BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2018   ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME A COLD BUT SUNNY START TO THE NEW YEAR... An Arctic blast has kept temperatures well below  normal for about a week now. The lowest temperature  of -5F was recorded yesterday morning. Since midnight the low minimum recorded was -2F. This is 21 degrees below the normal of 19F. So far today we have had a high of 14F. This is also 21 degrees below the daily normal of 35F. Winds continue to be from the WNW and have been moderate today, frequently gusting up to 20 kts (23 MPH).   December has ended below normal for temps, precip,  and snowfall at Blue Hill. Despite a bitter cold  finish, 2017 will go down as a warmer than normal  year at the Observatory, and with precipitation very  close to average. PRELIMINARY STATS FOR DECEMBER 2017 TEMPERATURE, Deg. F Avg. Max. 33.9 [-5.2] Avg. Min. 21.2 [-2.4] Mean      27.6 [-3.7] Corrected mean: 27.2 Max. for month: 58 on the  5TH Min. for month: -3 on the 29TH HEATING DEGREE DAYS Total heating units:   1153 [+110] Total for the season:  2122 [-183] Total for last season: 2032 PRECIPITATION, Inches Total: 2.98 [-1.91] SNOWFALL, Inches Total: 9.4 [-4.0] WIND, mph Avg. uncorrected wind speed: 11.6 Avg. corrected wind speed: 12.0 Prevailing wind direction: W @ 23% Peak gust and direction: 62 S on the 5th SUNSHINE: Astronomical total minutes:   N/A Campbell-Stokes card minutes: N/A Today's Observations: 7 A.M. Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus distant offshore ENE-S Temperature: -1F; Dew Point: -6F; Wind: NNW at 11 kts Windchill: -18F Sea-level pressure: 30.28 ins. Hg, rising, then more quickly Visibility: 40 miles, distant fog in all directions 6-hr Max temp:  2F 6-hr Min temp: -2F 24-hr precip: 0.00 ins. 24-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins.  Snow depth: 2 ins. BHO SA 1155 CLR 40 253/M1/M6/3011/028/ FEW SC DSNT OFFSHR  ENE-S WINDCHILL -18F DSNT FG ALQDS/ 8/500 53015 4/002  10002 21002 10 A.M. Weather: Clear, stratocumulus distant offshore ENE-E Temperature: 8F; Dew Point: -5F; Wind: W at 10 kts Sea-level pressure: 30.32 ins. Hg, rising, then more slowly Visibility: 60 miles 3-hr precip: 0.00 ins.  BHO SA 1455 CLR 60 268/8/M5/2810/032/ FEW SC DSNT OFFSHR ENE-E/  8/500 51015   1 P.M. Weather: Clear, stratocumulus distant offshore ENE-E Temperature: 14F; Dew Point: -6F; Wind: W at 13G21 kts Sea-level pressure: 30.18 ins. Hg, falling, then more rapidly  Visibility: 70 miles 6-hr Max temp: 14F 6-hr Min temp: -2F 6-hr precip: 0.00 ins. 6-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins. Snow depth: 2 ins. BHO SA 1755 300 SCT 70 243/14/M6/2713G21/024/ FEW SC DSNT OFFSHR  ENE-E/ 8/500 56025 4/002 10014 21002 SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018 TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....11   NORMAL.....35 MIN.....-5   NORMAL.....19 MEAN.....3   NORMAL.....27 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL..........................-24 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH..........................-24 [-24.2 DEGREES/DAY] HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN) TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY.............62  DEPARTURE.........+24 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............62  DEPARTURE.........+24 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........2184  DEPARTURE........-159 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....2062  DIFFERENCE.......+122 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)  PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.................30  NW  AT 11:56 A.M.                    AERO......................30  NW  AT 11:56 A.M.                    ASOS......................31  NNW AT 11:56 A.M.                    DAVIS.....................30  NW  AT  2:35 A.M. RMY 31 FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...................22  WNW AT  1:29 P.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE................20  WNW AT  2:27 P.M MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...............22  NW  AT  1:29 P.M. AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION...........14.4  WNW                    ASOS....................14.6                     DAVIS...................13.8 NW [306 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..........0.00  DEPARTURE......-0.15                          ASOS..............0.00 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........0.00  DEPARTURE......-0.15                          ASOS..............0.00  SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE.......-0.6 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................0.0  DEPARTURE.......-0.6 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON...............9.4  DEPARTURE.......-7.2 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER CALENDAR DAY DATA DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/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 12/01 50/35/43/+6/0.04/0.0/262/47      28 NW  AERO 29 NW  RMY 30 12/02 42/29/36/0/0.00/0.0/033/06       20 NNW AERO 18 NNW RMY N/A 12/03 42/32/37/+1/0.00/0.0/172/31      14 N   AERO 10 N   RMY N/A  12/04 43/32/38/+3/0.00/0.0/522/94      16 E   AERO 14 E   RMY N/A  12/05 58/34/46/+11/0.18/0.0/000/00     62 S   AERO 66 S   RMY 65 12/06 56/32/44/+9/0.54/0.0/160/29      52 S   AERO 55 S   RMY N/A 12/07 44/30/37/+3/0.00/0.0/540/98      25 WSW AERO 24 WSW RMY 25 12/08 38/28/33/-1/0.00/0.0/116/21      21 W   AERO 18 W   RMY 20 12/09 34/28/31/-3./0.70/5.5/000/00     23 NNW AERO 23 NNW RMY 23  12/10 35/27/31/-2/0.02/0.1/384/70      30 W   AERO 30 W   RMY 27  12/11 38/29/34/+1/T/T/301/55           23 W   AERO 21 W   RMY 22 12/12 43/31/37/+4/0.06/0.0/000/00      35 W   AERO 31 W   RMY N/A 12/13 31/18/25/-7/0.00/0.0/372/68      44 W   AERO 44 W   RMY 44 12/14 27/14/21/-11/T/T/257/47          35 WSW AERO 33 W   RMY 34  12/15 24/12/18/-14/0.00/0.0/011/02     25 W   AERO 23 W   RMY N/A 12/16 32/17/25/-6/0.00/0.0/382/70      33 W   AERO 35 W   RMY 36 12/17 27/14/21/-10/0.00/0.0/425/78     21 NW  AERO 21 NW  RMY 20 12/18 35/20/28/-3/T/T/011/02           20 SSE AERO 16 SSE RMY 20 12/19 49/34/42/+12/0.00/0.0/185/34     36 WNW AERO 35 SW  RMY 38   12/20 42/26/34/+4/T/T/447/82           41 W   AERO 40 W   RMY 45  12/21 32/23/28/-2/0.00/0.0/533/98      26 NW  AERO 24 NW  RMY 27 12/22 32/21/27/-2/..../.../000/00      18 E   AERO 17 E   RMY N/A 12/23 36/24/30/+1/..../.../000/00      31 WSW AERO 28 WSW RMY 31 12/24 35/29/32/+3/..../.../191/35      30 ENE AERO 25 ENE RMY N/A 12/25 35/21/28/0/..../.../098/18       50 W   AERO 54 W   RMY 47 12/26 24/13/19/-9/0.00/0.0/529/97      39 W   AERO 39 W   RMY 41  12/27 19/6/13/-15/0.00/0.0/530/97      28 WNW AERO 25 WNW RMY N/A 12/28 10/1/6/-22/0.00/0.0/..../..      37 WNW AERO 44 WNW RMY 43  12/29 13/-3/5/-22/0.00/0.0/.../..      25 W   AERO 25 W   RMY 27 12/30 14/1/8/-19/0.03/0.5/.../..       21 W   AERO 18 W   RMY 24 12/31 10/0/5/-22/0.00/0.0/.../..       32 WNW AERO 32 WNW RMY 35 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY CALENDAR DAY DATA DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/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 1/01 11/-5/3/-24/0.00/0.0/.../..       30 NW AERO 30 NW RMY 31  1/2 Low temp since midnight is -2F; normal low is now 19F DAILY RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 2017 12/28/17: DAILY RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 10F,           PREVIOUS RECORD OF 18 SET IN 1894 DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):       RECORDS FOR JANUARY 2 HIGH 62F IN 1890 LOW -7F IN 1899,1918 PRECIP 2.10 INS. IN 1987 SNOWFALL 9.0 INS. IN 1904 PEAK GUST 85e MPH S IN 1942 RECORDS FOR JANUARY 3 HIGH 64F IN 2000 LOW -4F IN 1904 PRECIP 1.93 INS. IN 1999 SNOW 11.3 INS. 1996 PEAK GUST 92 MPH S IN 1960 TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Kaitlin Geagan