BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2010 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME 
 
SUNNY DESPITE SOME HIGH CLOUDS BY AFTERNOON
WITH GUSTY WEST TO WEST-NORTHWEST WINDS AND
WITH CONTINUED BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES
 
The sun rose above the edge of a stratocumulus
layer over the ocean to our east at 6:51 a.m.
about four minutes after the actual rise time
which is close to 6:48 a.m. now.  Bright sunshine
has continued with some increasing high clouds
by early afternoon.  West to west-northwest winds
are gusting past 30 MPH at times with the highest
2-minute averages close to 25 MPH.  High temper-
ature readings have reached 30 degrees by early
this afternoon. While not quite as cold as the
past two days, today will continue a nearly un-
broken trend of colder-than-normal weather days
which began back on January 28.  The 11-day stretch
has averaged 5 degrees colder than normal. 
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Clear, stratocumulus distant WNW-NW and along and offshore
to the ENE-ESE, altocumulus/cirrus distant NNW-NE  
Temperature: 18F, Dew point: 9F, Wind: W at 12 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.75 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 50 miles, light distant haze  
6-hour minimum temp: 17F
24-hour precip: 0.00
Average snow depth: Trace
BHO SA 1155 CLR 50 075/18/9/2612/975/ FEW SC DSNT WNW-NW AND 
ALG/OFFSHR ENE-ESE AC/CI DSNT NNW-NE/ 8/570 53006 10018 20017
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus distant west thru northwest,
and offshore distant NE-SE, few altocumulus lenticularis
north thru northeast, patches dense cirrus northwest thru
the north
Temperature: 25F, Dew point: 10F, Wind: W at 17G24 kts,
Wind: Peak wind gust 28 kts WNW at 9:17 a.m.,
Wind: Direction variable WSW to NW 
Sea-level pressure: 29.76 inches Hg, steady
Visibility: 60 miles, distant light haze
BHO SA 1455 CLR 60 077/25/10/2817G24/976/ FEW SC DSNT W-NW AND 
OFFSHR DSNT NE-SE FEW ACSL N-NE PTCHS DENS CI NW-N LGT DSNT HZ
PK WND 2928/17/ WND 25V31/ 8/542 51002
 
1 P.M. 
Weather: Scattered dense cirrus, cirrocumulus and cirro-
cumulus lenticularis, thin broken cirrus, few altocumulus
and altocumulus lenticularis distant W-NNW and distant to
the east, mostly clear sky southeast thru southwest  
Temperature: 30F, Dew point: 10F, Wind: W at 15G25 kts,
Wind: Peak wind gust 27 kts WNW at 12:35 p.m.,
Wind: Direction variable WSW to NW 
Sea-level pressure: 29.73 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 75 miles
6-hour max. temp: 30F
BHO SA 1755 220 SCT 250 –BKN 75 068/30/10/2815G25/973/
FEW AC/ACSL DSNT W-NNW AND DSNT E PTCHS DENS CI/CCSL
PRSNT MSTLY CLR SKY SE-SW PK WND 2927/35/ WND 24V31/
8/049 58009 10030 20018 
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....30     NORMAL.....35
MIN.....10     NORMAL.....19
MEAN....20     NORMAL.....27
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR AVERAGE.............-7
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.............-19 [-2.9 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............45    DEPARTURE........+7
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........289    DEPARTURE.......+17 
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........3715    DEPARTURE.......-93
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....3858    DIFFERENCE.....-138
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............36 WNW AT  7:08 P.M.     
                   AEROVANE..............37 WNW AT  8:44 P.M.
                   ASOS..................37 WNW AT  7:08 P.M.    
                   DAVIS.................38 W   AT  7:09 P.M.   
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........28 WNW AT  7:09 P.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............28 WNW AT  7:09 P.M.    
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...........30 WNW AT  7:09 P.M.    
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION........19.0 WNW
                   ASOS.................17.8
                   DAVIS................19.1 WNW [290 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..........0.02   DEPARTURE....-1.03
                         ASOS..............0.03
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........4.05   DEPARTURE....-1.78
                         ASOS..............4.03
                 
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE.....-0.7
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................0.6  DEPARTURE.....-4.0
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............45.1  DEPARTURE....+11.1
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 2010 CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO GUST
AERO: Aerovane wind recording system gust when significant
TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day)
....: Data not yet available, records not finalized
 
2/1 32/18/25/-1/0/0/.../..         31 WSW
2/2 30/17/24/-2/0/0/.../..         22 WSW  
2/3 31/22/27/+1/0.02/0.4/.../..    20 W    
2/4 31/20/26/0/0/0/.../..          33 WNW   AERO 35 MPH WNW
2/5 33/17/25/-2/0/0/.../..         24 W
2/6 23/14/19/-8/T/0.2/000/00       30 NNW
2/7 30/10/20/-7/0/0/615/100        36 WNW   AERO 37 MPH WNW
 
2/8 our morning low temp: 17F; the normal low is now 19F
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 2010
None.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 8
HIGH 60F IN 1933
LOW -9F IN 1934
PRECIP 2.50 INS. IN 1945
SNOWFALL 11.0 INS. IN 1891
PEAK GUST 63e MPH NE IN 1945
 
RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 9
HIGH 58F IN 1990
LOW -21F IN 1934 [LOWEST TEMPERATURE ON RECORD]
PRECIP 2.12 INS. IN 1969
SNOWFALL 13.0 INS. IN 1969
PEAK GUST 89 MPH NE IN 1969
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling