BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2011 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME TEMPERATURE FALLS BACK TOWARD NORMAL AFTER VERY MILD START TO NEW YEAR Temperatures are returning toward normal after a very mild couple of days. However it's a slow process with this morning's low of 26F well above the normal low of 19F. Gusty WNW winds early this morning reached peak speeds well past 40 MPH. 2010 STATS WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD...6TH WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD... SECOND LOWEST ANNUAL PEAK GUST SINCE 1965... Blue Hill Warmest Years, deg F (1885-2010) 1) 51.0 in 2010 2) 50.9 in 1999 3) 50.8 in 1998 4) 50.6 in 2006 5) 50.5 in 1953 6) 50.3 in 1990 50.3 in 1991 Blue Hill Wettest Years, inches (1886-2010) 1) 71.00 in 1998 2) 69.36 in 1996 3) 66.23 in 2005 4) 65.51 in 1972 5) 63.81 in 1920 6) 62.74 in 2010 7) 62.45 in 1983 8) 62.38 in 1975 Blue Hill Lowest Annual Peak Gust, mph (1965-2010) 1) 64, S in 2001 2) 67, ENE in 2010 3) 68, S in 2005 4) 69, SSW/SE in 1986 69, W in 2003 69, W in 2004 69, SSE in 2009 DECEMBER 2010 STATS Average Max Temp: 36.4F Average Min Temp: 22.7F Mean Temp: 29.6F [-1.6F] 24-hr. Corr Mean Temp: 28.9F Max Temp: 55F on 1st, 12th, 13th Min Temp: 9F on 10th Total precipitation: 4.71 ins. [+0.15 in.] Total snowfall: 22.9 inches [+12.2 ins.] Total heating degree day units (month): 1092 [+52] Total heating degree day units (season): 2252 [-77] Avg wind speed: 15.0 MPH W 23% Avg corrected wind speed: 15.2 MPH W Peak gust: 58 MPH NNE on 26th, NW on 27th Peak fastest mile: 47 MPH NW on 27th Sunshine: total astronomical minutes: 8044/17037 = 47% " ": total Campbell-Stokes card mins: 7806/16470 = 47% Today's observations: 7 A.M. Weather: Clear, stratocumulus later distant offshore NE-ESE, few cumulus fractus inshore E-ESE, altocumulus/stratocumulus lenticularis vicinity of the station S-NW Temperature: 26F, Dew point: 14F; Wind: WNW at 14G21 kts, Wind: Peak wind WNW at 35 kts at 5:57 AM Sea-level pressure: 29.96 inches Hg, rising Visibility: 45 miles, distant haze 6-hourly min. temp. 26F 24-hourly rainfall: 0.19 in. Total snow depth on ground: 2 inches BHO SA 1155 CLR 45 145/26/14/2914G21/996/ SC LYR OFFSHR DSNT NE-ESE FEW CUFRA ALGSHR E-ESE ACSL/SCSL VCTY STN S-NW DSNT HZ PK WND 2935/1057/ 8/840 53035 ASOS 70020 MANUAL 70019 10031 20026 10 A.M. Weather: Clear, few cumulus fractus south and west, few stratocumulus distant WNW-NW Temperature: 28F, Dew point: 12F; Wind: WNW at 18G29 kts, Wind: Peak wind from WNW at 29 kts @ 9:52 AM Sea-level pressure: 30.02 inches Hg, rising Visibility: 70 miles BHO SA 1455 CLR 70 166/28/12/3018G29/002/ FEW CUFRA S AND W FEW SC DSNT WNW-NW PK WND 2929/52/ 8/800 51021 1 P.M. Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus distant WNW-NNW and distant NE-E Temperature: 32F, Dew point: 13F; Wind: WNW at 15G25 kts, Wind: Peak wind 29 kts from WNW at 12:28 PM Wind: Direction variable Sea-level pressure: 29.96 inches Hg, falling Visibility: 80 miles 6-hourly max. temp: 33F BHO SA 1455 CLR 80 146/32/13/3015G25/996/ FEW SC DSNT WNW-NNW AND DSNT NE-E PK WND 2928/12/ WND 25V32/ 8/500 58020 10033 20026 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 2 TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....47 NORMAL.....35 MIN.....33 NORMAL.....19 MEAN....40 NORMAL.....27 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL................+13 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH................+33 (+16.3 DEGREES/DAY) HEATING DEGREE DAYS TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............25 DEPARTURE.......-13 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH............43 DEPARTURE.......-33 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........2295 DEPARTURE.......-110 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....2323 DIFFERENCE......-28 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY..............38 WNW AT 11:48 P.M. AEROVANE...............44 WNW AT 11:51 P.M. ASOS...................38 WNW AT 11:49 P.M. DAVIS..................37 W AT 11:48 P.M. THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY........... 26 WNW AT 11:22 P.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.............24 WNW AT 11:52 P.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE............27 W AT 11:23 P.M. AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION........11.8 W ASOS.................11.6 DAVIS................11.1 SSW [ 230 DEG] PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.20 DEPARTURE........+0.05 ASOS..............0.20 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR JANUARY........... 0.21 DEPARTURE........-0.09 ASOS..............0.21 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR 2011...............0.21 DEPARTURE........-0.09 ASOS............. 0.21 SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0 DEPARTURE.....-0.5 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR JANUARY..................0.0 DEPARTURE.....-1.0 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............23.0 DEPARTURE.....+8.4 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 2010 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 TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day) ....: Data not yet available, records not finalized 12/1 55/43/49/+13/0.49/0.0/000/00 55 SE AERO 61 MPH SE 12/2 48/29/39/+3/0.00/0.0/540/100 30 W 12/3 38/29/34/-1/0.00/0.0/050/09 25 WNW 12/4 40/28/34/-1/0.00/0.0/516/93 27 WNW 12/5 34/23/29/-6/0.00/0.0/127/23 24 W 12/6 32/22/27/-7/0.00/0.0/447/81 37 WSW AERO 38 MPH WSW 12/7 33/23/28/-6/0.00/0.0/463/84 35 W AERO 37 MPH W 12/8 31/19/25/-8/0.00/0.0/550/100 39 W AERO 40 MPH W 12/9 26/14/20/-13/0.00/0.0/550/100 29 WNW 12/10 25/9/17/-16/0.00/0.0/181/33 17 SSE 12/11 44/25/35/+3/0.00/0.0/460/84 23 WSW 12/12 55/33/44/+12/1.57/0.0/000/00 55 SE AERO 69 MPH SE 12/13 55/33/44/+12/0.35/0.0/027/05 50 SSE AERO 58 MPH SSE 12/14 33/16/25/-6/T/T/120/22 30 W 12/15 19/13/16/-15/0.02/0.2/038/07 33 WNW AERO 38 MPH WNW 12/16 32/15/24/-7/0.00/0.0/491/90 25 SSW 12/17 34/17/26/-5/0.00/0.0/545/100 22 WNW 12/18 37/22/30/0/0.00/0.0/392/72 20 N 12/19 34/25/30/0/0.00/0.0/038/07 17 N 12/20 30/23/27/-3/0.34/3.2/000/00 33 NW AERO 37 MPH NW 12/21 38/23/31/+1/0.02/0.2/125/23 38 NW 12/22 36/28/32/+3/0.14/1.4/000/00 31 NW AERO 35 MPH NW 12/23 36/27/32/+3/0.11/1.1/011/02 36 NW AERO 38 MPH NW 12/24 35/23/29/0/0.00/0.0/545/100 31 NW 12/25 29/18/24/-5/0.00/0.0/055/10 20 WNW 12/26 30/20/25/-3/1.33/13.3/000/00 58 NNE AERO 65 MPH NNE 12/27 28/15/22/-6/0.35/3.6/011/02 58 NW AERO 67 MPH NW 12/28 32/14/23/-5/0.00/0.0/546/100 52 WNW AERO 60 MPH WNW 12/29 36/24/30/+2/0.00/0.0/274/50 32 WNW AERO 36 MPH WNW 12/30 42/23/33/+5/0.00/0.0/547/100 20 WSW 12/31 50/28/39/+12/0.00/0.0/395/72 22 W 1/1 57/37/47/+20/0.00/0.0/.../.. 25 S 1/2 47/33/40/+13/0.21/0.0/.../.. 38 WNW AERO 44 MPH WNW 1/3 our morning low temp: 26F, the normal low is 19F DAILY RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 2010 12/15 - NEW RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMP. OF 19F; surpasses the previous record of 20F in 1903,1905,1931, and 1962 12/27 - NEW RECORD PEAK WIND GUST OF 58 MPH NW; surpasses the previous record of 53 MPH W in 1957, WNW in 1976, W in 1978 (estimated) DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): RECORDS FOR JANUARY 3 HIGH 64F IN 2000 LOW -4F IN 1904 PRECIP 1.93 INS. IN 1999 SNOW 11.3 INS. 1996 PEAK GUST 92 MPH S IN 1960 RECORDS FOR JANUARY 4 HIGH 60F IN 2000 LOW -8F IN 1904, 1981 PRECIP 1.79 INS. IN 1982 SNOW 8.6 INS. 1923, 1941 PEAK GUST 84 MPH S IN 1982 TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling/Chris Torchia/Mike Iacono