BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
HEAT WAVE EXTENDS TO 5 DAYS WITH 91F TODAY
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED RAPIDLY EARLY AFTERNOON
STORMS BRINGING STRONG WINDS, FLASH FLOODING,
SEVERE LIGHTNING BY MID-AFTERNOON BUT NO RAIN
AT BLUE HILL AS OF 3 P.M.
 
Today's high temperature of 91F made this the 5th
day of the current heat wave and followed the high
reading of 95F on Tuesday.
 
Thunderstorms developed rapidly across southern New
England by mid-afternoon.  A brief tornado warning
was issued for part of Suffolk County with numerous
severe thunderstorm warnings in effect.  No rain
had occurred here at Blue Hill but with lots of
thunder and lightning being observed.  A peak wind
gust to 40 MPH NE was observed at 2:34 P.M. EDT Temp-
eratures had dropped to the upper 70's by 3 P.M. EDT.
 
For the 3 weeks ending July 16, only 0.42 inch of precipitation has
been observed.  That was only 18% of average.  The rainfall deficit
over this 3 week period was 1.96 inches.
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Scattered altocumulus castellanus, patch dense cirrus ESE, hazy
Temperature: 82F; Dew Point: 71F 
Wind: W at 7 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.79 ins. Hg. and rising then rising more rapidly   
Visibility: 10 miles, hazy
24-hour precip: 0.01
6-hour min. temp: 77F
BHO SA 1155 130 SCT 200 SCT 10 089/82/71/2607/979/
ACC NMRS ALQDS FEW LWR ACC PTCH DNS CI VC ESE HAZY/
8/082 53018 MANUAL 6001/ ASOS 60001 MANUAL 70001
ASOS 70001 10082 20077
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Scattered altocumulus, scattered altocumulus lenticularis,
cumulus forming W-NW, patch dense cirrus NW, hazy
Temperature: 90F Dew Point: 71F
Wind: WSW at 6 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.82 ins. Hg. rising then steady
Visibility: 12 miles, hazy
BHO SA 1455 130 SCT 200 SCT 12 099/90/71/2404/982/
FEW CU FRMG W-NW LONE MDT CU FRMG NW FEW ACSL ALQDS
FEW CI PATCH DNS CI NW HAZY/ 8/242 51010 
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered cumulonimbus, towering cumulus, moderate
cumulus, cumulus, altocumulus cumulogenitus, dense cirrus
in cumulonimbus anvil spreading overhead from north,
cumulonimbus NNW-NNE moving east, frequent distant cloud to
ground lightning NNW-NNE
Temperature: 88F;  Dew Point: 72F
Wind: SE at 7 kts,
Wind: Direction variable E-SSE 
Sea-level pressure: 29.77 ins. Hg., falling then falling more rapidly 
Visibility: 15 miles, except 12 miles north 
6-hour max temp: 91F
BHO SA 1755 35 SCT 95 SCT E130 BKN 200 BKN 15 081/88/72/1307/977/
CB NNW-NNE MOVG E ANVIL APPRCHNG OVHD FRM N FQT LTGCG N TCU/MDT
CU ALQDS ACCU N VSBY N 12 HAZY ALQDS WND 08V15 SEABREEZE BEGAN 1658Z/
8/963 58018 10091 20082
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, JULY 17
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....95    NORMAL.....81
MIN.....71    NORMAL.....63
MEAN....83    NORMAL.....72
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.......................+11
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH......................+87 [+4.9 DEGREES/DAY]
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............33 SSW AT 4:59  P.M. *
                   AERO..................33 SSW AT 4:35  P.M.
                   ASOS..................33 SW  AT 5:28  P.M.
                   DAVIS.................33 SW  AT 4:59  P.M. RMY 35
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........26 SW  AT 4:44  P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............25 SW  AT 4:46  P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...........25 SSW AT 15:28 P.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION........12.9 SSW
                   ASOS.................12.0
                   DAVIS................11.4 WSW [235 deg]
* Last of several occurrences
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M... 0.01   DEPARTURE...........-0.13
                         ASOS..............0.01
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........0.39   DEPARTURE...........-1.68
                         ASOS..............0.37
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........18.08   DEPARTURE..........-10.96
                         ASOS.............17.99
 
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 91/68/80/+8/T/.../..           18 SW  AERO 18 MPH SSW RMY 20
7/16 91/70/81/+9/T/.../..           23 NW  AERO 23 MPH NW  RMY 24
7/17 95/71/83/+11/0.00/.../..       33 SSW AERO 33 MPH SSW RMY 35
 
7/18 morning low temp: 77F; 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 18
HIGH 96F IN 1991, 1999
LOW 54F IN 1892, 1956, 1971
PRECIP 1.65 INS IN 2000
WIND 43e MPH SW IN 1949
 
RECORDS FOR JULY 19
HIGH 96F IN 1977, 1991
LOW 50F IN 1890
PRE 1.10 INS IN 1951
WIND 63 MPH SSW IN 1982
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling, Jonathan O'Brien,
Joey McNamara