BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2010 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME 
 
FEBRUARY MUCH DRIER, LESS SNOWY AND SLIGHTLY
COLDER THAN NORMAL THROUGH FIRST HALF
 
February continues its much drier than normal
trend in precipitation with just a little over
a half inch through the first half of the month.
At the end of 14 days we will have had only 27%
of normal rainfall and melted snow.
Snowfall is only a little better than half the normal
for this month to date and only 40% of normal since the
third of January. Despite this, though, this season's
total is still close to 11 inches more than the
long-term average due storms on December 20 and on
January 2-3 totaling 13.8 and 10.0 inches respectively. 
Temperatures have been running within a few degrees
either side of normal normal with only a couple of
exceptions. February 6-7 with negative departures
of 7 and 8 degrees have had the greatest departures
from normal. The rest of the days this month, for the
most part, have averaged out only a few degrees either
side of normal leaving the current monthly departure
just a little more than a degree on the cold side. 
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather: Scattered altocumulus and altocumulus lenticularis,
scattered dense cirrus, thin broken cirrus
Temperature: 22F, Dew point: 13F, Wind: W at 14 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.36 inches Hg, rising
Visibility: 50 miles
6-hour minimum temp: 21F
Average snow depth: 3 in.
BHO SA 1155 170 SCT 220 SCT 250 –BKN 50 943/22/13/2614/936/
ACSL ALQDS PTCHS DNS CI/CC ALQDS/
8/042 4/003 51014 10025 20021
 
10 A.M.
Weather: Thin broken cirrus, few stratocumulus distant
east offshore and forming distant west thru north,
few altocumulus and altocumulus lenticularis distant
east through south through west-southwest 
Temperature: 30F, Dew point: 17F, Wind: W at 16G27 kts,
Wind: Peak wind from the west at 27 kts at 9:49 a.m.,
Wind: Direction variable WSW to WNW
Sea-level pressure: 29.38 inches Hg, falling 
Visibility: 70 miles 
BHO SA 1455 250 –BKN 300 –BKN 70 950/30/17/2716G27/938/
FEW SC DSNT OFFSHR E AND SC FRMG DSNT W-N AC/ACSL DSNT E-S-WSW 
PK WND 2627/49/ WND 24V30/ 8/541 50007
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....34     NORMAL.....36
MIN.....16     NORMAL.....20
MEAN....25     NORMAL.....28
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR AVERAGE.............-3
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.............-15 [-1.4 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............40    DEPARTURE........+3
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........511    DEPARTURE.......+12
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........3937    DEPARTURE.......-98
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....4023    DIFFERENCE......-86
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY.............31 W   AT  9:53 P.M.
                   AEROVANE..............29 W   AT  9:53 P.M. 
                   ASOS..................30 W   AT  9:53 P.M.
                   DAVIS.................30 W   AT  9:53 P.M.
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY...........22 W   AT  9:53 P.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE............22 W   AT  9:53 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE...........24 W   AT  7:24 P.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION........12.5 W 
                   ASOS.................12.5
                   DAVIS................12.9 W [280 DEG]
      
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00   DEPARTURE....-0.14
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........0.55   DEPARTURE....-1.34
                         ASOS..............0.55
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........4.58   DEPARTURE....-2.09
                         ASOS..............4.55
 
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE.....-0.6
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................4.6  DEPARTURE.....-3.7
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............49.1  DEPARTURE....+11.4
.
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 2010 CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/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
 
2/1  32/18/25/-1/0/0/582/97         31 WSW
2/2  30/17/24/-2/0/0/343/57         22 WSW  
2/3  31/22/27/+1/0.02/0.4/024/04    20 W    
2/4  31/20/26/0/0/0/589/97          33 WNW   AERO 35 MPH WNW
2/5  33/17/25/-2/0/0/427/70         24 W
2/6  23/14/19/-8/T/0.2/000/00       30 NNW
2/7  30/10/20/-7/0/0/615/100        36 WNW   AERO 37 MPH WNW
2/8  32/17/25/-2/0/0/531/86         36 W    
2/9  38/17/28/+1/0/0/552/89         31 WNW
2/10 33/26/30/+3/0.53/4.0/000/00    46 NNE   AERO 45 MPH N
2/11 37/26/32/+5/T/T/.../..         35 NW    AERO 38 MPH NNW
2/12 36/20/28/0/0/0/.../..          29 WNW
2/13 34/16/25/-3/0/0/.../..         31 W 
 
2/14 our morning low temp: 21F; the normal low is 20F
 
NEW DAILY RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 2010
None.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 14
HIGH 56F IN 1949
LOW -8F IN 1979
PRECIP 2.09 INCHES IN 2007
SNOWFALL 11.0 INCHES IN 1914
PEAK GUST 83 MPH SSW IN 2000
 
RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 15
HIGH 60F IN 1954
LOW -18F IN 1943
PRECIP 1.28 INCHES IN 1950
SNOWFALL 11.2 INCHES IN 1940
PEAK GUST 94e MPH WNW IN 1946
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling