BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186 ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2005 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME Today's discussion.... This morning's low temperature of 4.0 degrees in the Hazen shelter was 20 degrees colder than normal and our coldest temperature reading since -3 degrees on January 28. The mean temperature of 15 degrees for yesterday was 17 degrees colder than normal and was the greatest negative daily departure since minus 17 degrees on June 15. Today's high temperature has reached 22 degrees early this afternoon while the normal high for the date is 39 degrees. The month of December is now averaging 6.0 degrees colder than normal. Today's observations: 7 A.M. clear with stratocumulus clouds in a layer along and offshore nne-sse through distant s, visibility 55 miles but only 20 miles ne-se; temp. 05; dewpoint -04; wind WNW 13 MPH; windchill -10; six hourly min. temp. 04; snow depth 7 ins. BHO SA 1155 CLR 50 303/5/-4/3011/043/ SC LYR ALG/OFFSHR NNE-SE-DSNT SSE-S VSBY NE-SE 20 WNDCHILL -10/ 8/500 4/007 52009 10008 20004 10 A.M. clear with stratocumulus clouds offshore ne-se and visibility 60 miles; lower ne-se; temp. 14; dewpoint -02; wind WNW 12 MPH BHO SA 1455 CLR 60 307/14/-2/3010/044/ SC LYR ALG/OFFSHR NNE-SSE VSBY LWR NE-SE/ 8/500 51004 1 P.M. clear with clouds over the ocean to the northeast through southeast and high clouds distant south thru west; visibility 60 miles; temp. 22; dewpoint -02; wind NW 09 MPH gusting to 21 MPH; six hourly min. temp. 04 deg; maximum 22 deg. BHO SA 1755 CLR 60 293/22/-2/3208G18/040/ SC OFFSHR NE-SE CS LYR DSNT S-W WND 29V01/ 8/505 58014 10022 20004 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13: TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....21 NORMAL.....39 HAZEN....21.2 AT 12:02 A.M. MIN.....09 NORMAL.....24 HAZEN.... 8.9 AT 11:56 P.M. MEAN....15 NORMAL.....32 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL......-17 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH......-76 (-6.0 DEGREES/DAY) HEATING DEGREE DAYS TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..........50 DEPARTURE....+17 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.........481 DEPARTURE....+76 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.......1546 DEPARTURE...-146 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE..1692 DIFFERENCE...-12 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.........32 WNW AT 3:51 A.M. AEROVANE..........35 WNW AT 2:30 A.M. ASOS..............30 WNW AT 3:51 A.M. DAVIS.............30 WNW AT 2:27 A.M. FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........26 WNW AT 2:28 A.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE........25 WNW AT 2:30 A.M. MAXIMUM 1-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.......25 WNW AT 2:29 A.M. AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION...14.4 NW ASOS............14.7 NW [310 deg] DAVIS...........14.1 NW [310 deg] PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....trace DEPARTURE....-0.14 ASOS..............0.00 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........1.47 DEPARTURE....-0.46 ASOS..............1.33 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........63.74 DEPARTURE...+15.30 ASOS.............62.48* *EXCLUDES 3.19 INCHES OF ERRONEOUS PRECIPITATION RECORDED FROM 1/23-1/28. SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.........trace DEPARTURE....- 0.3 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH...............13.1 DEPARTURE....+ 9.6 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............15.2 DEPARTURE....+ 8.8 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 2005......CALENDAR DAY DATA DATA REPORTED IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER: DATE MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO GUST AERO: Aerovane recording wind system when significant TSTM: Thunderstorm day ....: Data not yet available 12/1 43/35/39/+3/0/0/212/38 29 MPH N 12/2 41/31/36/0/0/0/217/39 46 MPH WSW Aero 51 MPH WSW 12/3 33/26/30/-5/0/0/534/96 46 MPH W Aero 50 MPH W 12/4 28/22/25/-10/0.24/2.2/000/00 22 MPH W 12/5 32/21/27/-8/0/0/061/11 23 MPH WSW 12/6 33/23/28/-6/T/0.1/160/29 31 MPH W Aero 36 MPH W 12/7 28/16/22/-12/T/T/479/87 44 MPH WNW Aero 50 MPH WNW 12/8 31/14/23/-10/0/0/545/99 25 MPH NW 12/9 32/22/27/-6/1.23/10.8/000/00 53 MPH NW Aero 63 MPH NW TSTM/SLEET/GLAZE 12/10 34/21/28/-5/0/0/367/67 30 MPH S 12/11 40/27/34/+2/0/0/493/90 27 MPH SSW 12/12 38/21/30/-2/0/0/241/44 25 MPH W 12/13 21/09/15/-17/T/T/361/66 32 MPH WNW Aero 35 MPH WNW 12/14 morning low temp. 04 deg; normal low now 24 deg. DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): A NEW DAILY EXTREME HAS BEEN SET FOR DECEMBER 2005 12/9 - A NEW MAXIMUM DAILY SNOWFALL OF 10.8 INCHES; the previous record was 6.0 inches in 2001 RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 14 HIGH 62 IN 1901 LOW -6 IN 1893 PRECIP 1.94 INS. IN 2002 SNOWFALL 8.0 INS. IN 1907 PEAK GUST 78e ENE IN 1941 RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 15 HIGH 64 IN 1975 LOW 4 IN 1900, 1905, 1933 PRE 1.80 INS. IN 1981 SNOW 7.5 INS. IN 1951 PEAK GUST 65 MPH NW IN 1991 TODAY'S REPORT BY: Robert Skilling