BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2012 MLK DAY
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
SECOND VERY COLD MORNING DOWN TO 5F
AFTER BITTER COLD DAY YESTERDAY WITH
A MAXIMUM OF 17 DEGREES--COLDEST SINCE 
JANUARY 24, 2011, MAX. 11F; MIN -7F
 
The coldest Arctic air mass of the season brought a very
low maximum temperature of only 16F on Sunday with the
day averaging 10 degrees or 15 degrees below normal.
This morning's low was very close to yesterday's reaching
5 degrees.  However, as the air mass modifies our temperatures
are moving up today through the 20's and had reached 28 degrees
by 1 P.M. this afternoon with light winds backing to the
south-southwest. Both nearby ponds are completely frozen
after Houghton's was reported at 9/10 cover yesterday.
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M. 
Weather: Clear, stratocumulus layer along and offshore NE-SE and
along and offshore distant S, few ACSL SSW
Temperature: 6F, Dew point: -3F, Wind: WNW at 10 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 30.53 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 50 miles, distant haze
6-hour min. temp: 5F
BHO SA 1155 CLR 50 347/6/-3/3009/053/ SC LYR ALG/OFFSHR NE-SE
FEW ACSL SSW LGT DSNT HZ/ 8/540 53005 10006 20005
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Thin broken cirrus, 2 layers, few stratocumulus
offshore distant E-ESE 
Temperature: 16F, Dew Point: 1F; Wind: W at 3 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 30.57 inches Hg, rising, then more slowly  
Visibility: 60 miles, except 70 miles NW 
BHO SA 1455 250 –SCT 300 –BKN 60 353/16/1/2803/057/ BINOVC DSNT NE-E
SC OFFSHR DSNT E-ESE K LYR XTDNG NW-E VSBY NW 70 LGT DSNT HZ/
8/501 51006
 
1 P.M. 
Weather: Scattered altocumulus/altocumulus lenticularis,
scattered cirrocumulus, scattered dense cirrus,
thin broken cirrus, few stratocumulus offshore distant
ENE-ESE
Temperature: 27F, Dew Point: 2F; Wind: SSW at 8 kts,
Wind: Direction variable SSE-SW
Sea-level pressure: 30.47 inches Hg, falling steadily 
Visibility: 60 miles, except 70 miles NW 
6-hour max. temp: 28F  
BHO SA 1755 150 SCT 220 SCT 250 –BKN 300 –BKN 60 318/27/2/2008/047/
FEW SC OFFSHR DSNT ENE-ESE THN K LYR NNE-E PTCHS ACSL/PTCHS CC FEW
PTCHS DNS CI WND 16V23/ 8/542 58035 10028 20006 
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 15
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....16    NORMAL.....33
MIN......4    NORMAL.....17
MEAN....10    NORMAL.....25
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.....................-15
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.....................+90 [+5.8 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY.............55   DEPARTURE........+15
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH............499   DEPARTURE........-81
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........2252   DEPARTURE.......-656
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....2813   DIFFERENCE......-561
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............36 NW  AT  3:59 P.M.
                   AERO..................36 NW  AT  4:45 P.M. *
                   ASOS..................37 NW  AT  4:00 P.M.
                   DAVIS.................37 NW  AT  4:14 P.M. RMY 37
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........27 NW  AT  4:16 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............26 NW  AT  4:16 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...........26 NW  AT  4:16 P.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.......15.4 NW
                   ASOS................15.0
                   DAVIS...............13.9 NW [310 deg]
* Last of several occurrences.
 
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..........1.52  DEPARTURE...........-0.62
                         ASOS..............1.53
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........1.52  DEPARTURE...........-0.62
                        ASOS...............1.53
     
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE..........-0.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................0.7  DEPARTURE..........-6.8     
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON...............9.2  DEPARTURE.........-11.9     
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 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
 
1/1  51/35/42/+16/0.01/0.0/494/90   35 S   AERO 35 MPH S   RMY 37
1/2  48/30/39/+12/0.02/T/346/63     36 W   AERO 36 MPH W   RMY 37
1/3  30/11/21/-5/0.00/0.0/446/81    39 NW  AERO 38 MPH NW  RMY 39
1/4  26/7/17/-9/0.00/0.0/468/85     28 NW  AERO 25 MPH NW  RMY N/A
1/5  35/20/28/+2/T/T/166/30         27 W   AERO 25 MPH W   RMY 26
1/6  47/23/35/+9/0.01/0.1/.../..    26 S   AERO 25 MPH S   RMY 27
1/7  59/39/49/+23/0.00/0.0/477/86   29 WSW AERO 29 MPH SW  RMY 30
1/8  43/26/35/+9/0.00/0.0/367/66    28 W   AERO 27 MPH W   RMY N/A
1/9  39/21/30/+4/0.00/0.0/.../..    22 S   AERO 21 MPH S   RMY 24
1/10 43/28/36/+11/0.05/0.5/.../..   29 WNW AERO 30 MPH WNW RMY 32
1/11 38/27/33/+8/0.00/0.0/.../..    24 E   AERO 24 MPH E   RMY N/A
1/12 40/31/36/+11/1.37/0.1/000/00   52 ENE AERO 52 MPH NE  RMY 49
1/13 50/27/39/+14/0.06/T/.../..     63 SW  AERO 67 MPH SW  RMY 67
1/14 33/16/25/0/0.00/0.0/.../..     36 WSW AERO 37 MPH WSW RMY 35
1/15 16/4/10/-15/0.00/0.0/.../..    36 NW  AERO 36 MPH NW  RMY 37
 
morning low temp: 5F; the normal low is now 17F
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR JANUARY 2012
None so far.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR JANUARY 16
HIGH 63F IN 1995
LOW -12F IN 2004
PRECIP 1.32 INS. IN 1936
SNOWFALL 14.0 INS. IN 1965
PEAK GUST 79 MPH WNW IN 1960
 
RECORDS FOR JANUARY 17
HIGH 55F IN 1973,1995
LOW -8F IN 1907,1982
PRECIP 1.43 INS. IN 1956
SNOWFALL 13.4 INS. IN 1956
PEAK GUST 62 MPH S IN 1994
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling/Patrick Peters