BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
STEEP TEMPERATURE INVERSION DEVELOPED OVERNIGHT
A VERY COLD START TO MARCH CONTINUES...
ONLY TWO OUT OF TEN DAYS ENDING MARCH 6
HAD ABOVE FREEZING MAXIMA...
SEVEN OUT OF LAST TEN DAYS HAD DOUBLE DIGIT
BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES
 
Temperatures dropped to the single numbers above zero,
very, very  cold for early March this morning in the area.
However here at the summit of Blue Hill the low was
a not so cold 16F.
 
We have experienced an unusually cold start to
the month of March with the first six days of the
month averaging 9.7 degrees colder than normal.
 
Yesterday, March 6, was yet another very cold day
and averaged 15 degrees colder than normal.
Eight out of the past ten days have had sub-freezing
maximum temperatures beginning with February 25.
 
Today's Observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Scattered dense cirrostratus (layer extending SE-WSW),
thin broken cirrostratus, few cirrus NW-NE
Temperature: 21F; Dew Point: -2F; Wind: SSE at 5 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.40 ins. Hg, falling slightly
Visibility: 30 miles, patchy thin fog below inversion, visibility to
the distant WNW 60 miles above inversion, Mt. Washusett summit
clearly visible
6-hr min temp: 16F
6-hr max temp: 21F
24-hr precip: none 
Snow depth: 7 inches 
BHO SA 1155 220 SCT 250 SCT 300 -BKN 30 295/21/-2/1405/040/
LWR DNS CS LYR XTDNG ESE-WSW PTCHS THN F BLO INVSN
VSBY 60 ABV INVSN DSNT WNW THN K LYR ALG HRZN NNE-NE/
8/008 4/007 58009 10021 20016
 
10 A.M. 
Weather: Scattered dense cirrostratus, thin layer overhead,
Temperature: 29F Dew Point: 19F; Wind: SE at 4 kts,
Wind: Light 
Sea-level pressure: 30.35 ins. Hg, falling, then more slowly
Visibility: 25 miles, hazy all quadrants, thin smoke layer WSW-N  
BHO SA 1455 250 SCT 300 BKN 25 279/29/19/1404/035/ LWR DNS CS 
LYR XTDNG DSNT ESE-SW HAZY ALQDS WND LGT THN K LYR WSW-N/ 
8/008 56016  
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....26    NORMAL.....41
MIN......7    NORMAL.....23
MEAN....17    NORMAL.....32
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL........................-15
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH........................-57 [-9.7 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............48  DEPARTURE.........+15
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............257  DEPARTURE.........+57     
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........4848  DEPARTURE.........+81 
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......4297  DIFFERENCE.......+551
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY..................23 NNW AT   2:40 A.M.            
                   AERO.......................23 NNW AT   1:39 A.M.                          
                   ASOS.......................23 N   AT   2:20 A.M.                  
                   DAVIS......................21 NNW AT   1:39 A.M. RMY N/A
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY....................N/A                
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE.................17 N   AT   2:22 A.M.    
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE................15 N   AT   2:21 A.M.                   
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.............7.4 N             
                   ASOS......................8.1    
                   DAVIS.....................6.6 N [010 deg.]
* last of several occurrences....
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00  DEPARTURE.............-0.17
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........0.02  DEPARTURE.............-1.02    
                         ASOS..............0.03
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........10.11  DEPARTURE.............+0.65 
                         ASOS.............10.55
 
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M........  0.0  DEPARTURE..............-0.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................0.3  DEPARTURE..............-2.8
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............82.1  DEPARTURE.............+32.0 
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MARCH 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:  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
 
3/1  34/12/23/-8/0.00/0.0/.../..          28 SSW AERO 29 MPH SSW RMY 30
3/2  37/28/33/2/T/T/.../..                22 SW  AERO 22 MPH SW  RMY 29
3/3  28/11/20/-12/0.00/0.0/.../..         29 NNW AERO 30 MPH NNW RMY N/A
3/4  29/6/18/-14/0.00/0.0/.../..          17 SW  AERO 16 MPH SW  RMY 17
3/5  27/16/22/-10/0.02/0.3/.../..         21 NE  AERO 20 MPH N   RMY 23
3/6  26/7/17/-15/0.00/0.0/.../..          23 NNW AERO 23 MPH NNW RMY N/A 
 
3/7  morning low temp: 16F; the normal low is now 23F
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 2014
None so far.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR MARCH 7
HIGH 66 IN 1946
LOW -1 IN 1890
PRECIP 2.05 INS. IN 1967
SNOWFALL 11.5 INS. IN 2013 (was 11.1 in 1967)
PEAK GUST 66 MPH NE IN 1962
 
RECORDS FOR MARCH 8
HIGH 66 IN 2012
LOW 2 IN 1986
PRECIP 2.20 INS. IN 2008
SNOWFALL 8.3 INS. IN 1941
PEAK GUST 69 MPH SSW IN 2008
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling