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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PASS NORTH OF BLUE HILL IN AFTERNOON
PEAK WIND GUST TO 50 MPH W AT 4:10 P.M. EDT ON GUST FRONT
A SHOWER LATER AROUND 6 P.M. EDT LEFT ONLY 0.08 RAINFALL
 
Two rounds of severe thunderstorms swept through past of
southern New England yesterday.  The early morning storms
were moving east along a track well to the south of Blue
Hill but a downpour brought 0.23 rainfall here from the
severe storm passing well to our south.
 
The second round of thunderstorms moved east from western
and central MA and brought damaging winds and hail north
of Blue Hill. Our peak gust came along the outflow boundary
of a storm passing eastward to our north and was measured
as high as 50 MPH W on several wind recording systems.
Only 0.08 inch of rain fell well after the gust front had 
passed and brought the total for the day to just 0.31 inch.
 
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: Scattered dense cirrus, thin broken cirrus,
few altocumulus lenticularis mostly distant SW-N,
Patch of altocumulus castellanus distant N
Temperature: 69F; Dew Point: 60F; Wind: SW at 7 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.90 ins. Hg, about steady 
Visibility:  35 miles, distant haze
6-hr Max temp: 69F
6-hr Min temp: 64F
24-hr precip: 0.08 inch
BHO SA 1155 220 SCT 250 -BKN 300 -BKN 35 124/69/60/2307/990/
FEW ACSL MSTLY DSNT SW-N PTCH ACC DSNT N PTCHS DNS CI
DSNT HZ/ 8/082 55000 ASOS 70008 MANUAL 70008 10069 20064   
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Scattered dense cirrus, broken thin cirrus,
cumulus fractus/cumulus/few moderate cumulus forming
Temperature: 78F; Dew Point 60F; Wind: WNW at 11 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.88 ins. Hg, falling slightly
Visibility: 50 miles, except 35 miles NE 
BHO SA 1455 220 SCT 250 -BKN 50 119/78/60/2911/988/
CUFRA/CU/FEW MDT CU FRMG ALQDS MSTLY CLR WSW-NNE
VSBY NE 35 LGT DSNT HZ/ 8/202 58005
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered cumulus, moderate cumulus and few
towering cumulus
Temperature: 82F; Dew Point: 56F; Wind: W at 14 kts,
Wind: Gust to 23 kts past hour
Sea-level pressure: 29.83 ins. Hg, falling, then more quickly
Visibility: 60 miles, NW 70 miles, light distant haze 
6-hr Max temp: 82F 
6-hr Min temp: 69F 
BHO SA 1755 50 SCT 60 103/82/56/2814/983/ MDT CU FEW TCU ALQDS
VSBY NW 70 LGT DSNT HZ WND GST 23 KTS PST HR/ 8/200 58016
10082 20069
 
SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015
  
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....86   NORMAL.....81
MIN.....66   NORMAL.....63     
MEAN....76   NORMAL.....72

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL........................+4
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.......................+19 [+4.6 DEGREES/DAY]

COOLING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JAN TO DEC)
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............11   DEPARTURE..........+7
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE MONTH..............47   DEPARTURE.........+18
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE SEASON............441   DEPARTURE.........+61
TOTAL COOLING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.......357   DIFFERENCE........+84

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...................45  W    AT  3:10 P.M.     
                   ASOS........................50  W    AT  3:10 P.M. . 
                   DAVIS.......................48  W    AT  3:09 P.M. RMY 50
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.....................38  WNW  AT  3:09 P.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..................37  WNW  AT  3:11 P.M.    
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.................24  S    AT 12:22 P.M.  
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.............10.2 SSW
                   ASOS......................14.3
                   DAVIS.....................12.5 S [180 deg.]
* Last of several occurrences...

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.....0.08  DEPARTURE.....-0.07
                         ASOS...............0.08
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH...........0.37  DEPARTURE.....-0.23
                         ASOS...............0.30
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........27.73  DEPARTURE.....-3.86
                        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  86/66/76/+4/0.31/.../..               45 W   RMY 50  TSTM 
 
8/5  low since midnight is 64F;  normal low is now 63F

RMY back in service by 10E 8/4-5
 
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 5
HIGH 98F IN 1955
LOW 48F IN 1929,1972
PRECIP 3.03 INCHES IN 1893
PEAK GUST 60e MPH SW 1977
 
RECORDS FOR AUGUST 6
HIGH 95F IN 1931
LOW 48F IN 1934
PRECIP 1.47 INCHES IN 1995
PEAK GUST 44e MPH SSW IN 1940
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling