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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
EARLY MORNING THUNDERSTORM BROUGHT 0.23 INCH RAINFALL
THUNDERSTORMS FORMING W-N OF BLUE HILL EARLY AFTERNOON
 
Thunderstorms were classified severe when they moved
through Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts and
the north shore of Boston when they brought damaging
wind gusts to 60 and 70 MPH. 
 
Here at Blue Hill there was little wind but a lot of
lightning visible between about 6:30 and 7:30 A.M.
EDT. A brief heavy shower brought only 0.23 inch of
rainfall. 
 
PRELIMINARY STATS FOR JULY 2015
 
TEMPERATURE, Deg. F
Avg. Max. 82.2 [+1.4]
Avg. Min. 63.6 [+0.7]
Mean      72.9 [+1.0]
Corrected mean: 72.4
Max. for month: 92 on 29th
Min. for month: 56 on 16th, 17th
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
Total heating units: 1 [-8]   
Total for the season: 1 [-8]
Total for last season: 0
 
COOLING DEGREE DAYS
Total cooling units: 256 [+34]   
Total for the season: 394 [+43]
Total for last season: 337
 
PRECIPITATION, Inches
Total: 3.09 [-0.93]
Greatest in 24 hrs: 2.03, 9-10th 
 
WIND, mph
Avg. uncorrected wind speed: 9.6
Avg. corrected wind speed: 10.2
Prevailing wind direction: S @ 14%
Peak gust and direction: 35 S on the 7th
 
SUNSHINE:
Campbell-Stokes card minutes: 16452 / 26682 or 62%
Astronomical total minutes:   17101 / 27760 or 62%

Today's Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Thunderstorm in progress with strikes of cloud to
ground lightning to the northeast through southeast and
rain ended by 7:45 A.M. EDT. Scattered stratus fractus
drifting over and a few below summit, scattered altocumulus
with lenticularis and a chaotic sky, dense cirrus overcast
from outspreading cumulonimbus top, cumulonimbus northeast
through southeast moving east, break in overcast southwest
to northwest, dark NE-SE, Rain ended by 7:45 A.M. EDT
 
Temperature: 68F; Dew Point: 66F; Wind: S at 11 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.87 ins. Hg, rising then rising more slowly
Visibility: 15 miles, except N 10 miles, E 6 miles, and to the
south 35 miles 
6-hr Max temp: 72F
6-hr Min temp: 68F
24-hr precip: 0.23 inch
BHO SA 1155 5 SCT 80 SCT E200 OVC 15TS 114/68/66/1811/987/
TS ENE-SE MOVG E CB FRMG N MOVG E CB MSTLY DSNT NE-SE OCNL LTGCG ENE-SE
DRK NE-SE LINE TCU DSNT S STFRA ALQDS AND FEW DRFTG BLO SMT
AC CHAOTIC/FEW ACSL MSTLY SW-NW BINOVC SW-NW VSBY N 10 E 6 S 35
RE41/ 8/993 53006 MANUAL 6023/ ASOS 60024 MANUAL 70023 ASOS 70024
10072 20068
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Scattered dense cirrus, scattered thin cirrus
Temperature: 78F; Dew Point 71F; Wind: S at 7 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.87 ins. Hg, falling steadily
Visibility: 20 miles, hazy
BHO SA 1455 220 SCT 250 -SCT 20 114/78/71/1907/987/ LONE TCU BLDNG NW
FEW CU/CUFRA SW-NNE DNS CI RADIATUS N-E-S HAZY/ 8/202 56000
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered cumulus, moderate cumulus, towering cumulus,
scattered altocumulus lenticularis, scattered anvil cumulonimbus
tops, dense ci layer distant E, anvil tops W-N, moderate cumulus
mostly W-N, towering cumulus and anvil tops W-N 
Temperature: 85F; Dew Point: 65F; Wind: SSW at 15 kts,
Wind: Gust to 22 kts past hour
Sea-level pressure: 29.83 ins. Hg, falling, then more quickly
Visibility: 25 miles, hazy, S 35 miles, hazy
6-hr Max temp: 86F 
6-hr Min temp: 67F 
BHO SA 1755 40 SCT 150 SCT 200 SCT 25 100/85/65/2115/983/
CB ANVIL TOPS XTDNG DSNT W-N TCU W-N MDT CU ALQDS FEW ACSL SE-S 
HAZY VSBY S 35 HAZY/ 8/243 58014 10086 20067  
 
SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2015
  
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....89   NORMAL.....81
MIN.....68   NORMAL.....63
MEAN....79   NORMAL.....72

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL........................+7
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.......................+15 [+4.8 DEGREES/DAY]

COOLING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JAN TO DEC)
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............14   DEPARTURE..........+7
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE MONTH..............36   DEPARTURE.........+14
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE SEASON............430   DEPARTURE.........+57
TOTAL COOLING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.......348   DIFFERENCE........+82

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...................31  S    AT  4:39 P.M.    
                   ASOS........................35  S    AT  4:38 P.M. 
                   DAVIS.......................30  S    AT 12:07 P.M. RMY N/A
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.....................25  S    AT  4:49 P.M.   
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..................25  S    AT  4:48 P.M.   
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.................24  S    AT 12:22 P.M.  
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.............14.8  S
                   ASOS......................14.3
                   DAVIS.....................12.5 S [180 deg.]
* Last of several occurrences...
1
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.....0.23  DEPARTURE.....+0.08
                         ASOS...............0.24
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH...........0.29  DEPARTURE.....-0.16
                         ASOS...............0.30
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........27.65  DEPARTURE.....-3.79
                        ASOS...............N/A ***
*** ASOS annual total not available due to erroneous readings
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JULY-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
 
7/1  80/63/72/+2/0.59/466/51               30 SSE RMY 33  TSTM
7/2  78/60/69/-1/0.00/721/79               23 WNW RMY N/A
7/3  79/58/69/-2/0.00/867/95               17 SSW RMY 17
7/4  74/61/68/-3/T/109/12                  16 S   RMY N/A
7/5  82/58/70/-1/0.00/865/95               20 WSW RMY 20 
7/6  85/64/75/+4/0.00/755/83               20 S   RMY 21
7/7  84/65/75/+4/0.02/445/49               35 S   RMY 40
7/8  87/68/78/+6/T/372/41                  23 NE  RMY N/A
7/9  73/61/67/-5/0.08/390/43               24 NE  RMY 25
7/10 80/59/70/-2/1.95/535/59               18 W   RMY N/A TSTM
7/11 84/61/73/+1/0.00/868/96               21 NW  RMY 19
7/12 88/67/78/+6/0.00/813/90               20 W   RMY 17
7/13 82/66/74/+2/0.00/424/47               21 E   RMY 20
7/14 81/64/73/+1/..../396/44               25 S   RMY 27
7/15 84/61/73/+1/..../297/33               24 ENE RMY 26
7/16 72/56/64/-8/0.00/852/95               25 NNE RMY 24
7/17 79/56/68/-4/0.00/708/79               21 S   RMY N/A
7/18 76/63/70/-2/0.16/027/03               29 SSW RMY 30  TSTM
7/19 89/68/79/+7/0.01/509/57               25 SSW RMY 27
7/20 90/73/82/+10/0.00/793/89              24 W   RMY 26
7/21 87/70/79/+7/T/267/30                  24 W   RMY 25
7/22 82/64/73/+1/T/727/82                  24 WNW RMY 26
7/23 81/62/72/+0/0.00/753/85               22 W   RMY 23
7/24 80/60/70/-2/T/663/75                  23 N   RMY 25
7/25 71/59/65/-7/0.00/265/30               20 ENE RMY N/A 
7/26 78/59/69/-3/T/018/02                  24 SSE RMY 25  TSTM
7/27 84/67/76/+4/T/378/43                  24 S   RMY N/A TSTM
7/28 89/68/79/+7/0.00/604/69               18 S   RMY N/A
7/29 92/70/81/+9/0.00/830/95               21 W   RMY N/A 
7/30 89/72/81/+9/0.10/514/59               31 S   RMY N/A
7/31 87/68/78/+6/0.00/870/100              28 W   RMY N/A
 
8/1  88/68/78/+6/0.06/.../..               28 WNW RMY N/A
8/2  86/62/74/+2/0.00/.../..               24 SW  RMY N/A
8/3  89/68/79/+7/0.00/.../..               31 S   RMY N/A 
 
8/4 low since midnight is 67F; (AFTER 7 A.M.) normal low is now 63F

RMY back in service by 10E 8/4
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR JULY 2015
 
7/10 - RECORD DAILY PRECIPITATION OF 1.95 INCHES,
surpasses previous record of 1.68 in. in 1933
7/20 - RECORD DAILY HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 73F,
ties previous record of 73F in 1977
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR AUGUST 2015
None so far.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR AUGUST 4
HIGH 95F IN 1928
LOW 48F IN 1900
PRECIP 1.68 INS IN 1983
PEAK GUST 48 MPH SW IN 1974
 
RECORDS FOR AUGUST 5
HIGH 98F IN 1955
LOW 48F IN 1929,1972
PRECIP 3.03 INCHES IN 1893
PEAK GUST 60e MPH SW 1977
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling