BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2009
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
BRIEF PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN CAUSES GLAZE
 
A short period of freezing began just after
3 a.m. this morning and ended just before
4 a.m.  A thin coating of glaze formed on
all untreated surfaces and driving was very
slippery on local roads and highways until
they were treated within the next couple
of hours.  A total of just 0.06 inch of
precipitation was measured for the hour.
 
7 A.M.
Weather: High overcast cirrostratus, few stratocumulus,
thin glaze all surfaces
Temperature: 28F, Dew point: 24F, Wind: SW at 13 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.84 inches Hg, steady
Visibility: 15 miles, thin fog
6-hour minimum temperature: 26F
6-hourly precip: 0.06 in.
24-hourly precip: 0.06 in.
24-hourly snowfall: 0.0
Snow depth on ground: 4 inches
BHO SA 1155 220 OVC 15 105/28/24/2213/984/
FEW SC BINOVC SE THN FG ALQDS THN GLZ ALL SFCS/
8/507 4/004 56013 ASOS 60007 ASOS 70007 MANUAL 6006/
MANUAL 70006 10028 20026
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Overcast altostratus, few altocumulus distant NW and
higher cirrostratus clouds visible ESE-SSW, hazy 
Temperature: 34F, Dew point: 30, Wind: WSW at 16 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.86 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 20 miles, hazy
BHO SA 1455 E130 OVC 20 113/34/30/2516/986/
FEW AC DSNT NW HIER CLDS VSB ESE-SSW HAZY/ 8/077 53008
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Overcast altostratus, stratocumulus all parts of the
sky, break in overcast/line of clearing distant WNW-N
Temperature: 35F, Dew point: 28F, Wind: W at 8G20 kts,
Wind: direction variable WSW-WNW  
Sea-level pressure: 29.85 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 40 miles, west-northwest 45 miles
6-hour maximum temperature: 35F
BHO SA 1755 E130 OVC 40 109/35/28/2708G20/985/
SC ALQDS BINOVC/LINE OF CLRG DSNT WNW-N SUN DMLY
VSB PST HR VSBY WNW 45 WND 24V30/ 8/51/ 58004 10035 20028
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 4
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....35    NORMAL.....34
MIN.....17    NORMAL.....19
MEAN....26    NORMAL.....27
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL...............-1
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH..............-25  [-6.1 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY.............39  DEPARTURE.........+1
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH............177  DEPARTURE........+25
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........2417  DEPARTURE........-64
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....2353  DIFFERENCE.......+64
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............36   W  AT  1:37 A.M.  
                   AEROVANE.............33   W  AT  1:37 A.M.  
                   ASOS.................33   W  AT  2:33 A.M.  
                   DAVIS................33   W  AT  1:37 A.M.   
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............25   W  AT  2:41 A.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........25   W  AT  2:42 A.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........25   W  AT  2:55 A.M.   
                   AVERAGE........... 14.1   W
                   ASOS...............13.5
                   DAVIS..............13.3   W [270 deg]  
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.....0.06  DEPARTURE.........-0.09
                         ASOS...............0.07
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR JANUARY............ 0.06  DEPARTURE.........-0.54
                         ASOS...............1.06 #
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR (2009).... 0.06  DEPARTURE.........-0.54
                         ASOS...............1.06 #
# Includes erroneous ASOS precipitation data on 1/1/09 and 1/2/09
 
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0   DEPARTURE.........-0.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR JANUARY................ trace  DEPARTURE.........-2.0
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............30.4   DEPARTURE........+14.8
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 2009 CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO GUST
AERO: Aerovane recording wind system gust when significant
   TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day)
....: Data not yet available, records not finalized
 
1/1 16/1/9/-18/0/0/538/98          44 WNW   Aero 44 MPH WNW
1/2 32/9/21/-6/0/T/.../..          28 S
1/3 32/21/27/0/0/0/.../..          43 WNW   Aero 44 MPH WNW
1/4 35/17/26/-1/0/0/.../..         36 W     Aero 33 MPH W
 
1/5 morning low temp. 26F; our normal low is now 19F
    there was 0.06 in. of freezing rain early (3 to 4 a.m. )
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR JANUARY 2009...
 
..NONE..
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR JANUARY 5
HIGH 61F IN 2007
LOW -9F IN 1981
PRECIP 0.98 INS. IN 1993
SNOW 4.5 INS. IN 1891
WIND 70 MPH WNW IN 1959
 
RECORDS FOR JANUARY 6
HIGH 66F IN 2007
LOW -14F IN 1896
PRECIP 3.10 INS. IN 1889 [RECORD FOR MONTH]
SNOWFALL 7.5 INS. IN 1893
WIND 70 MPH WNW IN 1959
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED By: Robert Skilling