DEPARTURE.........-6.7
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON...............8.5  DEPARTURE.........-1.1
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 2011 CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO GUST
AERO: Aerovane wind recording system gust when significant
RMY:  RMY = R.M. Young wind gust recording system added 8/9/2011
TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day)
....: Data not yet available, records not finalized
 
12/1  46/33/40/+4/0.00/0.0/560/100   29 NW  AERO 29 MPH NW  RMY 27
12/2  49/31/40/+4/0.00/0.0/481/86    25 NW  AERO 28 MPH NW  RMY 28
12/3  43/30/37/+2/0.00/0.0/467/84    21 NW  AERO 22 MPH NW  RMY N/A
12/4  51/34/43/+8/0.00/0.0/211/38    28 SSW AERO 30 MPH S   RMY 29
12/5  62/44/53/+18/0.00/0.0/155/28   27 SSW AERO 28 MPH SSW RMY 28
12/6  58/49/54/+20/0.34/0.0/000/00   28 SSW AERO 30 MPH SSW RMY 30
12/7  56/43/50/+16/1.45/0.0/000/00   31 NNE AERO 28 MPH NNE RMY N/A
12/8  43/32/38/+5/0.96/0.0/513/93    57 NW  AERO 59 MPH NW  RMY 58  TSTM
12/9  50/31/41/+8/T/0.0/380/68       33 SSW AERO 35 MPH SSW RMY 36
12/10 43/27/35/+2/T/0.0/171/31       25 NW  AERO 28 MPH NW  RMY 27
12/11 36/23/30/-2/0.00/0.0/544/99    23 SSW AERO 23 MPH SSW RMY 24
12/12 47/29/38/+6/0.00/0.0/466/85    22 WSW AERO 22 MPH SW  RMY N/A
12/13 44/28/36/+4/0.00/0.0/520/95    23 WSW AERO 23 MPH WSW RMY N/A
12/14 40/33/37/+6/0.00/0.0/000/00    16 SSE AERO 17 MPH SSE RMY N/A
12/15 51/35/43/+12/0.02/0.0/000/00   47 S   AERO 46 MPH S   RMY N/A
12/16 52/36/44/+13/0.01/0.0/470/86   55 W   AERO 55 MPH W   RMY 49
12/17 41/24/33/+2/0.00/0.0/044/08    25 NNW AERO 25 MPH NNW RMY 26
12/18 26/15/21/-9/0.00/0.0/441/81    23 NNW AERO 22 MPH NNW RMY N/A
12/19 42/14/28/-2/0.00/0.0/452/83    44 SW  AERO 44 MPH SSW RMY 45
12/20 41/29/35/+5/0.00/0.0/392/72    28 WNW AERO 27 MPH WNW RMY 28
12/21 55/29/42/+12/0.04/0.0/000/00   36 SSW AERO 37 MPH SSW RMY N/A
 
12/22 our morning low temp: 47F; the normal low is now 22F 
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 2011
None so far.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 22
HIGH 62 IN 1994
LOW -5 IN 1921
PRECIP 1.52 INS. IN 1975
SNOWFALL 8.8 INS. IN 1975
PEAK GUST 62 MPH WNW IN 1998
 
RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 23
HIGH 62 IN 1990
LOW -1 IN 1989
PRECIP 1.70 INS. IN 1947
SNOWFALL 11.9 INS. IN 1947
PEAK GUST 67 SSE IN 2004
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling