BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2009 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
BRIEF THUNDERSTORM BROUGHT DOWNPOUR
WINDS GUST OVER 50 MPH WSW NEAR NOON EDT
 
Light rain and showers before dawn turned
to a thunderstorm beginning right at 8:00
a.m. EDT and a downpour that put down close to
one quarter inch of rain close to 15 minutes.
After the rain ended by mid-morning the total
stood at 0.70 inch (standard gage) and 0.74
inch in the ASOS system.  A brief very windy
spell occurred right around noon EDT with
a peak gust to 51 to 52 MPH on the paper chart
and the ASOS system respectively. The peak
gust of 51 MPH fell one short of a record of
52 MPH ESE in 1972.  However, stronger winds
may occur later today.  
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Obscurement with fog, light drizzle  
Temperature: 55F, Dew point: 55F, Wind: SE at 16G26 kts,
Wind: Peak wind 28 kts from SE at 6:12 a.m. 
Sea-level pressure: 29.46 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 1/8 variable 1/16 to 1/4 mile 
6-hour minimum temp: 52F
6-hourly precip: 0.24 inch
24-hourly precip: 0.24 inch
BHO SA 1155 W2 X 1/8VL-F 975/55/55/1416G26/946/
VSBY 1/16V1/4 PK WND 1428/12/ WND 12V18 RELBUKN/ 8//// 56053
ASOS 60024 MANUAL 60024 ASOS 70024 MANUAL 70024
10055 20052 
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Scattered stratus fractus and stratocumulus,
broken altocumulus of the variety floccus and also
castellanus all quadrants, line of towering cumulus and
cumulonimbus along a line extending distant west thru
north-northwest, rain ended 8:55 a.m. very light rain
shower began 9:15 ended 9:20 a.m.   
Temperature: 63F, Dew point: 61F, Wind: SSW at 16G24 kts
Wind: direction variable S-WSW 
Sea-level pressure: 29.35 inches Hg, falling
Visibility: 40 miles, except 25 miles east to southeast 
3-hourly rainfall: 0.46 inch
BHO SA 1455 10 SCT E85 BKN 40 938/63/61/2116G24/935/
LINE TCU/CBS XTDNG DSNT W-NNW ACC ALQDS VSBY E-SE 25
WND 18V24/ RE1355B15E20/ 8/380 56037 ASOS 60049
MANUAL 6046/
 
1 P.M.   
Weather: Scattered cumulus and altocumulus, towering cumulus
to the north and to the distant east thru southeast,
cumulonimbus tops distant WNW-NNW, few altocumulus lenticularis
Temperature: 64F, Dew point: 52F, Wind: W at 16G27 kts,
Wind: Peak wind 27 kts from the west and 12:52 p.m. 
Sea-level pressure: 29.36 inches Hg, rising slightly
Visibility: 50 miles 
6-hour maximum temp: 67F
6-hourly rainfall: 0.46 inch 
BHO SA 1755 45 SCT 75 SCT 50 941/64/52/2616G27/936/
TCU N AND DSNT E-SE CB TOPS DSNT WNW-NNW AND E FEW
ACSL MDT CU ALQDS PK WND 2727/51/ 8/243 52003 ASOS
60049 MANUAL 6046/ 10067 20055

 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....65    NORMAL.....64
MIN.....45    NORMAL.....46
MEAN....55    NORMAL.....55
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR AVERAGE............0
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH............-6 [-1.2 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............10  DEPARTURE........0
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH............61  DEPARTURE.......+4
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON..........218  DEPARTURE.......-8
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE.....186  DIFFERENCE.....+32
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............25 W   AT 6:46 A.M.   
                   AEROVANE..............24 W   AT 6:46 A.M.  
                   ASOS..................23 W   AT 6:46 A.M.   
                   DAVIS.................25 W   AT 6:46 A.M.     
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...............N/A
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............16 W   AT 8:07 A.M.        
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...........18 W   AT 8:07 A.M.        
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.......11.5 WSW            
                   ASOS................11.6 
                   DAVIS...............10.8 WSW [240 DEG]
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.24   DEPARTURE....+0.10
                         ASOS..............0.24
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........1.34   DEPARTURE....+0.50
                         ASOS..............1.34
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........39.22   DEPARTURE....+0.78
                         ASOS.............40.40
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 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
 
10/1 56/39/48/-9/0/155/22     27 WSW  AERO 23 MPH WSW
10/2 60/40/50/-6/0/442/63     23 SSE 
10/3 63/51/57/+1/1.10/000/00  32 ESE  AERO 30 MPH ESE 
10/4 67/57/62/+6/0/202/29     21 WSW
10/5 64/49/57/+2/0/595/86     33 W    AERO 31 MPH W
10/6 65/45/55/0/0/.../..      25 W
 
10/7 our morning low temp: 52F; the normal low is now 46F
 
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 2009
None.
 
DAILY EXTREMES

Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 7
HIGH 88 IN 1963 (RECORD FOR MONTH)
LOW 30 IN 1904,1986
PRECIP 1.75 INCHES IN 1972
PEAK GUST 52 ESE IN 1972
 
RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 8
HIGH 81 IN 1916,1990
LOW 28 IN 1919
PRECIP 2.31 INCHES IN 1891
SNOWFALL TRACE IN 1988, 2001 (EARLIEST DATE)
PEAK GUST 60 MPH NE IN 1996
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling