BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
MILDER TEMPERATURES REACHED MID-40'S YESTERDAY 
RAINFALL LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING FELL A LITTLE SHORT OF HALF INCH
COLDER, MUCH DRIER AIR BEGAN MOVING IN THIS MORNING
WEST WINDS INCREASE TO GUSTY WNW BY 4 A.M.
 
Milder temperatures yesterday reached the mid-40'S and
mild weather continued in the 40's into last evening
along with light rain, occasionally moderate, totaling 
0.43 inch and ending before midnight.
Colder and much drier air moved in today on west to
west-northwest winds, which became quite gusty after
4 A.M.  The low temperature of 28.3 degrees occurred
at 7:53 A.M. as low to mid level clouds began to clear.
Our high for the day was 40F at midnight with a mid-day 
maximum of only 32.0F by 1 P.M. this afternoon. 
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.
Weather:  Broken stratocumulus, few lower stratocumulus mostly
distant SW-W and distant NNW, sky gradually clearing
Temperature: 30F; Dew Point: 21F; Wind: W at 18G27 kts,
Wind: Peak wind, W at 27 kts @ 6:54 A.M.,
Wind: Direction variable WSW-NW  
Sea-level pressure: 29.61 ins. Hg, rising then more slowly
Visibility: 55 miles, distant haze
6-hour min. temp: 30F
6-hour max. temp: 39F
24-hour rainfall: 0.43 inch
24-hour snowfall: none
Snow depth on ground: 8 inches
BHO SA 1155 E65 BKN 55 028/30/21/2818G27/961/ FEW LWR SC MSTLY
DSNT SW-W AND DSNT NNW SKY GRDLY CLRG LGT DSNT HZ/ PK WND 2727/54/
WND 25V31/ 8/500 4/008 51020 ASOS 70044 MANUAL 70043 10039 20030
 
10 A.M. 
Weather: Scattered stratocumulus  
Temperature: 31F; Dew Point: 16F; Wind: W at 17G25 kts.
Wind: Peak wind, from W at 30 kts at 9:07 A.M.
wIND: Direction variability WSW-NW
Sea-level pressure: 29.65 ins. Hg, rising then more slowly
Visibility: 50 miles, light distant haze
BHO SA 1455 39 SCT 50 040/31/16/2817G25/965/ SC ALQDS
LGT DSNT HZ PK WND 2830/07/ WND 25V31/ 8/500 51012 
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Overcast stratocumulus variable to broken,
breaks in overcast all quadrants  
Temperature: 30F; Dew Point: 15F; Wind: WNW at 16G27 kts,
Wind: Peak wind of 29 kts. from the W at 12:13 P.M.
Wind: Direction WSW-NW
Sea-level pressure: 29.63 ins. Hg, falling slightly
Visibility: 65 miles, light distant haze,
mountain in cloud 70 NW 
6-hr max temp: 32F
6-hr min temp: 28F
BHO SA 1755 E45 OVC 65 035/30/15/2916G27/963/ OVC V BKN
BINOVC ALQDS MTN INCLD 70 NW LGT DSNT HZ PK WND 2629/13/
WND 25V32/ 8/5// 58005 10032 20028
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....45      NORMAL.....38
MIN.....21      NORMAL.....20                        
MEAN....33      NORMAL.....29  
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL......................+4
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH......................+7 [+0.2 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............32   DEPARTURE............-4
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........712   DEPARTURE............-9
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........3838   DEPARTURE..........-413
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....3366   DIFFERENCE.........+472
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...............33 SSW AT  1:43 P.M.
                   AERO....................32 SSW AT  1:43 P.M.
                   ASOS....................35 SSW AT  1:43 P.M.
                   DAVIS...................34 S   AT  1:42 P.M. RMY 36
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.............25 S   AT  2:11 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..............25 S   AT  2:10 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.............25 S   AT  1:43 P.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.........15.7 S
                   ASOS..................19.7
                   DAVIS.................14.5 SSW [200 deg]
* last of several occurrences...
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.43  DEPARTURE...........+0.28
                         ASOS..............0.44
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........4.03  DEPARTURE...........+1.37
                         ASOS..............N/A*
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........5.45  DEPARTURE...........-1.56
                         ASOS..............N/A*
*ASOS malfunctioned during storm on 2/8-9, leading to erroneous totals
                       
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.........0.0   DEPARTURE............-0.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH..............35.3   DEPARTURE...........+25.9
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON.............56.8   DEPARTURE...........+14.3
 
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/325/54           39 WSW AERO 38 MPH W   RMY 42
2/2   30/15/23/-3/0/0/452/75          28 SSW AERO 23 MPH SSW RMY 28
2/3   26/19/23/-3/0.08/1.2/000/00     22 W   AERO 21 MPH WSW RMY N/A
2/4   29/17/23/-3/T/T/547/90          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/+4/0.01/0.2/521/85     35 W   AERO 33 MPH W   RMY 35
2/7   29/16/23/-4/0.00/0.0/306/52     24 NW  AERO 21 MPH NW  RMY 24
2/8   31/18/25/-2/1.86/16.1/000/00    63 NE  AERO 61 MPH NE  RMY 66
2/9   20/12/16/-11/0.98/10.5/000/00   51 NNW AERO 52 MPH N   RMY 51
2/10  37/9/23/-4/0.00/0.0/623/100     29 NW  AERO 27 MPH NW  RMY N/A
2/11  44/23/34/+7/0.15/T/000/00       33 S   AERO 35 MPH S   RMY 39
2/12  44/30/37/+10/0.00/0.0/.../..    39 W   AERO 37 MPH S   RMY 39
2/13  42/27/35/+7/T/T/.../..          22 W   AERO 17 MPH W   RMY N/A
2/14  43/29/36/+8/T/0.1/.../..        21 NNW AERO 16 MPH NNW RMY N/A
2/15  48/29/39/+11/0.00/0.0/.../..    31 S   AERO 30 MPH S   RMY 32
2/16  35/29/32/+4/0.07/1.2/.../..     25 NNW AERO 23 MPH NNW RMY 40
2/17  29/15/22/-6/0.41/5.2/000/00     54 NW  AERO 54 MPH NW  RMY 58
2/18  31/11/21/-8/0.00/0.0/.../..     52 WNW AERO 52 MPH WNW RMY 53
2/19  45/21/33/+4/0.43/0.0/.../..     33 SSW AERO 32 MPH SSW RMY 36
 
2/20  the morning low temp: 30F thru 7 A.M.; 28F by 8 A.M.;
      the normal low is now 20F
 
DAILY RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 2013
2/8 - NEW RECORD DAILY SNOWFALL OF 16.1 INCHES;
      surpasses the previous record of 11.0 inches in 1891
2/8 - TIED DAILY RECORD PEAK WIND GUST OF 63e MPH NE IN 1945
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 20
HIGH 66F IN 1930
LOW -4F IN 1966
PRECIP 1.90 INCHES IN 1934
SNOWFALL 15.0 INCHES IN 1921,1934
PEAK GUST 78 MPH NW IN 1972
 
RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 21
HIGH 62F IN 1930
LOW -6F IN 1950
PRECIP 2.42 INCHES IN 1898
SNOWFALL 9.0 INCHES IN 1929
PEAK GUST 72 MPH WNW IN 1967
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling