BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
SUNSHINE VERY BRIEFLY AT SUNRISE THEN CLOUDY
TEMPERATURES MUCH COOLER WITH HIGH IN LOW 50'S
BRIEF LIGHT SHOWER EARLY AFTERNOON
 
The sun made a very brief appearance today for just a few minutes 
just after sunrise which was at 7:04 A.M. EDT here at the summit. 
Clouds then filled the sky and a layer of altocumulus was
replaced by a layer of stratus around 3500 to 4500 feet.  A very 
brief light shower failed to completely wet the ground around 
1:30 P.M. EDT.  The high temperature has been 53F at midnight 
and only 52F by early afternoon. 
 
The month remains dry with only 37% of our normal rainfall to date.  
The rainfall deficit for the year has grown to over 12 inches.
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Scattered altocumulus, broken altocumulus, duplicatus,
opacqus, few lower lenticularis, numerous small breaks in broken
layer and large mostly clear sky band extending NW-NE-ESE
Temperature: 47F; Dew Point: 39F; Wind: NNE at 6 kts.
Sea-level pressure: 30.19 ins. Hg, rising 
Visibility: 60 miles, except lower S-W, hazy, S 30 miles,
SW 25 miles, WNW 45 miles, thin smoke layer along/above horizon
SW-WNW
6-hour max. temp. 52F
6-hour min. temp: 47F
BHO SA 1155 65 SCT E90 BKN 60 222/47/39/0306/019/ FEW LWR ACSL
NMRS SML BRKS /THN SPTS IN BKN LYR XCPT LGE CLR SKY BND XTDNG NW-NE-ESE
VSBY S 30 SW 25 WNW 45 THN K LYR ALG/ABV HRZN SW-WNW HZY S-W/
8/070 53011 10052 20047
 
10 A.M. 
Weather: Scattered stratus layer S-W increasing, scattered
altocumulus and overcast altocumulus, ceiling lower S-W,
break in overcast distant NNW-ENE  
Temperature: 51F; Dew Point: 40F; Wind: ENE at 6 kts,
Wind: Light
Sea-level pressure: 30.19 ins. Hg, steady
Visibility: 60 miles, S-W 40 miles, NW 75 miles, distant haze 
BHO SA 1455 35 SCT 70 SCT E90 OVC 60 222/51/40/0606/019/
BINOVC NNW-ENE LWR CIG SW-W STRA LYR INCRSNG
VSBY S-W 40 NW 75 DSNT HZ/ WND LGT 8/67/ 50000
 
1 P.M. 
Weather: Broken stratus, overcast stratus, higher altocumulus,
2 layers visible distant NW-E, break in overcast distant
NW-E, virga SE-SW, RB20E25
Temperature: 49F; Dew Point: 39F; Wind: Calm
Sea-level pressure: 30.16 ins. Hg, falling then more rapidly
Visibility: 50 miles, except 30 miles SE-SW, 60 miles N-E
AND 70 miles NW, distant haze and some precipitation
6-hour max. temp: 52F
6-hour min. temp: 47F
6-hour precip: trace
BHO SA 1755 E38 BKN 48 OVC 50 214/49/39/0000/016/ HIER AC CLDS VSB
AND BINOVC DSNT NW-E VIRGA SE-SW VSBY SE-SW 30 N-NE 60 RB20E25/
8/67/ 58008 MANUAL 6000/ 10052 20047
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....64    NORMAL.....58
MIN.....46    NORMAL.....40
MEAN....55    NORMAL.....49
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.....................+6
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH....................+52 [+2.1 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............10    DEPARTURE........-6
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........227    DEPARTURE.......-56
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........326    DEPARTURE.......-99
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....244    DIFFERENCE......+82
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............27 NW  AT  9:41 A.M.
                   AERO..................24 NW  AT  9:25 A.M.
                   ASOS..................25 NW  AT  9:42 A.M.
                   DAVIS.................25 NW  AT  9:41 A.M. RMY 26
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........18 NW  AT  9:41 A.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............18 NW  AT  9:42 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...........18 NW  AT  9:11 A.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION....... 9.7 NW
                   ASOS.................9.8
                   DAVIS................9.1 NW [320 deg]
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00   DEPARTURE...........-0.16
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........1.29   DEPARTURE...........-2.16
                         ASOS..............1.23
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........29.91   DEPARTURE..........-12.62
                         ASOS.............29.78
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 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
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
 
10/1  66/47/57/0/T/429/61             36 W   AERO 35 MPH WSW RMY 36
10/2  69/53/61/+4/0.12/098/14         18 W   AERO 16 MPH W   RNT 16
10/3  62/58/60/+4/0.02/000/00         20 NE  AERO 18 MPH NE  RMY 18
10/4  61/58/60/+4/0.08/000/00         17 NNE AERO 14 MPH NE  RMY 14
10/5  75/57/66/+10/0.00/623/90        20 SW  AERO 19 MPH SW  RMY 21
10/6  77/48/63/+8/0.20/269/39         36 SSW AERO 37 MPH SSW RMY 36 TSTM
10/7  57/44/51/-4/0.15/185/27         21 WNW AERO 18 MPH WNW RMY 19
10/8  55/40/48/-6/0.00/328/48         17 WNW AERO 15 MPH WNW RMY N/A
10/9  56/49/53/-1/T/000/00            27 E   AERO 25 MPH ENE RMY 25
10/10 60/47/54/0/0.22/000/00          36 WNW AERO 36 MPH WNW RMY 31
10/11 58/41/50/-3/0.00/668/99         35 WNW AERO 33 MPH WNW RMY 34
10/12 51/34/43/-10/0.04/296/44        32 WNW AERO 30 MPH NW  RMY 30
10/13 52/29/41/-12/0.00/582/87        22 SSW AERO 20 MPH WNW RMY N/A
10/14 66/43/55/+3/0.09/167/25         40 SW  AERO 39 MPH SW  RMY 39
10/15 73/58/66/+14/0.03/279/42        43 SSW AERO 43 MPH SSW RMY 43
10/16 61/40/51/0/0.03/522/79          38 WNW AERO 36 MPH WNW RMY 38
10/17 60/35/48/-3/0.00/612/93         22 NW  AERO 18 MPH NW  RMY N/A
10/18 66/46/56/+5/0.00/636/97         25 ESE AERO 23 MPH ESE RMY 25
10/19 66/51/59/+9/0.20/007/01         39 SSE AERO 38 MPH SSE RMY 39
10/20 73/53/63/+13/0.11/377/58        33 SSW AERO 32 MPH SSW RMY 34 TSTM
10/21 63/45/54/+4/0.00/564/87         36 WNW AERO 32 MPH WNW RMY 34
10/22 65/46/56/+7/0.00/632/98         37 WNW AERO 35 MPH WNW RMY 36
10/23 64/46/55/+6/0.00/398/62         27 NW  AERO 24 MPH NW  RMY 26
 
10/24 our morning low temp: 47F; the normal low is now 40F
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 2012
10/13 - NEW DAILY RECORD LOW MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 29F;
        surpasses previous record of 30F set in 1934, 1936, 1988
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 24
HIGH 79F IN 1963
LOW 22F IN 1969
PRECIP 2.96 INCHES IN 1890
SNOWFALL 1.8 INCHES IN 1960
PEAK GUST 70 MPH SE IN 1959
 
RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 25
HIGH 81F IN 1963
LOW 26F IN 1922,1939
PRECIP 2.45 INCHES IN 2005
SNOWFALL 1.2 INCHES IN 1960
PEAK GUST 72 MPH ESE IN 1980
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling