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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

CLOUDS MOVE IN TUESDAY MORNING WITH 
COLD AIR IN PLACE, WINTRY MIX ON THE WAY

Overnight, mostly clear conditions allowed a full "snow" moon
to shine brightly before being obscured by thin cirrostratus
near sunrise. Temperatures had dipped overnight in to the 20s,
with a low of 25F. 

Hazy conditions this morning mixed with a thin layer of fog
have kept visibilities lower to 40 or less miles in all directions.
By this afternoon's 1:00 PM EST observation skies were overcast
with broken stratocumulus that had drifted onshore with thickening
altostratus above. Visibility remained at 40 miles with haze and
temperatures had risen to a maximum of 37F.


Today's Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Broken cirrostratus, few stratocumulus distant N-SE,
few altocumulus distant W-NNW
Temperature: 26F; Dew Point: 14F; Wind: NNE at 7 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 30.44 ins. Hg, increasing, then more quickly
Visibility: 40 miles, hazy, thin fog in all directions
6-hr Max temp: 27F 
6-hr Min temp: 25F
24-hr precip: 0.00 ins.
24-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins.
BHO SA 1155 E250 BKN 40 308/26/14/0307/044/ FEW SC DSNT N-SE FEW AC 
DSNT W-NNW HAZY THN FG ALQDS/ 8/538 53017 10027 20025

10 A.M.
Weather: Thin overcast cirrostratus, few stratocumulus distant N-SSE,
few altocumulus distant W-N
Temperature: 33F; Dew Point: 23F; Wind: estimated E at 5 kts
Wind Speed: Light
Sea-level pressure: 30.42 ins. Hg, falling, then rising but lower still
Visibility: 40 miles, hazy and thin fog in all directions
BHO SA 1455 E250 -OVC 40 303/33/23/E0905/042/ FEW SC DSNT N-SSE FEW AC 
DSNT W-N HAZY THN FG ALQDS WND LGT/ 8/537 50005

1 P.M.
Weather: Broken stratocumulus, overcast altostratus
Temperature: 37F; Dew Point: 24F; Wind: SE at 10 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.40 ins. Hg, falling, then more quickly
Visibility: 40 miles, hazy
6-hr Max temp: 37F
6-hr Min temp: 25F 
BHO SA 1755 E30 BKN 180 OVC 40 293/37/24/1310/040/ HAZY/ 8/51/ 58010 
10037 20025


SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 
  
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....45   NORMAL.....38
MIN.....29   NORMAL.....20 
MEAN....37   NORMAL.....29

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.........................+8
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH........................+59 [+2.5 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............28   DEPARTURE..........-8
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............768   DEPARTURE.........-60
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........3510   DEPARTURE........-849
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......4414   DIFFERENCE.......-904

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) 
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...................18 NW  AT 11:07 A.M.                        
                   ASOS........................18 NNW AT  9:42 A.M.     
                   DAVIS.......................16 WNW AT 11:07 A.M. RMY 17
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.....................12 N   AT  9:45 A.M.     
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..................14 NW  AT  9:43 A.M.      
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.................12 NW  AT  9:47 A.M.      
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION...............7.4 N
                   ASOS........................7.9  
                   DAVIS.......................6.5 NNE [022 Deg.]

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00  DEPARTURE......-0.14
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........4.09  DEPARTURE......+0.99
                         ASOS..............4.33
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........7.86  DEPARTURE......+0.41  
                         ASOS..............8.27

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE.......-0.6
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH...............22.5  DEPARTURE......+11.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............38.1  DEPARTURE.......-6.0

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/+26/0.00/0.0/305/51          36 WNW AERO 37 W   RMY 34
2/2   48/31/40/+14/0.00/0.0/602/100         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   35/17/26/0/0.00/0.0/532/87            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/-30/0.00/0.0/632/100        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  39/16/28/-1/0.01/T/.../..             24 SSW AERO 26 SSW RMY N/A
2/20  58/31/45/+16/..../.../.../..          44 SSW AERO 44 SSW RMY 41
2/21  53/39/46/+17/0.00/0.0/.../..          39 WNW AERO 43 WNW RMY 39 
2/22  45/29/37/+8/0.00/0.0/.../..           18 NW  AERO 20 NW  RMY 17

2/23  morning low temp. since midnight 25F; normal now 21F

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 23
HIGH 62F IN 1990
LOW -8F IN 1907
PRECIP 1.48 INCHES IN 1967
SNOWFALL 10.6 INCHES IN 1967
PEAK GUST 73 MPH WNW IN 1974

RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 24
HIGH 68F IN 1985 [RECORD FOR MONTH]
LOW -11F IN 1894
PRECIP 3.10 INCHES IN 1969
SNOWFALL 27.4 INCHES IN 1969 [HIGHEST CALENDAR DAY AMOUNT ON RECORD]
PEAK GUST 63 MPH NE IN 1998

TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Brian Fitzgerald