BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY 
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2013    
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

JANUARY TEMPERATURES AVERAGING NEAR NORMAL NOW
STILL NO SIGN OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH   
2012 FINISHED WARMEST AND LEAST WINDY OF ANY YEAR

Yesterday was the third consecutive day to have above normal temperatures
and today may become the fourth. After two very cold days on January 2-3
warmer than normal temperatures have returned.  This morning's low of
29 degrees was 11 degrees above the average minimum for this date. This
has been a very dry month with only a trace of precipitation so far. 

At Blue Hill, 2012 finished as the warmest year on record by a significant
margin.  The year also finished with the lowest wind speed on record,
again by a significant margin.

Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus moderate cumuloform tops distant
offshore E, patch altocumulus lenticularis distant SW, patches of
altocumulus and altocumulus lenticularis NW-NE-SE, thin fog and hazy 
Temperature: 29F; Dew Point: 26F; Wind: WNW at 11 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.10 ins. Hg, rising then more rapdily 
Visibility: 15 miles, thin fog and hazy 
Snow on ground: 3 inches
6-hourly min. temp: 29F
BHO SA 1155 CLR 15 194/29/26/3011/010/ FEW SC MDT TPS OFFSHR DSNT E PTCH
ACSL DSNT SW PTCHS AC/ACSL NW-NE-SE THN F HZY/ 8/540 4/003 53029 10031
20029 

10 A.M. 
Weather: Clear, cumulus, cumulus fractus, stratocumulus lenticularis, moderate 
cumulus forming SSE-S, few small cumulus, cumulus fractus forming SSW-NW
Temperature: 35F; Dew Point: 27F; Wind: NNW at 14g21 kts, 
Wind: Gradually veering, APPARENT FRONTAL PASSAGE
Wind: Direction variable WNW to N    
Sea-level pressure: 30.23 ins. Hg, rising then more rapidly  
Visibility: 30 miles, hazy, thin haze/smoke layer along and 
above horizon W-N-E
BHO SA 1455 CLR 30 238/35/27/3314G21/023/ CU/SC/FEW SCSL FEW MDT CU FRMG
SSE-S CU/FEW CUFRA FRMG SSW-NW THN KHZ LYR ALG/ABV HRZN W-N-E HZY ALQDS
WND GRDLY VEERING WND 29V01 APRNT FROPA/ 8/800 53044  

1 P.M.
Weather: Clear, line of cumulus/moderate cumulus NNE-SSE, small cumulus,
cumulus fractus forming distant SSW-NW, distant stratocumulus NE-SE   
Temperature: 37F; Dew Point: 22F; Wind: N at 9G17kts,
Wind: direction variable NW-S-WNW
Sea-level pressure: 30.28 ins. Hg, rising then more rapidly 
Visibility: 35 miles, hazy, except 30 miles NE-SE  
6-hour max: 38F 
6-hour min: 29F
BHO SA 1755 CLR 35 253/37/22/3509G17/028/ LINE CU/MDT CU NNE-SSE 
FEW CUFRA/SML CU SSE-WSW FEW SC DSNT NNE-SSE VSBY NE-SE 30 
HAZY ALQDS WND 31V04/ 8/800 53015 10038 20029 

WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 6

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....42      NORMAL.....34
MIN.....26      NORMAL.....18
MEAN....34      NORMAL.....26
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL......................+8
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH......................-1 [-0.4 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............31    DEPARTURE.........-8
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........233    DEPARTURE.........+1
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........2261    DEPARTURE.......-275
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....1960    DIFFERENCE......+301

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) 
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...............29 SW  AT  10:49 A.M. 
                   AERO....................29 SW  AT  10:49 A.M. 
                   ASOS....................29 SW  AT  10:49 A.M. 
                   DAVIS...................27 SW  AT  10:49 A.M. RMY: 29
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.............19 SW  AT  10:03 A.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..............20 SW  AT  10:03 A.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.............19 SW  AT  10:03 A.M. 
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.........10.6 SW  
                   ASOS..................10.4 
                   DAVIS..................9.8  SW [230 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.........Trace   DEPARTURE..........-0.86
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........Trace   DEPARTURE..........-0.86
                         ASOS..............0.00

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.........0.0   DEPARTURE............-0.6
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH...............0.1   DEPARTURE............-3.3
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON.............15.5   DEPARTURE............-4.0	


PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 2013 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

1/1   35/18/27/0/0.00/0.0/.../..      44 WNW AERO 44 MPH WNW RMY 45
1/2   29/11/20/-7/0.00/0.0/.../..     35 WNW AERO 35 MPH WNW RMY 33
1/3   23/2/13/-13/0.00/0.0/.../..     24 WNW AERO 23 MPH WNW RMY 23
1/4   38/19/29/+3/0.00/0.0/.../..     35 W   AERO 36 MPH W   RMY 36
1/5   40/27/34/+8/0.00/0.0/.../..     36 WNW AERO 37 MPH WNW RMY 38
1/6   42/26/34/+8/T/0.1/.../..        29 SW  AERO 29 MPH SW  RMY 29 

1/7   morning low temp: 29F; the normal low is now 18F

DAILY RECORDS FOR JANUARY 2013
None so far.

DAILY EXTREMES 
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):

RECORDS FOR JANUARY 7
HIGH 60F IN 1930
LOW -7F IN 1896
PRECIP 1.97 INS. IN 1977
SNOWFALL 16.0 INS. IN 1977
PEAK GUST 74 MPH NW IN 1968

RECORDS FOR JANUARY 8
HIGH 65F IN 2008 
LOW -8F IN 1968
PRECIP 1.70 INS. IN 1958,1979
SNOWFALL 12.5 INS. IN 1996
PEAK GUST 77 MPH NNW IN 1958


TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling/Patrick Peters