BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2009 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
BRIGHT SUNSHINE AND LIGHT WINDS BUT CONTINUED COLD...
JANUARY TEMPS. NEARLY 5 DEGREES BELOW THE AVERAGE 
 
After an early morning low of 10F the temperature
had risen only to 24F by 1 p.m. this afternoon, and
today is only slightly less cold than yesterday despite
very light winds.  The sunshine is being reflected
back by the deep snow cover and thus not allowing for much
warming at the surface. The air is still very dry
with dew points in the single numbers. 
 
January's average temperature of about 21.5 degrees is almost
5 degrees below the 30-year average, and the high temperature  
for the month of 39 degrees, if it should hold through month's
end, may be very close to a record low maximum for January.
 
Today's observations:

7 A.M. 
Weather: Thin scattered cirrus, lower cirrus layers east thru 
south thru southwest, stratocumulus layer offshore NE-E
Temperature: 10F, Dew point: -1F, Wind: W at 9 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.39 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 25 miles, light haze
6-hour minimum temperature: 10F
Snow depth on ground: 12 inches
BHO SA 1155 250 –SCT 25 290/10/-1/2709/039/
SC LYR OFFSHR NE-E LWR CI LYRS E-S-SW LGT HZ/
8/501 4/012 53012 10013 20010
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Thin broken cirrus, lower cirrocumulus, and
cirrus SE-SW, stratocumulus offshore distant NE-E 
Temperature: 18F, Dew point: 3F, Wind: WNW at 5 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.42 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 25 miles, hazy, thin smoke SW-NW-SE    
BHO SA 1455 250 –SCT 300 –BKN 25 302/18/3/3005/042/
SC OFFSHR DSNT NE-E LWR CC/CI SE-SE THN K SW-NE HAZY ALQDS/
8/509 51012
 
1 P.M.  
Weather: High thin broken to overcast cirrus with breaks
in the overcast 
Temperature: 24F, Dew point: 4F, Wind: WSW at 3 kts,
Wind: light and variable
Sea-level pressure: 30.37 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 30 miles, hazy
6-hour maximum temperature: 24F
BHO SA 1755 250 –SCT 300 –OVC 30 284/24/4/2403/037/
BINOVC HAZY WND L/V/ 8/001 58018 10024 20010
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 25
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....23    NORMAL.....34 
MIN......3    NORMAL.....18
MEAN....13    NORMAL.....26
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL..............-13
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.............-105  [-4.4 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY.............52  DEPARTURE........+13
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........1080  DEPARTURE.......+107
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........3320  DEPARTURE........+18
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....3026  DIFFERENCE......+294
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............25  SW AT  2:33 P.M. *
                   AEROVANE.............24 SSW AT 12:34 P.M.
                   ASOS.................25 SSW AT  1:02 P.M.
                   DAVIS................27 SSW AT 12:28 P.M. 
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............20 SSW AT 12:35 P.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........20 SSW AT 12:35 P.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........21 SSW AT 12:34 P.M. 
                   AVERAGE............12.0  SW 
                   ASOS...............10.7 
                   DAVIS..............11.1 WSW [240 deg]  
* Last of several occurrences
 
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...........2.86  DEPARTURE.........-1.02
                         ASOS...............3.94 #
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR............2.86  DEPARTURE.........-1.02
                         ASOS...............3.94 #
# 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 THE MONTH...............20.6   DEPARTURE.........+8.1
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............51.0   DEPARTURE........+24.9
 
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/-6/0/0/005/01           28 S
1/3  32/21/27/0/T/T/539/98           43 WNW   Aero 44 MPH WNW
1/4  35/17/26/-1/0/0/512/93          36 W     Aero 33 MPH W
1/5  36/26/31/+4/0.06/0/512/93       30 W   
1/6  33/21/27/+1/0/0/183/33          27 W 
1/7  36/26/31/+5/1.26/0.8/000/00     46 NE    Aero 45 MPH NE
1/8  38/21/30/+4/0.01/0.1/389/70     47 W     Aero 45 MPH W
1/9  25/16/21/-5/0/0/546/98          37 W     Aero 36 MPH W
1/10 24/11/18/-8/0.10/1.0/329/59     28 W
1/11 31/19/25/-1/0.55/5.3/000/00     30 NW
1/12 27/18/23/-3/0.02/0.4/410/73     24 WNW
1/13 34/16/25/-1/0.04/T/107/19       25 SE
1/14 33/10/22/-4/0/0/518/92          47 W     Aero 48 MPH W
1/15 16/5/11/-15/0/0/000/00          20 NW
1/16 17/0/9/-17/0/0/557/98           26 W
1/17 19/1/10/-16/0/0/450/79          23 W
1/18 29/14/22/-4/0.58/9.5/000/00     24 E
1/19 32/19/26/+1/0.24/3.5/057/10     18 NW
1/20 30/17/24/-1/T/T/247/43          30 NW
1/21 23/9/16/-9/0/0/462/80           25 SW
1/22 31/14/23/-2/0/0/493/85          31 SW
1/23 39/24/32/+7/0/0/378/65          31 S
1/24 36/9/23/-3/0/0/280/48           40 W    Aero 42 MPH W
1/25 23/3/13/-13/0/0/532/91          25 SW
 
1/26 morning low temp: 10F; our normal low is now 18F
    
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 26
HIGH 68F IN 1950 [RECORD FOR MONTH]
LOW -5F IN 1920
PRECIP 1.60 INS. IN 1958
SNOW 9.0 INS. IN 1898
WIND 90e MPH SE IN 1978
 
RECORDS FOR JANUARY 27
HIGH 63F IN 1974
LOW -12F IN 1924
PRECIP 1.59 INS. IN 1996
SNOWFALL 11.0 INS. IN 1894
PEAK GUST 91 MPH SSE IN 1996
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED By: Robert Skilling