BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016  ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME SEASONABLE DAY THURSDAY CONTINUES INTO FRIDAY Temperatures averaged 26F yesterday, just 3 degrees cooler than normal. This current stretch of calm is a significant departure from the Spring and Arctic like conditions observed so far this month. Temps this morning dipped to a colder than normal 16F and have climbed throughout the day under blue skies this morning. By today's 1:00 PM EST observation skies were still mostly clear with some cirrostratus and altocumulus distant toward the west. Cirrocumulus was quick to form overhead not long after. Temperatures had  reached a maximum so far of 38F. Today's Observations: 7 A.M. Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus distant offshore E-SSE Temperature: 17F; Dew Point: 5F; Wind: N at 9 kts, Sea-level pressure: 30.55 ins. Hg, rising, then more slowly Visibility: 80 miles 6-hr Max temp: 19F  6-hr Min temp: 16F 24-hr precip: 0.00 ins. 24-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins. Snow depth: Trace BHO SA 1155 CLR 80 345/17/5/3609/055/ FEW SC DSNT OFFSHR E-SSE/ 8/500 51011 10019 20016 10 A.M. Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus distant offshore ESE-SE, few cirrostratus distant SE-WNW Temperature: 28F; Dew Point: 12F; Wind: estimated E at 3 kts Wind Speed and Direction: Light and Variable Sea-level pressure: 30.58 ins. Hg, rising, then falling but higher still Visibility: 75 miles BHO SA 1455 CLR 75 354/28/12/E0903/058/ FEW SC DSNT OFFSHR ESE-SE FEW CS DSNT SE-WNW WND LGT AND VRB/ 8/505 50009 1 P.M. Weather: Clear, few altocumulus lenticularis distant W-NW, few cirrus in all directions Temperature: 38F; Dew Point: 12F; Wind: estimated SW at 5 kts, Wind Speed and Direction: Light and Variable Sea-level pressure: 30.49 ins. Hg, falling, then more quickly Visibility: 70 miles 6-hr Max temp: 38F 6-hr Min temp: 16F 6-hr precip: 0.00 ins.  BHO SA 1755 CLR 70 324/38/12/E2305/049/ FEW ACSL DSNT W-NW FEW CI ALQDS WND LGT AND VRB/ 8/041 58030 10038 20016 SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2016     TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....32   NORMAL.....37 MIN.....20   NORMAL.....20  MEAN....26   NORMAL.....29 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.........................-3 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH........................+19 [+0.9 DEGREES/DAY] HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN) TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............39   DEPARTURE..........+2 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............664   DEPARTURE.........-20 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........3406   DEPARTURE........-809 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......4229   DIFFERENCE.......-823 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)  PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...................25 NNW AT  4:35 P.M.                                            ASOS........................26 NNW AT  9:42 A.M.                         DAVIS.......................24 WNW AT 12:40 P.M. RMY 25 FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.....................19 NW  AT 12:41 P.M.      MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..................21 NW  AT 12:42 P.M.       MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.................19 NW  AT 12:42 P.M.       AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION..............12.1 NNW                    ASOS.......................11.8                      DAVIS......................10.2 NNW [326 Deg.] PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00  DEPARTURE......-0.15                          ASOS..............0.00 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........4.08  DEPARTURE......+1.57                          ASOS..............4.31 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........7.85  DEPARTURE......+0.99                            ASOS..............8.25 SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE.......-0.5 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH...............22.5  DEPARTURE......+13.6 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............38.1  DEPARTURE.......-3.9 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 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 2/1   64/40/52/+26/0.00/0.0/.../..          36 WNW AERO 37 W   RMY 34 2/2   48/31/40/+14/0.00/0.0/.../..          23 NW  AERO 23 WNW RMY N/A 2/3   55/34/45/+19/0.80/0.0/000/00          55 SSE AERO 58 SSE RMY 53 2/4   55/39/47/+21/..../0.0/000/00          37 W   AERO 36 W   RMY 35 2/5   39/19/29/+3/..../12.5/000/00          37 NNW AERO 39 NNW RMY 35 2/6   35/17/26/0/0.00/0.0/.../..            25 SSW AERO 24 SSW RMY 23  2/7   43/26/35/+8/0.00/0.0/.../..           35 ENE AERO 35 ENE RMY N/A 2/8   36/16/26/-1/..../.../000/00           53 NE  AERO 55 NE  RMY 53 2/9   26/17/22/-5/..../.../000/00           21 N   AERO 22 N   RMY N/A 2/10  33/21/27/+0/0.01/0.0/.../..           23 W   AERO 23 W   RMY 21 2/11  26/7/17/-10/T/T/.../..                39 W   AERO 47 W   RMY 42 2/12  23/4/13/-14/0.00/0.0/.../..           31 WNW AERO 38 WNW RMY 21 2/13  21/-7/7/-21/0.00/0.0/.../..           41 W   AERO 46 WNW RMY 43  2/14  10/-14/-2/-30/0.00/0.0/.../..         33 WNW AERO 46 WNW RMY N/A 2/15  32/-2/15/-13/..../1.2/.../..          24 E   AERO 28 E   RMY N/A 2/16  55/32/44/+16/..../0.0/.../..          65 SSE AERO 69 SSE RMY 64 2/17  43/30/37/+9/0.00/0.0/.../..           33 W   AERO 35 W   RMY N/A 2/18  32/20/26/+3/0.00/0.0/.../..           25 NNW AERO 29 NW  RMY 25  2/19  morning low temp. since midnight 16F; normal now 20F DAILY RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 2016 2/14/16: **NEW DAILY RECORD LOW MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF -14F, SURPASSING PREVIOUS RECORD OF -8F SET IN 1979** 2/14/16: **TIED DAILY RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 10F, MATCHING PREVIOUS RECORD OF 10F SET IN 1979** DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):  RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 19 HIGH 66F IN 1981 LOW -5F IN 1923 PRECIP 2.73 INCHES IN 1972 SNOWFALL 12.0 INCHES IN 1893 PEAK GUST 76 MPH ENE IN 1972 RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 20 HIGH 66F IN 1930 LOW -4F IN 1966 PRECIP 1.90 INCHES IN 1934 SNOWFALL 15.0 INCHES IN 1921,1934 PEAK GUST 78 MPH NW IN 1972 TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Brian Fitzgerald