BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2013 ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME THE SNOW BEGINS! Light snow began shortly before 9 AM. The snow picked up in intensity to a moderate snow during the 12 o'clock hour. Total accumulation had reached 1.0 inch by 1 P.M. Heavy snow is estimated to have begun close to 2 PM. Total snowfall has reached 2.0 through 3 P.M, with a steady 0.5 inch per hour snowfall rate over the past 3 hours. Winds have been increasing through the day, frequently reaching gusts in the 25-35 mph range this afternoon. The wind direction continues from the E, but some gradual backing (counterclockwise) of the wind has occurred. Stay tuned...special reports will be prepared and sent out overnight as conditions warrant. Today's observations: 7 A.M. Weather: Broken stratocumulus, overcast stratus, snow shower/virga distant WNW-N-NE moving ENE, hazy Temperature: 28F; Dew Point: 23F; Wind: E at 14 kts, Wind: Direction variable ENE-SE Sea-level pressure: 30.33 ins. Hg, falling Visibility: 35 miles, hazy 6-hour min. temp: 23F Snow depth: Trace BHO SA 1155 E20 BKN 30 OVC 35 270/28/23/1014/033/ SHSN/VIRGA DSNT WNW-N-NE MOVG ENE HAZY WND 07V14/ 8/5// 58010 10028 20023 10 A.M. Weather: Light snow, fog, broken stratus fractus, overcast nimbostratus, light snow continued Temperature: 29F; Dew Point: 27F; Wind: E at 16G24 kts, Wind: Peak wind 26 kts. from the E at 9:40 A.M. Wind: Direction variable ENE-ESE Sea-level pressure: 30.27 ins. Hg, falling Visibility: 2 miles, light snow and fog 3-hr snowfall: Trace 3-hr precip: Trace BHO SA 1455 2S-F E15 BKN 25 OVC 250/29/27/0916G24/027/ PK WND 0926/40 WND 06V12 S- CTD/ 8/7// 58020 MANUAL 6000/ 1 P.M. Weather: Moderate snow, fog, broken stratus fractus, overcast nimbostratus, occasional blowing/drifting snow, light snow becoming moderate snow at unknown time and continuing, total new snow past 6 hours 1.0 inch Temperature: 30F; Dew Point: 30F; Wind: E at 21G31 kts, Wind: Peak wind 31 kts. from the E at 12:50 P.M. Wind: Direction variable NE-ESE Sea-level pressure: 30.12 ins. Hg, falling Visibility: 1/2 mile, moderate snow, fog Storm total snowfall: 1.0 inch 6-hr snowfall: 1.0 inch 6-hr precip: 0.10 inch (ASOS) 6-hr max temp: 31F BHO SA 1755 E5 BKN 10 OVC 1/2SF 201/30/30/0821G31/012/ OCNL BLWG/DRFTNG SNW PK WND 0831/50 WND 04V11 S- BCMG S UKN CTD TOTAL NEW SNW PST 6 HRS 1.0 INCH/ 8/7// 58049 MANUAL 600XX ASOS 60010 10031 20028 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7 TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....29 NORMAL.....35 MIN.....16 NORMAL.....18 MEAN....23 NORMAL.....27 DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.....................-4 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH....................-13 [-2.1 DEGREES/DAY] HEATING DEGREE DAYS TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............42 DEPARTURE..........+3 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........285 DEPARTURE.........+13 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........3410 DEPARTURE........-393 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....2995 DIFFERENCE.......+415 PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...............24 NW AT 10:11 A.M. AERO....................21 NW AT 9:33 A.M. ASOS....................24 NNW AT 10:12 A.M. DAVIS...................24 NW AT 9:59 A.M. RMY 24 THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.............17 NNW AT 10:13 A.M. * MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..............17 NW AT 10:06 A.M. MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.............13 WNW AT 11:11 A.M. AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION..........8.3 NNW ASOS...................8.1 DAVIS..................7.8 N [352 deg] * last of several occurrences.... 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..........0.13 DEPARTURE...........-0.82 ASOS..............0.10 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........1.55 DEPARTURE..........-3.75 ASOS..............1.58 SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.........0.0 DEPARTURE............-0.5 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH...............2.2 DEPARTURE............-1.3 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON.............23.7 DEPARTURE...........-12.9 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 2013 CALENDAR DAY DATA DATA REPORTED: DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO GUST AERO: Aerovane wind recording system gust RMY: RMY = R.M. Young wind gust recording system added 8/9/2011 TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day) ....: Data not yet available, records not finalized 2/1 32/19/26/0/T/T/.../... 39 WSW AERO 38 MPH W RMY 42 2/2 30/15/23/-3/0/0/.../... 28 SSW AERO 23 MPH SSW RMY 28 2/3 26/19/23/-3/0.08/1.2/.../.. 22 W AERO 21 MPH WSW RMY N/A 2/4 29/17/23/-3/T/T/.../.. 44 W AERO 46 MPH W RMY N/A 2/5 25/18/22/-4/0.04/0.8/000/00 21 W AERO 16 MPH W RMY N/A 2/6 37/22/30/+4/0.01/0.2/.../.. 35 W AERO 33 MPH W RMY 35 2/7 29/16/23/-4/0.00/0.0/.../.. 24 NW AERO 21 MPH NW RMY 24 2/8 the morning low temp: 22F; the normal low is now 18F DAILY RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 2013 None so far. DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 8 HIGH 60F IN 1933 LOW -9F IN 1934 PRECIP 2.50 INS. IN 1945 SNOWFALL 11.0 INS. IN 1891 PEAK GUST 63e MPH NE IN 1945 RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 9 HIGH 58F IN 1990 LOW -21F IN 1934 [LOWEST TEMPERATURE ON RECORD] PRECIP 2.12 INS. IN 1969 SNOWFALL 13.0 INS. IN 1969 PEAK GUST 89 MPH NE IN 1969 TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Sean Fankhauser