BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
COLDEST TEMPERATURE (16F) SINCE FEBRUARY 18 (11F)
AND HIGHEST BAROMETRIC PRESSURE OF MONTH TO DATE
TEMPERATURES RUNNING CLOSE TO 10 DEGREES ON THE
COLD SIDE OF AVERAGE TODAY
 
The low temperature of 16F this morning was the coldest
we've recorded since 11F on February 18. The highest
barometric pressure of the month to date was attained
at 8:50 A.M. EST. around 30.45 inches.
 
Ponkapoag Pond, 1.5 miles SE, has thawed (over the weekend)
with less than 1/10 ice cover observed today. Houghton's Pond
is at 5/10 ice cover both early this morning and at the early
afternoon observation.
Only patches of snow cover remained on
the summit but some rather widespread snow cover of
several inches in depth was observed in the woodlands
on the north side of the hill. 
As of early this afternoon our high temperature had
only reached 36 degrees and was well below the
average maximum for the date which is 45F.
A complete circle solar halo was observed in the
high cirrostratus clouds early this afternoon.
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M. 
Weather: Clear, few cirrus mostly distant S-WNW
Temperature: 18F; Dew Point: 0F; Wind: NNW at 7 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.44 ins. Hg, rising then more slowly
Visibility: 75 miles, light distant haze
6-hr min. temp: 16F
Snow depth: trace (patches around the summit)
BHO SA 1155 CLR 75 307/18/0/3407/044/ FEW CI MSTLY DSNT S-WNW
LGT DSNT HZ/ 8/001 51015 10022 20016
 
10 A.M. 
Weather: Scattered dense cirrostratus layer, overcast cirrostratus layer,
overcast partly thin overhead thru NW-ENE  
Temperature: 27F; Dew Point: 6F; Wind: SSE at 2 kts (estimated),
Wind: Wind light
Sea-level pressure: 30.44 ins. Hg, falling no change in reading from
3 hours ago
Visibility: 75 miles, light distant haze
BHO SA 1455 220 SCT E250 OVC 75 307/27/6/E1502/044/ 220 SCT DNS CS
CS OVC PTLY THN OVHD-NW-ENE LGT DSNT HZ WND LGT/ 8/007 58000 
 
1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered dense cirrostratus layer, overcast cirrostratus,
few thin spots in overcast N-E, solar halo  
Temperature: 35F; Dew Point: 7F; Wind: S at 4 kts,
Wind: Light
Sea-level pressure: 30.38 ins. Hg, falling then more rapidly
Visibility: 70 miles, light distant haze
6-hour max. temp: 36F
BHO SA 1755 220 SCT E250 OVC 70 288/35/7/1804/038/ FEW THN SPTS IOVC
N-E HALO THN K LYR ALF ESTMTD TOP 15 HND DSNT N-NNE WND LGT/ 8/007
58019 10036 20018
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 17
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....38     NORMAL.....44
MIN.....23     NORMAL.....27                         
MEAN....31     NORMAL.....36  
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.......................-5
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH......................+29 [+1.5 DEGREES/DAY]
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS 
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY............34   DEPARTURE............+5
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH...........510   DEPARTURE...........-30
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.........4630   DEPARTURE..........-478
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE....4075   DIFFERENCE.........+555
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...............
                   AERO....................28 WNW AT 11:11 A.M.
                   ASOS....................32 WNW AT 11:11 A.M.
                   DAVIS...................33 WNW AT 11:11 A.M. RMY: 34
THE FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.............23 NW  AT 12:44 P.M.  
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..............22 NW  AT 12:43 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.............22 WNW AT 12:43 P.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION........10.8 
                   ASOS.................10.7
                   DAVIS.................9.4 NW [320 deg]
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00  DEPARTURE...........-0.18
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........3.96  DEPARTURE...........+1.01
                         ASOS..............4.20
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR..........12.35  DEPARTURE...........+0.98
                         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............-0.4
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH..............30.0   DEPARTURE...........+21.9
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON.............91.2   DEPARTURE...........+36.1
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MARCH 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
 
3/1  39/33/36/+5/0.00/0.0/047/07     25 NNW AERO 24 MPH NNW RMY 28
3/2  42/30/36/+5/0.00/0.0/400/59     18 NW  AERO 16 MPH NW  RMY 21
3/3  42/30/36/+4/0.01/0.2/034/05     17 WNW AERO 15 MPH WNW RMY N/A
3/4  39/26/33/+1/T/T/328/48          32 NW  AERO 33 MPH WNW RMY 37
3/5  43/30/37/+5/0/0/123/18          27 WNW AERO 24 MPH WNW RMY N/A
3/6  37/33/35/+3/.../.../000/00 *    47 NE  AERO 46 MPH NE  RMY 51
3/7  34/29/32/-1/.../.../000/00 *    45 NE  AERO 45 MPH NE  RMY 47
3/8  37/28/33/0/.../.../000/00  *    41 NNE AERO 39 MPH NNW RMY 45
3/9  40/29/35/+2/0.00/0.0/677/97     29 N   AERO 23 MPH N   RMY 28
3/10 40/27/34/+1/0.00/0.0/372/53     21 S   AERO 17 MPH S   RMY N/A
3/11 50/32/41/+7/0.00/0.0/099/14     27 S   AERO 25 MPH S   RMY N/A
3/12 52/39/46/+12/0.51/0.0/000/00    45 S   AERO 46 MPH S   RMY 47
3/13 50/33/42/+8/T/0.0/674/95        32 WNW AERO 32 MPH WNW RMY 34
3/14 34/20/27/-8/0.00/0.0/.../..     37 W   AERO 37 MPH NW  RMY 38
3/15 39/17/28/-7/0.00/0.0/.../..     35 NW  AERO 37 MPH W   RMY 34
3/16 39/25/32/-3/0.00/0.0/.../..     23 NW  AERO 18 MPH WNW RMY 20
3/17 38/23/31/-5/0.00/0.0/.../..     32 WNW AERO 28 MPH WNW RMY 34
 
3/18 the morning low temp: 16F; the normal low is now 27F
 
* Precipitation and snowfall for calendar days March 6-8 are under
  review. The records under review are as follows: (inches)
  March 6  0.19 precip //  0.3 snowfall
  March 7  1.36 precip // 11.5 snowfall  
  March 8  1.89 precip // 18.0 snowfall
  
DAILY RECORDS FOR MARCH 2013
None so far.
Calendar day precipitation and snowfall amounts for 3/6-8 are
under review.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR MARCH 18
HIGH 72 IN 2012
LOW 0 IN 1885
PRECIP 5.61 INS. IN 1968 [RECORD FOR MONTH]
SNOWFALL 9.3 INS. IN 1985
PEAK GUST 71e MPH WNW IN 1941
 
RECORDS FOR MARCH 19
HIGH 77 IN 2012
LOW -2 IN 1967
PRECIP 1.69 INS. IN 1956
SNOWFALL 17.6 INS. IN 1956 [RECORD FOR MONTH]
PEAK GUST 75e MPH WNW IN 1941
 
TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling