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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2018  
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

A SEASONABLE, CLOUDY DAY ON GREAT BLUE HILL...

Skies were overcast with breaks for most of the day today. The 
most significant breaks were between 10 A.M. and 1 P.M, allowing the
temperature to rise to 45F; normal for this time of year. 
The low temperature since midnight was 32F, 3 degrees above the normal 
of 29F.   
Virga was seen falling from the sky, but none of it hit the ground due 
to drier air closer to the surface. No precipitation was observed on the 
ground through 1:00 P.M. After 1:00 PM, we observed light snow showers
and a trace at the surface. 
Winds have been mostly light, out of the NNW to NNE at 5-10mph. 
High visibility conditions have been present despite the overcast skies, 
with the visibility at or near 75-80 miles throughout the day.  

Blue Hill Observatory Greatest March Snowfall Totals, Inches (1885-2018)

1) 52.0 in 1956
2) 43.7 in 2018 (through 3/22)
3) 42.2 in 1916
4) 41.4 in 2001
5) 41.0 in 1967
6) 37.8 in 2013
7) 35.5 in 1993

Today's Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Scattered stratus, overcast stratocumulus with a few
breaks overhead and NW, virga in all directions
Temperature: 35F; Dew Point: 21F; Wind: NNW at 7 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.03 ins. Hg, rising then more rapidly         
Visibility: 80 miles, S 50 miles
6-hr Max temp: 35F
6-hr Min temp: 32F
24-hr precip:  0.00 ins.
24-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins.
Snow depth: 11 ins.
BHO SA 1155 30 SCT E90 OVC 80 168/35/21/3407/003/ FEW BINOVC OVHD-NW
VSBY S 50 VIRGA ALQDS/ 8/65/ 4/011 53012 10035 20032

10 A.M.
Weather: Overcast altocumulus and altostratus with breaks SE-NW,
few lower altocumulus
Temperature: 43F; Dew Point: 20F; Wind: N at 6 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.03 ins. Hg, steady
Visibility: 75 miles
3-hr precip: 0.00 ins.
BHO SA 1455 E95 OVC 75 171/43/20/3506/003/ FEW CU S-NW FEW LWR AC 
FEW BINOVC SE-NW/ 8/17/ 51003 

1 P.M.
Weather: Broken stratocumulus, overcast cirrus with breaks,
virga NNE-S    
Temperature: 44F; Dew Point: 22F; Wind: NNE at 5 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.01 ins. Hg, falling, then more rapidly
Visibility: 75 miles 
6-hr Max temp: 45F
6-hr Min temp: 35F
6-hr precip:  0.00 ins.
6-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins.
Snow depth: 9 ins.
BHO SA 1755 E65 BKN E220 OVC 75 164/44/22/0305/001/ 
FEW BINOVC VIRGA NNE-S/ 8/402 4/009 57007 10045 20035    
 
SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....44   NORMAL.....46
MIN.....28   NORMAL.....29
MEAN....36   NORMAL.....38

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL............................-2
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH...........................-36 [-1.8 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY.............29   DEPARTURE..........+2
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH............750   DEPARTURE.........+41
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........4872   DEPARTURE........-405
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....4681   DIFFERENCE.......+191

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) 
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...................21 NNE AT 8:18 A.M.  
                   AERO........................21 NNW AT 8:18 A.M.
                   ASOS........................21 NNW AT 8:19 A.M.
                   DAVIS.......................19 M   AT 5:51 A.M ** RMY 21
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.....................13 NNW AT 1:56 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..................15 NNW AT 1:57 P.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.................15 M   AT 1:57 P.M.**
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.............8.0 NW
                   ASOS......................8.9
                   DAVIS.....................7.4 
** Davis direction malfunctioning

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00  DEPARTURE......-0.20
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........8.42  DEPARTURE......+4.49
                         ASOS..............9.14  
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........18.53  DEPARTURE......+6.18
                         ASOS.............19.99

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE........-0.4
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH...............43.7  DEPARTURE.......+33.3
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............88.4  DEPARTURE.......+30.9

PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MARCH 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

3/01 61/37/49/+18/0.00/0.0/378/56    39 ENE AERO 37 ENE RMY N/A 
3/02 40/32/36/+5/3.47/0.7/000/00     73 NNE AERO 70 NNE RMY N/A
3/03 40/32/26/+4/T/T/034/05          52 NNE AERO 50 NNE RMY 49
3/04 39/34/37/+5/T/T/000/00          36 NNE AERO 32 NNE RMY 32 
3/05 40/29/35/+3/.../1.2/261/38      40 NE  AERO 39 NE  RMY 40
3/06 34/29/32/0/0.00/0.0/062/09      20 N   AERO 16 N   RMY N/A
3/07 35/31/33/0/..../.../000/00      52 ENE AERO 53 ENE RMY 50 
3/08 34/28/31/-2/..../.../000/00     44 NNE AERO 47 NNE RMY N/A
3/09 36/24/30/-3/T/T/265/38          28 W   AERO 26 W   RMY N/A 
3/10 37/28/33/0/0.00/0.0/343/49      38 WNW AERO 38 WNW RMY 41
3/11 42/26/34/0/0.00/0.0/583/83      28 NW  AERO 26 NW  RMY 29
3/12 39/26/33/-1/T/T/155/22          36 ENE AERO 33 ENE RMY N/A
3/13 35/26/31/-3/..../23.0/000/00    60 N   AERO 60 N   RMY 64
3/14 36/24/30/-5/..../.../470/66     38 WSW AERO 38 WSW RMY 41
3/15 40/29/35/0/..../.../.../..      44 W   AERO 44 W   RMY 44
3/16 35/23/29/-6/0.00/0.0/.../..     41 NW  AERO 41 NW  RMY 45
3/17 40/15/28/-8/0.00/0.0/.../...    46 W   AERO 45 W   RMY 49
3/18 31/10/21/-15/0.00/0.0/.../..    39 NW  AERO 38 NW  RMY 40
3/19 35/13/24/-12/0.00/0.0/.../..    32 WNW AERO 32 WNW RMY 34
3/20 40/18/29/-8/0.00/0.0/.../..     23 NW  AERO 21 NW  RMY N/A
3/21 35/31/33/-4/..../.../000/00     43 NE  AERO 44 NE  RMY N/A
3/22 39/30/35/-2/..../.../000/00 
3/23 44/28/36/-2/..../.../.../..     21 NNW AERO 18 NNW RMY 21

3/24 Low temp since midnight is 32F; normal low is now 29F

DAILY RECORDS FOR MARCH 2018

3/02/18: NEW DAILY RECORD MAXIMUM PRECIPITATION OF 3.47 INS.
         PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 2.15 INS. SET IN 1983

3/13/18: NEW DAILY RECORD MAXIMUM SNOWFALL OF 23.0 INS.
         PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 10.0 INS. SET IN 1993

3/13/18: NEW MONTHLY RECORD MAXIMUM DAILY SNOWFALL OF 23.0 INS.
         PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 18.0 INS. SET ON 8 MARCH 2013

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

RECORDS FOR MARCH 24
HIGH 70 IN 1920
LOW 6 IN 1906
PRECIP 1.51 INS. IN 1956
SNOWFALL 12.3 INS. IN 1956
PEAK GUST 71 MPH W IN 1968

RECORDS FOR MARCH 25
HIGH 76 IN 1910
LOW 8 IN 1888, 1956
PRECIP 1.84 INS. IN 1909
SNOWFALL 1.0 INS. IN 1912
PEAK GUST 69 MPH SE IN 1969

TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Benjamin Turner and Mike Iacono