BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2011 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME SNOWFALL ADDS UP TO VERY LITTLE ACCUMULATION ONLY SOME LIGHT FLURRIES LATE YESTERDAY WITH 0.3 INCH ALL OCCURRING EARLY THIS MORNING The forecast yesterday for up to several inches of snowfall just didn't verify. Most of the important precipitation remained well south of New England and amounts of only a dusting to a half inch were recorded by early this morning. The amount at the summit and base of Blue Hill was just about the same with a quarter to one third of an inch. Snow showers began early this afternoon but the snow was mostly melting as it fell up till 2 PM. Today's observations: 7 A.M. Weather: Scattered stratocumulus, overcast stratocumulus, break in overcast and higher clouds visible distant NW-NE, light snow shower (very light) Temperature: 28F, Dew point: 27F; Wind: NNW at 9 kts, Wind: Direction variable WNW-N Sea-level pressure: 29.60 ins. Hg, steady Visibility: 30 miles, except SE 4 miles, S-SW 15 miles, increasing rapidly all quadrants 24-hour precip: 0.02 inch 24-hour snowfall: 0.3 inch Snow depth: trace 6-hour min. temp: 27F BHO SA 1155 13 SCT 22 OVC 30SW- 025/28/27/3309/960/ BINOVC/HIER CLDS VSB DSNT NW-NE VSBY SE 4 S-SW 15 INCR RPDLY ALQDS WND 30V36 PCPN VRY LGT TOTAL NEW SNW PST 24 HRS 0.3 IN/ 8/5// 50002 ASOS 60002 MANUAL 6002/ ASOS 70002 MANUAL 70002 10031 20027 10 A.M. Weather: Scattered cumulus, broken variable overcast of stratocumulus, overcast altocumulus, small break in the overcast south, bright spots in overcast Temperature: 32F, Dew point: 26F; Wind: NNW at 14G21 kts, Wind: Direction variable W to N Sea-level pressure: 29.64 inches Hg, rising Visibility: 35 miles, except 25 miles northeast and 20 miles east thru southeast in precipitation (snow), visibility 45 WNW BHO SA 1455 20 SCT E42V BKN 95 OVC 35 037/32/26/3314G21/964/ 42 BKN V OVC SML BINOVC S BRGHT SPTS IOVC VSBY NE 25 PCPN/SN AND VSBY 20 E-SE VSBY WNW 45 WND 28V36/ 8/87/ 51012 1 P.M. Weather: Overcast stratocumulus, light snow shower Temperature: 32F, Dew point: 29F; Wind: NNW at 7 kts, Wind: Direction variable WNW to N Sea-level pressure: 29.67 inches Hg, rising Visibility: 5 miles, S-W 4 miles, N 10 miles, NE 8 miles 6-hour max. temp. 35F 6-hour precip: 0.01 inch 6-hour snowfall: trace BHO SA 1755 E23 BKN 31 OVC 5SW- 047/32/29/3307/967/ VSBY S-W 4 N 10 NE 8 SNW MELTING AS IT FALLS WND 29V35 SB05/ 8/5// 53010 ASOS 60001 MANUAL 6001/ 10035 20028 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....38 NORMAL.....47 MIN.....27 NORMAL.....30 MEAN....33 NORMAL.....38 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL...................-5 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH..................+55 [+2.2 DEGREES/DAY] HEATING DEGREE DAYS TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............32 DEPARTURE........+5 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........634 DEPARTURE.......-59 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........5156 DEPARTURE......-107 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....4912 DIFFERENCE.....+244 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY..............20 WNW AT 1:10 A.M. AEROVANE...............21 WNW AT 1:10 A.M. ASOS...................18 NW AT 2:20 A.M. DAVIS..................22 WNW AT 1:10 A.M. THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY............13 WNW AT 1:12 A.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.............15 WNW AT 1:11 A.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE............17 WNW AT 1:11 A.M. AVERRAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION....... 7.5 WNW ASOS..................7.1 DAVIS.................7.7 WNW [300 DEG] PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.02 DEPARTURE........-0.14 ASOS..............0.02 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........2.22 DEPARTURE........-1.33 ASOS............2.29 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........13.15 DEPARTURE........+0.76 ASOS..............13.90** ** ASOS data is in error due to system failure on 1/12-13 SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.3 DEPARTURE........ 0.0 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................2.3 DEPARTURE........-7.2 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............92.0 DEPARTURE.......+37.1 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MARCH 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 TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day) ....: Data not yet available, records not finalized 3/1 36/27/32/0/0.00/0.0/580/86 37 WNW AERO 40 MPH WNW 3/2 45/18/32/0/T/T/264/39 51 W AERO 53 MPH W 3/3 27/8/18/-14/0.00/0.0/659/97 36 WNW AERO 40 MPH WNW 3/4 37/15/26/-7/0.00/0.0/540/79 24 SSE 3/5 53/27/40/+7/T/0.0/158/23 48 SSW AERO 53 MPH SSW 3/6 59/46/53/+20/0.16/0.0/028/04 48 S AERO 56 MPH S 3/7 54/25/40/+7/0.64/T/159/23 58 SE AERO 62 MPH SSE 3/8 41/22/32/-2/0.00/0.0/638/92 23 NW 3/9 34/28/31/-3/T/T/049/07 31 NE AERO 32 MPH NE 3/10 40/32/36/+2/0.06/T/000/00 37 E AERO 39 MPH E 3/11 54/40/47/+12/0.46/0.0/000/00 40 E AERO 40 MPH E 3/12 51/34/43/+8/0.00/0.0/550/78 35 SW AERO 37 MPH WSW 3/13 48/36/42/+7/T/0.0/326/46 39 W AERO 42 MPH W 3/14 37/28/33/-3/0.01/T/021/03 20 NW 3/15 47/28/38/+2/0.00/0.0/635/89 23 SSE 3/16 43/30/37/+1/0.54/0.0/000/00 25 WNW 3/17 61/35/48/+10/0.00/0.0/677/94 27 S AERO 29 MPH S 3/18 69/43/56/+19/0.00/0.0/448/62 58 W AERO 58 MPH W 3/19 50/30/40/+3/T/0.0/421/58 31 NW AERO 32 MPH NW 3/20 42/26/34/-4/0.00/0.0/677/93 23 SE 3/21 38/31/35/-3/0.33/2.0/000/00 29 SSE AERO 31 MPH SSE 3/22 40/30/35/-3/0.00/0.0/132/18 36 WNW AERO 37 WNW 3/23 38/27/33/-5/T/T/177/24 20 WNW 3/24 our morning low temp: 27F; the normal low is now 30F. DAILY RECORDS FOR MARCH 2011 3/18 - NEW RECORD HIGH MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 69F; surpasses the previous record of 68F in 1999 DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): RECORDS FOR MARCH 24 HIGH 70 IN 1920 LOW 6 IN 1906 PRECIP 1.51 INS. IN 1956 SNOWFALL 12.3 INS. IN 1956 PEAK GUST 71 MPH W IN 1968 RECORDS FOR MARCH 25 HIGH 76 IN 1910 LOW 8 IN 1888, 1956 PRECIP 1.84 INS. IN 1909 SNOWFALL 1.0 INS. IN 1912 PEAK GUST 69 MPH SE IN 1969 TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling