BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015   ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME NEAR RECORD WARMTH RETURNS TO THE REGION- TEMPS STRUGGLE TO DIP INTO THE UPPER 40S- TUESDAY TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE +24 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL With the exception of approximately 45 minutes this morning, temperatures have remained steadily in the 50s for almost 24 hours. Temperatures are forecasted for possible record-breaking warmth tomorrow in the mid 60s. Tomorrow's daily record maximum temperature of 61F, set just last year, will likely be in jeopardy as the month of December continues on a significantly warmer than  normal trend. Temperatures are now averaging 11.2 degrees above normal per day this month. So far this season, there has been no measurable snow on Blue Hill.   This season is now the fourth latest on record for the first  occurrence of measurable snowfall with no snow likely over the next week.  BHO Latest First Measurable Snowfall, (1885-2014) 1) January  13, 2000  (7.0 inches) 2) January   1, 1954  (0.8 inches) 3) December 29, 1941  (0.4 inches) 4) December 22, 1998  (0.6 inches) 5) December 16, 1973  (0.4 inches) 6) December 15, 1891  (0.3 inches) Today's Observations: 7 A.M. Weather: Overcast cirrostratus, thin spots in overcast distant E, patchy dense fog below the summit in all directions Temperature: 50F; Dew Point: 48F; Wind: estimated NW at 2 kts Wind Speed and Direction: Light and Variable Sea-level pressure: 30.22 ins. Hg, rising, then more slowly Visibility: 35 miles, thin fog 6-hr Max temp: 51F  6-hr Min temp: 49F 24-hr precip: 0.28 ins.   BHO SA 1155 E250 OVC 35 234/50/48/E3102/022/ PTCHY DNS FG BLO SMT ALQDS THN SPT INOVC DSNT E THN FG ALQDS WND LGT AND VRB/ 8/006 51019 ASOS 70029 MANUAL 70028 10051 20049 10 A.M. Weather: Broken altostratus, overcast cirrostratus, dense fog distant below the summit SE-SSW, thin patchy fog below the summit in all directions, sun dimly visible  Temperature: 53F; Dew Point: 48F; Wind: estimated S at 3 kts Wind Speed: Light Sea-level pressure: 30.29 ins. Hg, rising, then more slowly   Visibility: 65 miles, thin fog BHO SA 1455 E200 BKN 250 OVC 65 257/53/48/E1703/029/  DNS FG DSNT BLO SMT SE-SSW THN PTCHY FG BLO SMT ALQDS  THN FG ALQDS SUN DMLY VSBL WND LGT/ 8/016 51023 1 P.M. Weather: Overcast altostratus, few altocumulus  lenticularis NE-WNW Temperature: 54F; Dew Point: 49F; Wind: ESE at 8 kts Sea-level pressure: 30.23 ins. Hg, steady, then falling Visibility: 65 miles, thin fog 6-hr Max Temp: 54F 6-hr Min Temp: 50F BHO SA 1755 E180 OVC 65 236/54/49/1208/023/ FEW ACSL NE-WNW THN FG ALQDS/ 8/01/ 58021 10054 20050 SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015     TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F) MAX.....57   NORMAL.....37 MIN.....49   NORMAL.....22  MEAN....53   NORMAL.....29   DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.....................+24 TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH....................+227  [+11.2 DEGREES/DAY] HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN) TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............12   DEPARTURE.........-24 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............456   DEPARTURE........-253 TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........1458   DEPARTURE........-513 TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......1822   DIFFERENCE.......-364   PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)  PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...................35  SW  AT  5:04 P.M.                    ASOS........................35  SW  AT  5:04 P.M.                     DAVIS.......................33  SW  AT  5:03 P.M. RMY 35 FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.....................26  SW  AT  5:04 P.M.  MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..................25  SW  AT  5:05 P.M.  MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.................23  SW  AT  5:05 P.M.  AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.............14.2 WSW                    ASOS......................13.6                        DAVIS.....................12.7 SW [224 Deg.]  * Last of several occurrences... PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M.....0.28  DEPARTURE......+0.12                          ASOS...............0.29 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH...........1.88  DEPARTURE......-1.67                          ASOS...............1.90 TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........41.30  DEPARTURE.....-10.79                            ASOS................N/A *** *** ASOS annual total not available due to erroneous readings SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST) TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE......-0.5 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................0.0  DEPARTURE......-8.7 TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON.............TRACE  DEPARTURE.....-11.3 PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER CALENDAR DAY DATA   DATA REPORTED: DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/RMY GUST RMY:  R.M. Young wind gust recording system TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day) ....: Data not yet available, records not finalized 12/1  42/30/36/-1/..../0.0/000/00           19 NNE RMY 19 12/2  53/37/45/+9/..../0.0/000/00           25 SSE RMY 25 12/3  53/37/45/+9/..../0.0/162/29           43 WNW RMY 42 12/4  47/32/40/+5/0.00/0.0/444/80           32 NW  RMY 32 12/5  50/33/42/+7/0.00/0.0/548/99           21 W   RMY N/A 12/6  57/35/46/+11/0.00/0.0/531/96          22 SW  RMY N/A 12/7  54/37/46/+12/0.00/0.0/353/64          31 NE  RMY N/A 12/8  42/35/39/+5/0.01/0.0/000/00           32 NE  RMY 31 12/9  44/34/39/+5/..../0.0/044/08           28 SSE RMY N/A 12/10 57/41/49/+16/T/0.0/209/38             29 SE  RMY N/A 12/11 56/44/50/+17/0.00/0.0/049/09          28 SSW RMY 28 12/12 59/46/53/+20/0.00/0.0/367/67          23 W   RMY N/A  12/13 54/44/49/+17/0.00/0.0/000/00          18 ESE RMY 19 12/14 60/43/52/+20/..../0.0/000/00          32 S   RMY N/A 12/15 61/45/53/+21/..../0.0/371/68          48 W   RMY 51  12/16 45/34/40/+9/0.00/0.0/415/76           25 N   RMY N/A 12/17 53/36/45/+14/..../0.0/000/00          29 SE  RMY 28 12/18 50/35/43/+12/..../0.0/000/00          29 NW  RMY 30 12/19 38/30/34/+4/0.00/0.0/.../..           39 W   RMY 40 12/20 40/28/34/+4/0.00/0.0/.../..           24 W   RMY N/A 12/21 51/31/41/+11/T/0.0/.../..             38 SSW RMY 42 12/22 57/49/53/+24/0.28/0.0/000/00          35 SW  RMY 35 12/23 low since midnight is 49F; normal low is now 21F   DAILY RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 2015 **12/13/2015- NEW DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 44F, BREAKS PREVIOUS RECORD OF 43F SET IN 1919, TIED 1983** DAILY EXTREMES Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):  RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 23 HIGH 62 IN 1990 LOW -1 IN 1989 PRECIP 1.70 INS. IN 1947 SNOWFALL 11.9 INS. IN 1947 PEAK GUST 67 SSE IN 2004 RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 24 HIGH 61 IN 2014 LOW -6 IN 1943 PRECIP 2.21 INS. IN 1994 SNOWFALL 12.3 INS. IN 1961 PEAK GUST 79e MPH SE IN 1941 TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Brian Fitzgerald