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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017  
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

LIGHT WINDS TODAY WITH OVERCAST SKIES

Skies were overcast all day with altostratus clouds; however,
no precip. was measured all day.  Dew points remained in the
50s during each observation, and fog lingered in the area
through morning.  A temperature inversion trapped fog below
600 feet, causing only the tops of higher terrain, like Mount
Wachusett and Monadnock, to be visible at 7:00AM.

Winds remained quite light again today.  Yesterday's northwest
winds had switched out of the northeast by the 1:00PM ob. The
peak gust so far for today has only been 17 MPH. 


Today's Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Overcast altostratus, inversion present with an estimated
top of 400 feet, distant fog below inversion
Temperature: 57F; Dew Point: 52F; Wind: ENE at 4 kts,
Wind speed: Light
Sea-level pressure: 29.79 ins. Hg, rising, then more quickly
Visibility: 70 miles
6-hr Max temp: 58F
6-hr Min temp: 54F
24-hr precip: 0.00 in.
BHO SA 1155 E140 OVC 70 087/57/52/0704/979/ INVSN PRSNT ALQDS
ESTMTD TOP 4 HND DSNT FG BLO INVSN WND LGT/ 8/01/ 53002 10058 20054

10 A.M.
Weather: Few cumulus SSE-SSW, overcast altostratus
Temperature: 62F; Dew Point: 52F; Wind: estimated NNE at 3 kts,
Wind speed: Light
Sea-level pressure: 29.80 ins. Hg, rising, then more slowly
Visibility: 40 miles, except 70 miles E-SW, distant fog WSW-ENE
BHO SA 1455 E120 OVC 40 091/62/52/E0203/980/ FEW CU SSE-SSW
VSBY E-SW 70 DSNT FG WSW-ENE WND LGT/ 8/11/ 53004

1 P.M. 
Weather: Few cumulus in all directions, scattered altocumulus,
overcast altostratus
Temperature: 64F; Dew Point: 52F; Wind: NE at 5 kts,
Wind speed: Light
Sea-level pressure: 29.81 ins. Hg, rising, then more quickly
Visibility: 70 miles, except 50 miles N-NE
6-hr Max temp: 64F
6-hr Min temp: 56F
BHO SA 1755 110 SCT E160 OVC 70 096/64/52/0405/981/ FEW CU ALQDS
VSBY N-NE 50 WND LGT/ 8/11/ 53005 10064 20056


SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....70   NORMAL.....68
MIN.....51   NORMAL.....50
MEAN....61   NORMAL.....59

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.........................+2
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH........................-11 [-0.7 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY...............4   DEPARTURE..........-3
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............254   DEPARTURE.........+32
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........5587   DEPARTURE........-669
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......5230   DIFFERENCE.......+357

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) 
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...................21 NNW AT  9:02 A.M.
                   AERO........................18 NNW AT  9:02 A.M.
                   ASOS........................20 NNW AT  9:03 A.M.
                   DAVIS.......................18 NNW AT 10:12 A.M. RMY 19
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.....................13 NNW AT  9:00 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..................15 NNW AT  9:03 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.................13 NNW AT  9:03 A.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION..............6.3 NNW
                   ASOS.......................6.9
                   DAVIS......................4.9 NW [320 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..........3.35  DEPARTURE......+0.45
                         ASOS..............3.44
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........24.16  DEPARTURE......+2.71
                         ASOS...............N/A ***
*** ASOS annual total not available due to erroneous readings


PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MAY 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
M:    Missing data

5/1  50/43/47/-6/T/034/04                  21 N   AERO 18 N   RMY 22
5/2  65/42/54/+1/0.26/136/16               41 W   AERO 44 W   RMY 43               
5/3  52/42/53/0/0.00/595/70                37 WNW*AERO 39 WNW RMY 40
5/4  65/40/53/-1/0.00/724/85               23 S   AERO 23 S   RMY 24
5/5  51/44/48/-6/0.73/000/00               28 E   AERO 28 E   RMY N/A
5/6  65/50/58/+4/0.23/094/11               46 SSE AERO 48 SSE RMY 49
5/7  63/47/55/0/T/670/78                   35 S   AERO 38 S   RMY 39
5/8  54/38/46/-9/T/224/26                  29 WSW AERO 29 WSW RMY 32
5/9  53/36/45/-10/T/251/29                 20 ESE AERO 17 ESE RMY 19
5/10 57/42/50/-5/0.00/225/26               17 NNE AERO 16 NW  RMY N/A
5/11 58/45/52/-4/0.00/443/51               23 NE* AERO 23 NE  RMY 23 
5/12 57/41/49/-7/0.01/453/52               21 NE  AERO 20 NE  RMY 19
5/13 57/41/49/-7/0.19/009/01               24 ENE AERO 24 E   RMY N/A
5/14 47/43/45/-12/1.49/000/00              33 NNE AERO 36 N   RMY 36
5/15 58/43/51/-6/0.24/018/02               36 NNW AERO 40 NNW RMY 41
5/16 79/51/65/+8/0.00/870/99               26 WNW AREO 26 WNW RMY 29
5/17 90/60/75/+18/T/775/88                 32 SSE AERO 33 SW* RMY 34
5/18 96/69/83/+25/0.01/830/94              39 WNW AERO 41 WNW RMY 42 TSTM
5/19 89/56/73/+15/T/832/94                 35 W   AERO 33 W   RMY 37
5/20 67/49/58/0/0.00/.../..                23 NE  AERO 22 NE  RMY 21
5/21 66/45/56/-3/0.00/.../..               21 E   AERO 20 S   RMY 21
5/22 53/48/51/-8/..../.../..               22 S   AERO 22 S   RMY 23
5/23 70/51/61/+2/..../.../..               21 NNW AERO 18 NNW RMY 19

5/24 Low temp since midnight is 54F; normal low is now 50F


DAILY RECORDS FOR MAY

5/17/17: DAILY RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 90F,
         BREAKS PREVIOUS RECORD OF 88F SET IN 1974
         AND TIED IN 1977

5/17/17: DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 60F,
         TIES PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 1932

5/18/17: DAILY RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 96F,
         BREAKS PREVIOUS RECORD OF 88F SET IN 1906
         AND TIED IN 1936 AND 1986;
         BREAKS PREVIOUS MONTHLY RECORD OF 94F SET ON
         MAY 26, 2010

5/18/17: DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 69F,
         BREAKS PREVIOUS RECORD OF 61F SET IN 1943


DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):      

RECORDS FOR MAY 24
HIGH 92F IN 1964
LOW 35F IN 1956
PRECIP 2.13 INS IN 1951
PEAK GUST 54 MPH NNE IN 2005

RECORDS FOR MAY 25
HIGH 91F IN 2007
LOW 37F IN 1967
PRECIP 3.73 INS IN 1967
PEAK GUST 83 MPH NE IN 1967 (RECORD FOR MAY)

TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Cecilia Borries-Strigle