BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2012 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
A MUCH MORE HUMID DAY AT THE SUMMIT WITH DEW POINTS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60's
COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE TONIGHT HOPEFULLY WILL BRING SOME MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL
MAX TEMPERATURE OF 91F THROUGH 2:00 EDT
VERY SUNNY AND VERY DRY JULY TO DATE
 
The brunt of the humidity has arrived as dew points remain in the mid to high
60's today and into this afternoon. High cirrus clouds have been passing over the
Observatory ahead of a cold front currently over the coastal Great Lakes
region. Blue Hill can use some much needed rainfall, where our last
measurable precipitation fell on July 5th! Temperatures reached the mid 80's
shortly after 10:00 EDT this morning and continued to rise until a
cirrostratus layer blanketed the region where temperatures then plateaued.
Winds have been light and variable but will pick up once the cold front
passes through hopefully with some rain. Visibility has been down again due
to haze associated with this air mass.
 
Today will mark the 13th day this month of above normal temperatures, and
that trend will continue into midweek. Our overnight high minimum
temperature records will be in jeopardy for the next few days. Here are the
following record high minimum temperatures that have a chance of being
broken:
 
July 15: 70F set in 1901,1934,1995
July 16: 71F set in 1901,1958,1968
July 17: 74F set in 1900
 
A passing cold front may spark some thunderstorm development later this
afternoon and into tonight. Temperature trends will be very similar to that
of the past couple of days. Expect cooler temperatures in areas of rainfall.
 
July has not only been a very dry month to date but also a very sunny one.
Through 11 days the 75% of possible bright sunshine is far above the
average for the month which is 57%.  The record sunniest July was back in
1952 when this month had 75% of the possible bright sunshine. That month
was also the driest July on record with just 0.13 inch of rainfall.
 
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Scattered cirrus spissatus SE-W-N, scattered cirrus fibratus
radiatus, few altocumulus SE-S, distant haze
Temperature: 75F; Dew Point 65F; Wind: WSW at 6 kts,
Wind: Light and variable
Sea-level pressure: 30.09 ins. Hg, increasing 
Visibility: 30 miles, 40 miles E-SE, distant haze
6-hour min. temp: 68F
BHO SA 1155 200 SCT 250 SCT 30 191/75/65/2506/009/ FEW AC SE-S LWR CI SE-W-N
DSNT HZ VSBY HIER E-SE 40 WND L/V/ 8/041 52003 10075 20068
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Broken cirrus fibratus radiatus/spissatus, contrails all quadrants,
distant haze
Temperature: 87F; Dew Point: 68F; Wind: SW at 3 kts,
Wind: Light and variable
Sea-level pressure: 30.07 ins. Hg, decreasing
Visibility: 30 miles, distant haze
BHO SA 1455 E250 BKN 30 184/87/68/2203/007/ CONTRAILS ALQDS DSNT HZ WND L/V/
8/001 58007
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Overcast cirrostratus, few cumulus SSW and N, few altocumulus all
quadrants, sun dimly visible, distant haze
Temperature: 88F; Dew Point 67F; Wind: S at 9 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.03 ins. Hg, decreasing
Visibility: 30 miles, distant haze
6-hour max temp: 91F 
BHO SA 1755 E250 OVC 30 169/88/67/1909/003/ FEW CU SSW AND N FEW AC ALQDS SUN
DMLY VSBL DSNT HZ/ 8/147 56015 10091 20075
 
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SATURDAY, JULY 14
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....90    NORMAL.....81
MIN.....69    NORMAL.....63
MEAN....80    NORMAL.....72
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.......................+8
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH......................+59 [+4.0 DEGREES/DAY]
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............24 W    AT 3:47 A.M.
                   AERO..................22 W    AT 3:45 A.M.
                   ASOS..................24 W    AT 3:47 A.M.
                   DAVIS.................23 WSW  AT 3:38 A.M. RMY 23
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........19 W    AT 3:48 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............18 W    AT 3:48 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...........17 W    AT 9:25 A.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.......10.0 SW
                   ASOS.................9.5
                   DAVIS................9.1 WSW [245 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..........0.38   DEPARTURE...........-1.28
                         ASOS..............0.36
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........18.07   DEPARTURE..........-10.56
                         ASOS.............17.98
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JULY 2012 CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/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
 
7/1  89/67/78/+8/0.01/676/74        33 WSW AERO 32 MPH WSW RMY 34
7/2  84/66/75/+5/T/644/71           23 W   AERO 22 MPH W   RMY 23
7/3  85/63/74/+3/0.00/787/86        23 W   AERO 21 MPH W   RMY 20
7/4  85/66/76/+5/0.37/480/53        20 W   AERO 20 MPH W   RMY 23
7/5  81/68/75/+4/0.00/729/80        23 NW  AERO 23 MPH NW  RMY 22
7/6  86/64/75/+4/0.00/753/83        18 SSW AERO 18 MPH SSW RMY 19
7/7  81/69/75/+4/T/224/25           23 W   AERO 23 MPH W   RMY 24
7/8  87/66/77/+5/0.00/814/90        23 W   AERO 23 MPH W   RMY 25
7/9  82/61/72/0/0.00/738/85         22 W   AERO 21 MPH W   RMY 23
7/10 83/61/72/0/0.00/852/98         18 W   AERO 18 MPH W   RMY 18
7/11 84/64/74/+2/0.00/768/88        21 W   AERO 21 MPH W   RMY 23
7/12 89/64/77/+5/0.00/.../..        25 SSW AERO 25 MPH SSW RMY 26
7/13 89/66/78/+6/0.00/.../..        28 S   AERO 27 MPH S   RMY 29
7/14 90/69/80/+8/0.00/.../..        24 W   AERO 22 MPH W   RMY 23
 
7/15 morning low temp: 68F; the normal low is now 63F
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR JULY 2012
None so far.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR JULY 15
HIGH 94F IN 1995
LOW 50F IN 1929, 1930
PRECIP 1.64 INS IN 1896
WIND 71 MPH WNW IN 2002
 
RECORDS FOR JULY 16
HIGH 94F IN 1968, 1980, 1983, 1999
LOW 50F IN 1889, 1903
PRECIP 0.89 INS IN 1919
WIND 48e MPH SW 1944
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: George Tabeek