BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2016
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
U.S.DROUGHT MONITOR UPS OUR DROUGHT INTENSITY FROM SEVERE TO EXTREME  
THIS AREA INCLUDING EASTERN NORFOLK COUNTY NOW IN EXTREME DROUGHT
25TH ANNIVERSARY DATE OF HURRICANE BOB AUGUST 19, 1991
HIGH TEMPERATURE FELL ONLY SHORT OF 90F AT 89.4 THURSDAY
 
The U.S. Drought Monitor was updated yesterday and has now included
us  here in eastern Norfolk County (BLUE HILL) in an extreme drought.
We had been included in a severe drought but the extreme drought
area was expanded from a small area northwest of Boston to include
a much larger area from eastern Norfolk north to Essex County.
 
Today is the 25th anniversary date of Hurricane Bob the last land-falling
hurricane in New England way back in August 1991. There was gust to 78 MPH
but no sustained hurricane force winds at Blue Hill and the center of
lowest pressure passed to our east.
 
Yesterday's high temperature came within 0.1 degree (corr) of reaching
90F. It was 89.4 (corr) in our Hazen shelter. 
Today's high temperature is remaining in the low to middle 80's as the
wind occasionally becomes a sea breeze under sunny becoming partly sunny
skies.  The visibility is reduced to near 40 miles this afternoon from
the 70 miles of yesterday.
 
 
Today's Observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Scattered altocumulus clouds (2 levels), scattered cirrus,
few altocumulus castellanus distant WNW-NNE, cirrus distant SE-S
Temperature: 73F; Dew Point: 64F; Wind: N at 7 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 29.97 ins. Hg, rising, then more slowly
Visibility: 20 miles, hazy
6-hr Max temp: 73F
6-hr Min temp: 68F
24-hr precip: Trace
BHO SA 1155 65 SCT 85 SCT 250 SCT 20 148/73/64/3507/997/
FEW ACC DSNT WNW-NNE CI DSNT SE-S HAZY/ 8/081 51011 10073 20068 
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Scattered cumulus, scattered altocumulus lenticularis
cumulus forming distant S-SW and vicinity W-N, few moderate,
few altocumulus lenticularis vicinity mostly overhead  
Temperature: 79F; Dew Point: 57F; Wind: NE at 8 kts,
Wind: Direction variable N-E
Sea-level pressure: 29.97 ins. Hg, about steady
Visibility: 40 miles, light distant haze  
BHO SA 1455 50 SCT 170 SCT 40 147/79/57/0508/147/997/
CU FRMG DSNT S-SW AND VC FEW MDT W-N SML ACSL VC LGT DSNT HZ
WND 36V09/ 8/240 58001
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered cumulus, moderate cumulus, stratocumulus formed
by spreading out of cumulus (sccu) 
Temperature: 84F; Dew Point: 58F; Wind: NW at 3 kts,
Wind: Light and variable
Sea-level pressure: 29.94 ins. Hg, falling, then more slowly
Visibility: 40 miles, except 35 miles NE-SE. light distant haze  
6-hr Max temp: 86F
6-hr Min temp: 68F
BHO SA 1755 55 SCT 40 SCT 40 139/84/58/3203/994/ MDT CU/SCCU
LGT DSNT HZ VSBY NE-SE 35 WND L/V/ 8/200 56006 10086 20068
 
SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2016
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....89   NORMAL.....79
MIN.....65   NORMAL.....61
MEAN....77   NORMAL.....71
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL........................+6
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.......................+78 [+4.1 DEGREES/DAY]
 
COOLING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JAN TO DEC)
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............12   DEPARTURE..........+6
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............195   DEPARTURE.........+74
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE SEASON............669   DEPARTURE........+197
TOTAL COOLING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.......555   DIFFERENCE.......+114  
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...................22 SW  AT 1:53 P.M. 
                   AEROVANE....................20 SW  AT 1:53 P.M.      
                   ASOS........................22 SW  AT 1:53 P.M. 
                   DAVIS.......................20 W   AT 4:20 P.M. RMY 21
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.....................16 W   AT 4:21 P.M.   
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..................16 W   AT 4:20 P.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.................16 W   AT 4:21 P.M.   
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION............. 8.4 WSW
                   ASOS...................... 8.9
                   DAVIS......................7.4 WSW [250 Deg.]
* Last of several occurrences
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M... trace DEPARTURE......-0.13
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........0.99  DEPARTURE......-1.50
                         ASOS..............0.97
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........24.18  DEPARTURE......-9.30
                         ASOS.............24.48

 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR AUGUST CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO/RMY GUST
AERO: Aerovane wind recording system 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  75/65/70/-2/0.02/320/37                 21 NE  AERO 20 ENE RMY 20
8/2  71/63/67/-5/0.12/000/00                 16 ENE AERO 16 ENE RMY 16
8/3  81/60/71/-1/0.00/603/70                 18 S   AERO 16 S   RMY 17
8/4  86/61/74/+2/0.00/833/97                 23 S   AERO 22 S   RMY 17
8/5  87/61/74/+2/0.00/823/96                 29 S   AERO 29 S   RMY 30
8/6  88/67/78/+6/T/419/49                    24 SSW AERO 23 SSW RMY 23  
8/7  89/65/77/+5/0.00/784/92                 26 WNW AERO 25 WNW RMY 26
8/8  87/63/75/+3/0.00/816/96                 23 W   AERO 21 W   RMY 22
8/9  90/65/78/+6/0.00/789/93                 25 SSW AERO 24 SSW RMY 25
8/10 76/66/71/+0/0.28/017/02                 30 SSW AERO 31 SSW RMY 33
8/11 93/73/83/+12/T/666/79                   22 SSW AERO 21 SSW RMY 22
8/12 95/74/85/+14/0.00/487/58                30 SW  AER0 30 SW  RMY 31
8/13 77/67/72/+1/0.16/.../..                 25 NNW AERO 36 NNW RMY N/A TSTM
8/14 94/69/82/+11/0.39/.../..                39 SSW AERO 40 SSW RMY N/A TSTM
8/15 89/68/79/+8/0.00/.../..                 25 W   AERO 24 W   RMY 28
8/16 83/69/76/+5/0.02/.../..                 31 S   AERO 30 S   RMY N/A
8/17 84/68/76/+5/0.00/.../..                 38 W*  AERO 35 W   RMY 39
8/18 89/65/77/+6/T/.../..                    22 SW  AERO 20 SW  RMY 21  
 
8/19 Low temp since midnight is 68F; normal low is now 62F
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR AUGUST 2016
8/11/16: NEW DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 73F,
TIES PREVIOUS RECORDS SET IN 1900 AND 1988
 
8/12/16: NEW DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 74F,
TIES PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 1988
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR AUGUST 19
HIGH 90F IN 1906, 1966, 2002
LOW 48F IN 1958
PRECIP 7.02 INCHES IN 1955 [DIANE - RECORD FOR MONTH]
PEAK GUST 78 MPH ENE IN 1991 - HURRICANE BOB
 
RECORDS FOR AUGUST 20
HIGH 93F IN 1937
LOW 48F IN 1896, 1905, 1949
PRECIP 2.71 INCHES IN 1970
PEAK GUST 47 MPH W IN 1983
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling