BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA   DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME   CLEAR CONDITIONS TODAY AS STRATOCUMULUS AND COLD BROUGHT IN FROM OFFSHORE FROM THE NE.   The general flow for today has been from the NE bringing unseasonable cold and stratocumulus retrograding from offshore. By 1:00 PM EST the mercury had climbed from a morning low of 29F to a maximum so far of 39F.   Yesterday's average temperature of 36 degrees marks the first large negative departure from the 30 year norms for the month of April following a stretch of warmth average 5 degrees above the norm.   Snow and ice pellets that fell yesterday remained only in patches as a trace in shaded areas around the summit as of 7:00 AM EST this morning.   Today's Observations:   7 A.M. Weather: Scattered stratocumulus, broken cirrostratus Temperature: 32F; Dew Point: 20F; Wind: NE at 14G23 kts. Wind: Peak wind from NE @ 26 kts @ 6:21 A.M.  Sea-level pressure: 30.76 ins. Hg, rising unsteadily Visibility: 50 miles, light distant haze   6-hr max temp: 32F 6-hr min temp: 29F 24-hr precip:  none Snow depth on ground: TRACE BHO SA 1155 26 SCT E250 BKN 50 417/32/20/0514G23/076/ LGT DSNT HZ ALQDS PK WND 0526/21/ 8/508 53021 10032 20029   10 A.M. Weather: Scattered stratocumulus, broken cirrostratus  Temperature: 36F; Dew Point: 21F; Wind: NE at 14G24 kts, Wind: Peak wind gust 28 kts ENE @ 9:39 A.M. Sea-level pressure: 30.81 ins. Hg, rising then more slowly Visibility: 40 miles, light distant haze BHO SA 1455 26 SCT E250 BKN 40 433/36/21/0414G24/081/ LGT DSNT HZ ALQDS PK WND 0628/39/ 8/508 51016   1 P.M.  Weather: Scattered stratocumulus, broken cirrostratus   Temperature: 37F; Dew Point: 23F; Wind: NE at 14G24 kts Sea-level pressure: 30.78 ins. Hg, decreasing, then more slowly Visibility: 40 miles, light distant haze  6-hr max temp: 39F 6-hr min temp: 32F  BHO SA 1755 32 SCT E250 BKN 40 424/37/23/0514G22/078/ LGT DSNT HZ ALQDS/ 8/508 56009 10039 10032   WEATHER SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014   TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....43    NORMAL.....56 MIN.....28    NORMAL.....38 MEAN....36    NORMAL.....47   DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL........................-11 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH........................+72 [+4.3 DEGREES/DAY]   HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN) TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............29  DEPARTURE.........+11 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............264  DEPARTURE.........-73      TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........5891  DEPARTURE.........+71 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......5343  DIFFERENCE.......+548   PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY..................39 NNW AT  7:28 A.M.                       AERO.......................N/A                     ASOS.......................43 NW  AT  7:28 A.M.                       DAVIS......................34 NW  AT  6:50 A.M. RMY 39 FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY....................30 NNW AT  7:04 A.M.    MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.................28 NW  AT  6:50 A.M.     MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE................25 NW  AT  7:28 A.M.     AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION............14.7 NNW                           ASOS.....................15.0                           DAVIS....................12.8 NW [321 deg] * last of several occurrences...   PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00  DEPARTURE.............-0.15                          ASOS..............0.00 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........2.86  DEPARTURE.............+0.20                                ASOS..............2.84 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........17.98  DEPARTURE.............+1.32                          ASOS.............18.38   SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE..............-0.1 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................0.8  DEPARTURE..............-1.5 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............85.6  DEPARTURE.............+23.6   PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR APRIL 2014 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 RMY:  R.M. Young wind gust recording system TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day) ....: Data not yet available, records not finalized   4/1  48/31/40/-1/0.00/0.0/694/91          29 NNE AERO N/A        RMY N/A 4/2  56/34/45/+4/0.00/0.0/452/69          22 WSW AERO 20 MPH WSW RMY N/A 4/3  55/36/46/+4/0.00/0.0/707/92          23 NNW AERO 22 MPH NW  RMY 25 4/4  47/35/41/-1/0.31/0.0/255/33          26 ESE AERO N/A        RMY 25 4/5  51/33/42/-1/0.19/0.0/186/24          39 WNW AERO N/A        RMY 40 4/6  58/29/44/+1/0.00/0.0/755/97          25 W   AERO N/A        RMY N/A 4/7  59/44/52/+9/0.05/0.0/187/24          28 SSE AERO N/A        RMY N/A 4/8  62/41/52/+8/0.61/0.0/016/02          45 W   AERO N/A        RMY 44 4/9  60/36/48/+4/0.00/0.0/707/90          35 NW  AERO N/A        RMY 36 4/10 57/33/45/0/0.00/0.0/742/94           38 S   AERO N/A        RMY 39 4/11 70/45/58/+13/T/0.0/.../..            32 S   AERO N/A        RMY N/A 4/12 68/44/56/+11/0.00/0.0/.../..         28 W   AERO N/A        RMY 28 4/13 65/45/55/+10/0.04/0.0/.../..         35 S   AERO N/A        RMY N/A 4/14 73/55/64/+18/0.00/0.0/.../..         55 SW  AERO N/A        RMY 62 4/15 66/38/52/+5/..../0.0/000/00          62 S   AERO N/A        RMY 68 4/16 43/28/36/-11/..../.../.../..         39 NNW AERO N/A        RMY 39   4/17 morning low temp: 29F; the normal low is now 38F   DAILY RECORDS FOR APRIL 2014 4/14 - Minimum temperature of 55F EQUALS RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THIS DATE SET IN 1909.   DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):       RECORDS FOR APRIL 17 HIGH 93 IN 2002 LOW 21 IN 1908 PRECIP 1.68 IN 1954 SNOWFALL 1.0 IN. IN 1899 PEAK GUST 63 MPH ESE IN 2011   RECORDS FOR APRIL 18 HIGH 92 IN 1976 LOW 23 1887 PRECIP 1.48 IN 1954 SNOWFALL 3.7 IN. IN 1965 PEAK GUST 59 MPH S IN 1982   TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Brian Fitzgerald