BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2009   
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
SUMMER SOLSTICE AT 1:46 A.M., JUNE 21ST  
OVERCAST GLOOMY, COOL AND WET JUNE CONTINUES
SUMMER NOR'EASTER RAINFALL REACHES A
TOTAL OF 1.56 INCHES THROUGH 2 PM EDT
NEW RECORD DAILY PRECIPITATION TO BE SET
 
Many days of overcast weather continue to add
to an extreme absence of sunshine for June.
The percentage of possible sunshine through
yesterday, June 21st, is 32%, the same as it was
during the first half of June.  To place this
in perspective, the average for June is 55% and
record lowest is 25% in June 1903.  As recently
as 1998 there was only 36% of the possible sunshine
during the month.
 
VERY UNUSUAL LATE JUNE NOR'EASTER
BRINGS STRONG WINDS, VERY COOL TEMPERATURES 
OVER ONE INCH OF RAINFALL JUNE 21-22.  
 
Strong north and north-northeast winds gusted to
44 MPH yesterday along with temperatures held in
the upper 50's to around 60 degrees.  The day was
about as bad as we could expect after summer began
at 1:45 a.m.  Rain and drizzle began during the
early hours and the first measurable hour was
between 8 and 9 a.m.  By 8 a.m. this morning we
had measured 1.22 inches of rainfall in the
standard gage and 1.24 inches for the ASOS system.
The rainfall was just over a half inch yesterday
and almost three quarters of an inch between midnight.
Northerly wind gusts continue to reach 30 to 40 MPH.
Rainfall total is over an inch and a half by early
afternoon today and will set new record daily rainfall
for 22 June. The previous record was 1.57 inches in 1900. 
 
Here are some stats for cloudy Junes and also
for our coolest Junes. Currently our average
temperature is 59.8F. 
 
Coldest June (1885-2008), deg F
 
1) 57.5 in 1903
2) 58.5 in 1916
3) 58.8 in 1897
4) 60.0 in 1918, 1920, 1926
 
Lowest June Bright Sunshine (1886-2008), percent
1) 25% in 1903
2) 36% in 1998
3) 37% in 1959
4) 39% in 1948 and 2006
 
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.  
Weather: Low overcast stratus fractus, ceiling ragged,
few fractus drifting over summit, very light intermittent
drizzle was occurring 
Temperature: 58F, Dew point: 58F, Wind: N at 16G29 kts,
Wind: Peak wind from N @ 29 kts and 6:46 a.m.,
Wind: Direction variable NW to NNE 
Sea-level pressure: 29.60 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 7 miles, 5 miles east and 4 miles southeast
6-hour minimum temp: 58F
24-hour rainfall: 1.22 inches
BHO SA 1155 E3 OVC 7 L- 025/58/58/3616G29/960/ CIG RGD FEW 
STRA OCNL DRFTG OVR SMT AND VSBY INCRSD RPDLY PST HR CDNS VRBL
PCPN VRY LGT INTMT PK WND 3529/46/ WND 32V03/ 8/7// 50002 
ASOS 60065 MANUAL 6XXX/ ASOS 70124 MANUAL 70122 10060 20058  
 
10 A.M.  
Weather: Overcast stratus fractus, light rain occurring
with fog
Temperature: 59F, Dew point: 58F, Wind: N at 14G28 kts,
Wind: Peak wind from N at 34 kts @ 9:33 a.m.,
Wind: Direction variability NW to NNE 
Sea-level pressure: 29.60 inches Hg, steady
Visibility: 5 miles, light rain and fog 
3-hour precipitation: 0.11 inches
BHO SA 1455 E6 OVC 5R-F 023/59/58/3514G28/960/ CIG RGD PK WND 
3534/33/ WND 31V02/ /7// 56002 ASOS 60003 MANUAL 60003
 
1 P.M.   
Weather: Broken variable overcast stratus fractus,
overcast nimbostratus, light rain occurring 
Temperature: 59F, Dew point: 58F, Wind: N at 15G26 kts,
Wind: Peak wind from N @ 34 kts at 11:59 a.m.,
Wind: Direction variability NW to NNE
Sea-level pressure: 29.61 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 5 miles, light rain and fog,
Visibility: E-S 4 miles, SW 7 miles, N 8 miles
6-hour precipitation: 0.34 inches
BHO SA 1755 E7 BKN 13 OVC 5R-F 027/59/58/3515G26/961/
CIG RGD 7 BKN V OVC VSBY E-S 4 SW 7 N 8 PK WND 3634/1659/
WND 32V03/ 8/72/ 51004 MANUAL 60034 ASOS 60033 10059 20058
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 21
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....61    NORMAL.....77
MIN.....57    NORMAL.....57
MEAN....59    NORMAL.....67
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL...........-8
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH..........-76 [-3.8 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY.............6  DEPARTURE.......+4
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH............94  DEPARTURE......+30
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........6215  DEPARTURE.....-146
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....5942  DIFFERENCE....+273
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............44 N   AT 11:46 P.M. *
                   AEROVANE..............42 N   AT 11:46 P.M. 
                   ASOS..................41 N   AT 11:46 P.M. 
                   DAVIS.................43 N   AT  1:35 P.M.  
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...............29 NNE AT 11:45 P.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............29 NNE AT 11:46 P.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...........30 NNE AT  2:35 P.M. 
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION........15.1 N 
                   ASOS.................14.1
                   DAVIS................14.2 N [010 DEG]
* last of several occurrences....
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M... 1.22  DEPARTURE....+1.09
                         ASOS..............1.24
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR  JUNE..............3.29  DEPARTURE....+0.53
                         ASOS..............3.32 
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........21.79  DEPARTURE....-2.71
                         ASOS.............22.87 
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JUNE 2009 CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/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
 
6/1  69/41/55/-7/0/706/78          29 SSW    AERO 25 MPH SSW
6/2  76/53/65/+3/T/525/58          28 S      AERO 24 MPH S
6/3  69/54/62/0/T/254/28           23 SSW    
6/4  73/53/63/0/0/327/36           22 SSE    
6/5  64/51/58/-5/0.05/000/00       21 NE
6/6  73/51/62/-1/0.01/428/47       25 SSE
6/7  79/56/68/+4/0/583/64          28 W      AERO 24 MPH W
6/8  73/57/65/+1/0/529/58          18 ENE
6/9  59/51/55/-9/0.10/000/00       27 E
6/10 59/52/56/-8/0.00/000/00       21 NE    
6/11 57/52/55/-10/0.17/000/00      23 NNE    AERO 21 MPH NE
6/12 70/53/62/-3/0.43/119/13       30 SSE    AERO 29 MPH SSE
6/13 75/59/67/+2/T/796/87          23 NNE
6/14 63/54/59/-6/0.34/101/11       20 E
6/15 60/52/56/-10/0.06/027/03      20 NE
6/16 64/51/58/-8/T/568/62          22 NNE  
6/17 74/50/62/-4/0/807/88          28 S      AERO 24 MPH S
6/18 65/52/59/-7/.../000/00        35 ESE
6/19 70/61/66/-1/.../000/00        33 SE     AERO 31 MPH SE
6/20 76/60/68/+1/.../266/29        21 NNE
6/21 61/57/59/-8/.../000/00        44 N      Aero 42 MPH N
 
6/22 our morning low temp: 58F; the normal low is now 58F
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR JUNE 2009 TO DATE...
None
 
DAILY EXTREMES
 
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR JUNE 22
HIGH 93F IN 1921
LOW 43F IN 1940
PRECIP 1.57 INS IN 1900
PEAK GUST 74 MPH NW IN 1988
 
RECORDS FOR JUNE 23
HIGH 93F IN 1888
LOW 45F IN 1885
PRECIP 0.70 INS IN 2006
PEAK GUST 63 MPH SE IN 1972 (AGNES)
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling/Mike Iacono