BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2014 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME "DODGING THE BULLET" HERE ATOP BLUE YESTERDAY THUNDERSTORMS WITH CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING DOWNPOUR AND MANY REPORTS OF HAIL YESTERDAY HIGH HAZE/SMOKE LAYER ALOFT TO OUR SOUTH TODAY Here at Blue Hill we oberved many thunderstorms around us but nothing hit here at the summit. Only a trace of rain was recorded a couple of times during the day. Towering cumulus and cumulonimbus were observed with cloud to ground lightning and booms of thunderstorm. One quarter to half inch hail was reported all around us but nothing occurred here. A high layer of haze and smoke appeared in the southern to southwestern sky today and might could have been mistaken for high clouds. Today's Observations: 7 A.M. Weather: Clear, SKC, haze/smoke layer distant SSE-SW Temperature: 62F; Dew Point: 55F; Wind: NW at 9 kts Sea-level pressure: 30.02 ins. Hg, rising, then more slowly Visibility: 55 miles, light distant 6-hr max temp: 62F 6-hr min temp: 55F 24-hr precip: trace BHO SA 1155 CLR, SKC 55 166/62/55/3109/002/ HIGH HZ/K LYR ALF SSE-SW XTDNG DSNT SSE-VC S-SW LGT DSNT HZ/ 51016 MANUAL 70000 10062 20055 10 A.M. Weather: Clear, few cumulus fractus forming vicinity SSE, few cumulus forming distant WSW-NW, high haze/smoke layer aloft SSE-SW Temperature: 74F; Dew Point: 56F; Wind: W at 7 kts, Wind: Direction WSW variable to NNW Sea-level pressure: 30.04 ins. Hg, rising slightly Visibility: 55 miles, distant haze BHO SA 1455 CLR 55 172/74/56/2807/004/ FEW CUFRA FRMG VC SSE FEW CU FRMG DSNT WSW-NW HIGH HZ/K LYR ALF SSE-SW DSNT HZ WND 25V33/ 8/100 51006 1 P.M. Weather: Scattered cumulus/moderate cumulus, high haze/smoke layer aloft SSW-WSW Temperature: 81F; Dew Point: 54F; Wind: W at 7 kts, Sea-level pressure: 30.01 ins. Hg, falling, then more quickly Visibility: 60 miles, NW 70 miles NW, light distant haze 6-hr max temp: 81F 6-hr min. temp: 62F 6-hr precip: none BHO SA 1755 50 SCT 60 163/81/54/2907/001/ CU/MDT CU ALQDS HZ/K LYR ALF S-W VSBY NW 70 LGT DSNT HZ/ 8/200 58009 10081 20062 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014 TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....79 NORMAL.....81 MIN.....58 NORMAL.....63 MEAN....69 NORMAL.....72 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.........................+3 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.........................-7* [-1.2 DEGREE/DAY] * A CORRECTION HAS BEEN MADE TO MONTHLY DEP. COOLING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JAN TO DEC) TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............4 DEPARTURE..........-3 TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............43 DEPARTURE..........-7 TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........380 DEPARTURE.........-21 TOTAL COOLING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......513 DIFFERENCE.......-133 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY..................22 NW AT 3:48 P.M. * ASOS.......................24 NW AT 3:48 P.M. DAVIS......................23 WNW AT 3:48 P.M. RMY 24 FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY....................N/A MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.................18 NW AT 3:48 P.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE................16 WNW AT 3:48 P.M. AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION..............9.4 NW ASOS.......................9.5 DAVIS......................8.2 NW [310 deg.] * last of several occurrences... PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M...trace DEPARTURE..........-0.14 ASOS..............0.00 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR AUGUST.............0.19 DEPARTURE..........-0.85 ASOS..............0.15 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........29.71 DEPARTURE..........-2.21 ASOS.............32.03 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR AUGUST CALENDAR DAY DATA DATA REPORTED: DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/RMY 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 8/1 86/63/75/+3/0.00/.../.. 25 S RMY 29 8/2 68/59/64/-8/..../.../.. 21 ESE RMY 22 8/3 71/60/66/-6/..../.../.. 12 SE RMY 12 8/4 83/64/74/+2/0.00/.../.. 20 S RMY 21 8/5 87/66/77/+5/0.00/.../.. 17 S RMY 19 8/6 79/64/72/0/0.06/.../.. 23 WNW RMY 25 8/7 79/58/69/-3/T/.../.. 22 NW RMY 24 TSTM 8/8 morning low of 55F; the normal low is now 63F DAILY RECORDS FOR AUGUST 2014: None so far. DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): RECORDS FOR AUGUST 8 HIGH 93F IN 1909,1949 LOW 47F IN 1903 PRECIP 3.08 INCHES IN 1976 PEAK GUST 45 MPH WNW IN 1958 RECORDS FOR AUGUST 9 HIGH 100F IN 1949 LOW 49F IN 1899 PRE 2.65 INS IN 1976 PEAK GUST 90 MPH SW IN 1968 TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling