BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA   DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014     ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME   STILL ANOTHER DAY WITH CLOUDS PREVAILING SUNSHINE FOR THE MONTH DOWN NEAR 30% OF POSSIBLE   During a month of December which may rank among the cloudiest on record, the sun is again hidden behind a dense deck of stratocumulus clouds today. Yesterday we managed to get some sunshine after the 8th day with no sunshine on December 17th.  The monthly percentage is around 30%.  Normal is in the 45% range.    Today's Observations:   7 A.M. Weather: Scattered stratocumulus, higher overcast stratocumulus, break in overcast distant NNE-NE and SE-SSW Temperature: 31F; Dew Point: 25F; Wind: NW at 10 kts Sea-level pressure: 29.91 ins. Hg, rising then more rapidly                     Visibility: 55 miles, light distant haze 6-hr max temp: 34F 6-hr min temp: 30F 24-hr precip:  0.01 in. 24-hr snowfall: trace  BHO SA 1155 26 SCT E45 OVC 55 128/31/25/3010/991/ BINOVC NNE-NE AND SE-SSW LGT DSNT HZ TRACE SNW PST 24 HRS/ 8/5// 53011 MANUAL 70001 ASOS 70001 10034 20030    10 A.M. Weather: Overcast stratocumulus, bright sky and cumulus visible SE-SSW and bright sky/cumulus visible distant N-NE, mountain in cloud 70 NW   Temperature: 32F; Dew Point: 23F; Wind: NW at 11G19 kts, Wind: Gust to 23 kts past hour Wind: Direction variability WNW-N Sea-level pressure: 29.96 ins. Hg, rising then more slowly e     Visibility: 75 miles, mountain in cloud 70 NW BHO SA 1455 E24 OVC 75 144/32/23/3211G19/996/ BRGHT SKY/CU VSB ALG HRZN DSNT SE-SSW AND SML BINOVC/CU VSB ALG HRZN DSNT N-NE MTN INCLD 70 NW WND GST 23 KTS PST HR WND 29V35/ 8/8// 51016    1 P.M. Weather: Overcast stratocumulus, bright spots in overcast along horizon distant SSE-SW, break in overcast distant N-NNE, mountain in cloud 70 NW    Temperature: 32F; Dew Point: 22F; Wind: NW at 10 kts Sea-level pressure: 29.94 ins. Hg, falling, then steady   Visibility: 75 miles, mountain in cloud 70 NW  6-hr max temp: 32F 6-hr min temp: 31F 6-hr precip: none BHO SA 1755 // OVC 75 137/32/22/3110/994/ BRT SPTS IOVC ALG HRZN DSNT SSE-SW BINOVC DSNT N-NNE MTN IN CLD 70 NW/ 8/5// 56007 10032 20031   SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2014   TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....41   NORMAL.....38 MIN.....32   NORMAL.....23 MEAN....37   NORMAL.....31   DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.........................+6 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH........................+39 [+2.0 DEGREES/DAY]   HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN) TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............28  DEPARTURE...........-7 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............527  DEPARTURE..........-41     TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........1686  DEPARTURE.........-144 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......1864  DIFFERENCE........-178   PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY..................35 WNW AT 12:08 P.M.                        ASOS.......................38 WNW AT 12:08 P.M.                        DAVIS......................37 W   AT 11:11 A.M. RMY 38 FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY....................27 WNW AT 11:11 A.M.       MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.................28 WNW AT 11:11 A.M.      MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE................25 WNW AT 11:11 A.M.      AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION...........15.0 W                         ASOS....................14.7                        DAVIS...................12.6 W (280 degrees)  * Last of several occurrences...                 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M... 0.01  DEPARTURE.....-0.14                          ASOS..............0.01 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........5.85  DEPARTURE.....+2.92 (corr.)                               ASOS..............6.01  TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........53.61  DEPARTURE.....+2.15                          ASOS.............54.20     SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.........trace DEPARTURE......-0.6 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................0.6  DEPARTURE......-6.1 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON...............9.3  DEPARTURE......+0.0    PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER CALENDAR DAY DATA DATA REPORTED: DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOWFALL/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   12/1  63/37/50/+13/0.01/0.0/391/70             28 WNW RMY 31 12/2  37/30/34/-2/0.10/T/000/00                26 E   RMY 29 12/3  49/34/42/+6/0.31/0.0/000/00              40 W   RMY 43 12/4  41/27/34/-1/0.00/0.0/505/91              29 WNW RMY N/A 12/5  42/23/33/-2/0.12/0.0/382/69              21 E   RMY 22 12/6  43/36/40/+5/0.99/0.0/000/00              25 NNW RMY N/A 12/7  36/18/27/-7/0.15/0.0/193/35              31 N   RMY 34 12/8  25/16/21/-13/0.01/0.1/000/00             24 N   RMY N/A 12/9  48/25/37/+3/3.23/0.0/000/00              48 ENE RMY 52 12/10 47/35/41/+8/0.43/0.0/000/00              35 NNE RMY 37 12/11 35/29/32/-1/0.05/0.5/000/00              27 SW  RMY 27  12/12 36/26/31/-2/0.00/0.0/230/42              23 WNW RMY 25 12/13 40/27/34/+2/0.00/0.0/191/35              28 NW  RMY 28 12/14 43/28/36/+4/0.00/0.0/377/69              20 NW  RMY 20 12/15 41/28/35/+3/0.00/0.0/536/98              17 NW  RMY 17 12/16 42/33/38/+7/T/T/011/02                   17 E   RMY N/A 12/17 45/37/41/+10/0.43/0.0/000/00             27 W   RMY N/A 12/18 41/32/37/+6/0.02/T/.../39                35 WNW RMY 38         12/19 morning low temp: 30F since midnight; normal low is now 23F   DAILY RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 2014:      -DAILY PRECIPITATION RECORD FOR DECEMBER 9 2014      Old record of 1.51 inches set in 1952,      replaced with new record of 3.23 inches.   DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):       RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 19 HIGH 59 IN 1899 LOW -1 IN 1919 PRECIP 2.06 INS. IN 1986 SNOWFALL 14.1 INS. IN 1945 PEAK GUST 68 NE IN 1986   RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 20 HIGH 61 IN 1957 LOW -16 IN 1942 PRECIP 1.69 INS. IN 1936 SNOWFALL 13.7 INS. IN 2009 PEAK GUST 75 MPH S IN 2002   TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling