BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS BUT NOT AS COOL AS YESTERDAY GUSTY WSW TO WNW WINDS CONTINUE TO OVER 30 MPH AT TIMES Temperatures started out at 43 degrees this morning or 8 degrees milder than the normal. By early afternoon, despite limited sunshine, we have reached the mid 50's [56F] or several degrees above the average maximum of 53F expected for today. A very brief sprinkle of rain was observed around 7 A.M. today falling from masses of heavy virga seen throughout the sky. The rainfall deficit for the year has now surpassed 9 inches reaching minus 9.08 after no rainfall again yesterday, Easter Sunday. Moderate drought conditions continue to develop and increase across the region. In fact, all of Rhode Island, all of Connecticut, and 87% of Massachusetts (excluding the far northwestern part of the state) are now considered to be in moderate drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report. http://www.droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DM_northeast.htm Today's observations: 7 A.M. Weather: Scattered altocumulus, overcast altocumulus, stratocumulus cumulus fractus, cumulus all quadrants Temperature: 45F, Dew point: 32F, Wind: W at 15G26 kts, Wind: Peak wind from WSW at 29 kts at 6:18 A.M., Wind: Direction variable SW-WNW Sea-level pressure: 29.51 inches Hg, rising slightly Visibility: 50 miles 6-hour precip: Trace 6-hour min. temp: 43F BHO SA 1155 75 SCT E90 OVC 50 994/45/32/2715G26/951/ LWR SC/CUFRA/CU FRMG VIRGA ALQDS RE03 PCPN VRY LGT PK WND 2529/18/ WND 23V29/ 8/87/ 53002 MANUAL 6000/ 10046 20043 10 A.M. Weather: Broken altocumulus, broken dense cirrus, broken cirrus, cumulus, few moderate cumulus, few altocumulus floccus and chaotic altocumulus, patches dense cirrus, virga NE-SE-SW Temperature: 49F, Dew Point: 32F; Wind: WSW at 15G22 kts, Wind: Peak wind from W at 29 kts at 9:24 A.M., Wind: Direction variable SSW-WNW Sea-level pressure: 29.50 inches Hg, falling then steady Visibility: 50 miles BHO SA 1455 70 SCT E90 BKN 200 BKN 250 BKN 50 990/49/32/2415G22/950/ CU/FEW MDT AC FLOCCUS/FEW CHAOTIC/FEW DNS CI/VIRGA NE-SE-SW PK WND 2729/24/ WND 20V29/ 8/282 56004 1 P.M. Weather: Scattered cumulus, scattered altocumulus and numerous lenticularis, scattered dense cirrus, broken cirrus, few moderate cumulus Temperature: 55F, Dew Point: 28F; Wind: W at 17G26 kts, Wind: Peak wind from W at 34 kts at 12:07 P.M. Wind: Direction variable SW-NW Sea-level pressure: 29.49 inches Hg, falling then steady Visibility: 55 miles, distant haze 6-hour max. temp: 56F BHO SA 1755 65 SCT 80 SCT 200 SCT E250 BKN 55 986/55/28/2717G26/949/ FEW MDT CU NMRS ALQDS DNS CI XCPT OVHD PK WND 2734/07/ WND 22V31/ 8/242 56004 10056 20045 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, APRIL 8, EASTER SUNDAY TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....51 NORMAL.....53 MIN.....37 NORMAL.....35 MEAN....44 NORMAL.....44 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL........................0 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH......................+10 [+1.1 DEGREES/DAY] HEATING DEGREE DAYS TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............21 DEPARTURE...........0 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............171 DEPARTURE..........-9 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........4456 DEPARTURE.......-1188 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......5582 DIFFERENCE......-1126 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............32 NW AT 1:58 P.M. AERO..................31 NW AT 1:58 P.M. ASOS..................31 NW AT 1:58 P.M. DAVIS.................32 WNW AT 1:57 P.M. RMY 33 THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........23 WNW AT 1:58 P.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............23 WNW AT 1:58 P.M. DAVIS MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE AVERAGE...........23 WNW AT 1:58 P.M. AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.......10.2 WNW ASOS................10.0 DAVIS................8.8 W [280 deg.] PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....Trace DEPARTURE..........-0.16 ASOS..............0.00 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........0.18 DEPARTURE..........-1.17 ASOS..............0.17 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........6.27 DEPARTURE..........-9.08 ASOS..............6.32 SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0 DEPARTURE..........-0.1 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................0.0 DEPARTURE..........-0.9 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............24.2 DEPARTURE.........-33.6 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR APRIL 2012 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 4/1 50/34/42/+1/0.14/0.0/.../.. 20 SSW AERO 20 MPH SSW RMY N/A 4/2 51/35/43/+2/0.04/T/.../.. 35 NNW AERO 33 MPH NNW RMY 35 4/3 57/31/44/+2/0.00/0.0/.../.. 36 NW AERO 37 MPH NW RMY 40 4/4 62/38/50/+8/T/0.0/.../.. 40 NW AERO 39 MPH NW RMY 43 4/5 51/33/42/-1/0.00/0.0/.../.. 29 NW AERO 27 MPH NW RMY 30 4/6 51/31/41/-2/0.00/0.0/.../.. 26 NNW AERO 26 MPH NNW RMY 28 4/7 54/32/43/0/0.00/0.0/.../.. 31 NW AERO 32 MPH NW RMY 32 4/8 51/37/44/0/0.000/0.0/.../.. 32 NW AERO 31 MPH NW RMY 33 4/9 morning low temp: 43F; the normal low is now 35F DAILY RECORDS FOR APRIL 2012 None so far. DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): RECORDS FOR APRIL 9 HIGH 83 IN 1991 LOW 18 IN 1888 PRECIP 2.38 IN. IN 1935 SNOWFALL 11.0 IN. IN 1917 PEAK GUST 72 MPH WNW IN 1962 RECORDS FOR APRIL 10 HIGH 83 IN 1922 LOW 20 IN 1985 PRECIP 2.40 IN. IN 1935 SNOWFALL 10.1 IN. IN 1996 PEAK GUST 66 MPH WNW IN 1967 TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling/Patrick Peters If you do not wish to receive this Daily Discussion and Climate Summary from the Blue Hill Observatory, please send an email to sitemaster@bluehill.org.