BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2012
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
VERY WARM TEMPERATURES YESTERDAY MADE FOR A 2ND CONSECUTIVE
DAY TO AVERAGE MORE THAN 20 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE 
APRIL NOW MUCH WARMER THAN AVERAGE AT PLUS 6 DEGREES
EXTREMELY DRY AIR YESTERDAY RELATIVE HUMIDITY IN TEENS
 
 
Several days of temperatures averaging nearly 20 degrees
or more above normal has pushed the April average up
to 6 degrees warmer than normal. 
The 0.76 inch of precipitation that we've received on the summit from
March 4 - April 17 (over 6 weeks) is less than 10% of the normal
precipitation (7.7 ins.) that would be expected in that time frame.
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Clear, cirrus all quadrants mostly distant
Temperature: 49F, Dew point: 29F, Wind: NNW at 6 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 30.00 inches Hg, rising 
Visibility: 75 miles, light distant haze
6-hour min. temp: 47F
BHO SA 1155 CLR 75 237/49/29/3406/023/ CI DSNT ALQDS LGT DSNT HZ/
8/001 51018 10055 20047
 
10 A.M.
Weather:  Clear, cirrus all quadrants, mostly distant
Temperature: 55F, Dew Point: 28F; Wind: N at 5 kts,
Wind: Light and variable
Sea-level pressure: 30.22 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 75 miles, light distant haze  
BHO SA 1455 CLR 75 235/55/28/3605/022/ CI DSNT ALQDS LGT DSNT HZ
WND L/V LGT DSNT HZ/ 8/001 58002
 
1 P.M. 
Weather: Broken dense cirrus, overcast  cirrus, few altocumulus
lenticularis, cirrocumulus lenticularis, cirrocumulus E-SSW,
cirrus invading, mostly clear sky, break in overcast distant
to the east thru east-southeast 
Temperature: 59F, Dew Point: 34F; Wind: NNE at 4 kts,
Wind: Light
Sea-level pressure: 30.17 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 75 miles, light distant haze
6-hour max. temp: 61F
BHO SA 1755 E220 250 BKN 300 OVC 75 216/59/34/0304/017/
ACSL/CCSL/CC E-SSW DNS CI/CI INVADING BINOVC/MSTLY CLR SKY DSNT E-ESE
WND LGT SML BRUSH FIRE ESTMTD 5 MI W 280 DEG DIMINISHING/
8/046 56019 10061 20049
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 17
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....83    NORMAL.....56
MIN.....53    NORMAL.....38
MEAN....68    NORMAL.....47
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL......................+21
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.....................+107 [+6.1 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY...............0   DEPARTURE.........-18
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............258   DEPARTURE.........-99
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........4543   DEPARTURE.......-1278
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......5733   DIFFERENCE......-1190
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............28 W   AT 11:14 P.M.
                   AERO..................30 W   AT 11:14 P.M.
                   ASOS..................30 W   AT 11:15 P.M.
                   DAVIS.................31 WNW AT  6:48 P.M. RMY 32 
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........21 NW  AT  5:46 P.M.   
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............21 NW  AT 10:26 P.M.
DAVIS MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE AVERAGE...........20 WNW AT  5:46 P.M.  
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.......14.0 WNW 
                   ASOS................13.1
                   DAVIS...............12.4 W [280 deg.]
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00   DEPARTURE..........-0.14
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........0.35   DEPARTURE..........-2.45
                         ASOS..............0.32
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........6.44   DEPARTURE.........-10.36
                         ASOS..............6.47
     
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..........-1.8
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............24.2    DEPARTURE.........-34.5
 
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/+1/0.14/0.0/360/47    20 SSW AERO 20 MPH SSW RMY N/A
4/2  51/35/43/+2/0.04/T/353/46      35 NNW AERO 33 MPH NNW RMY 35
4/3  57/31/44/+2/0.00/0.0/724/94    36 NW  AERO 37 MPH NW  RMY 40
4/4  62/38/50/+8/T/0.0/688/89     40 NW  AERO 39 MPH NW  RMY 43
4/5  51/33/42/-1/0.00/0.0/660/85    29 NW  AERO 27 MPH NW  RMY 30
4/6  51/31/41/-2/0.00/0.0/623/80    26 NNW AERO 26 MPH NNW RMY 28
4/7  54/32/43/0/0.00/0.0/305/39     31 NW  AERO 32 MPH NW  RMY 32
4/8  51/37/44/0/0.00/0.0/086/11     32 NW  AERO 31 MPH NW  RMY 33
4/9  57/43/50/+6/T/0.0/323/41       44 W   AERO 42 MPH W   RMY 44
4/10 61/40/51/+6/0.00/0.0/600/76    32 W   AERO 31 MPH W   RMY 34
4/11 57/40/49/+4/0.00/0.0/397/50    21 NE  AERO 20 MPH NE  RMY 22
4/12 54/39/47/+2/0.16/0.0/127/16    25 NNW AERO 24 MPH NNW RMY 28
4/13 63/36/50/+4/0.00/0.0/782/98    24 W   AERO 23 MPH W   RMY 25
4/14 70/44/57/+11/0.00/0.0/426/53   25 SSW AERO 27 MPH SSW RMY 28
4/15 75/52/64/+17/T/0.0/.../..      23 W   AERO 23 MPH W   RMY 25
4/16 89/57/73/+26/0.01/0.0/.../..   28 SSW AERO 30 MPH SSW RMY 32
4/17 83/53/68/+21/0.00/0.0/.../..   28 W   AERO 28 MPH W   RMY 32
 
4/18 the morning low temp: 47F; the normal low is now 39F
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR APRIL 2012
4/16 - NEW DAILY RECORD HIGH MAXIMUM TEMP OF 89F;
surpasses the previous record of 87F in 1896.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR APRIL 18
HIGH 92 IN 1976
LOW 23 1887
PRECIP 1.48 IN 1954
SNOWFALL 3.7 IN. IN 1965
PEAK GUST 59 MPH S IN 1982
 
RECORDS FOR APRIL 19
HIGH 94 IN 1976 [RECORD FOR MONTH]
LOW 21 IN 1890
PRECIP 1.71 IN 1969
SNOWFALL 6.0 IN. IN 1887
PEAK GUST 66 MPH E IN 1984
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling/Peter Volpe