BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186 MONDAY DECEMBER 22, 2003 TEMPERATURES START TO RISE ABOVE NORMAL AFTER COLD DAY ON SUNDAY DECEMBER TEMPERATURES STILL AVERAGE 3.4 DEGREES ON THE COLD SIDE OF NORMAL WINTER SOLSTICE AT 2:04 A.M. THIS MORNING Yesterday was the first day to average colder than normal during the past week, a week that averaged 2 degrees milder than normal. Sunday's high temperature of 32 degrees made it the first subreezing day since December 13th. Monthly temperatures are still averaging more than 3 degrees on the cold side of normal but mild temperatures this week is likely to erase much of the remaining December negative temperature departure. Winter began early this morning but all the wintry weather so far this month was here and then gone after the month's first half. The first fifteen days of this month averaging 5.5 degrees colder than normal along with 29.7 inches of snowfall. TODAY'S OBSERVATIONS.... 12/22/2003 MON 7 a.m. high clouds and 45 miles view and 32 deg; wind sw at 16 mph.... BHO SA 1155 220 SCT 250 -BKN 300 -OVC 45 174/32/15/2314/004/ FEW AC DSNT NW-NE BINOVC E-S LGT HAZE/ 8/031/ 50000 60025 70050 10032 20032 10 a.m. high clouds and 50 miles view and 40 deg; wind sw at 13 mph.. BHO SA 1455 250 -SCT 300 -BKN 50 179/40/15/2311/006/ FEW DSNT W-NNW LGT HAZE/ 8/001/ 51005 1 p.m. high clouds and 50 miles view and 47 deg; wind sw at 14 gsts 25 mph... BHO SA 1755 250 -BKN 300 -OVC 50 156/47/17/2312G22/999/ FEW AC/ACSL FEW LWR CI LGT HAZE/ 8/041/ 56023 10047 20032 THE DATA RECORDED FOR SUNDAY DECEMBER 21 TEMPERATURES ARE CALENDAR DAY MIDNIGHT TO MIDNIGHT EASTERN STANDARD TIME MAX: 32 MIN: 17 ASOS MAX: 32 ASOS MIN: 17 MEAN: 25 [ - 5 ] TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR DECEMBER TO DATE: - 67 DEGREES (-3.4 DEGREES/DAY) PRECIPITATION UPDATED ON 12/22 at 7 A.M. 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.00 IN [STANDARD GAGE] TOTAL FOR ASOS...............0.00 IN DECEMBER ASOS TOTAL..........6.94 IN TOTAL FOR DEC TO DATE........7.53 IN [STANDARD GAGE] DECEMBER DEPARTURE TO DATE..+4.47 IN TOTAL 2003 PRECIPITATION....57.11 IN DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE......+8.31 IN SNOWFALL UPDATED ON 12/22 at 7 A.M. 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0 INS TOTAL FOR DECEMBER..........29.7 INS TOTAL FOR 2003-2004 SEASON..30.2 INS WIND DATA FOR SUNDAY DECEMBER 21 2003 PEAK GUST ASOS: 28 MPH SSW AT 3:12 P.M. PEAK GUST AERO: 31 MPH SW AT 12:54 P.M. PEAK GUST 420C: 31 MPH SW AT 12:54 P.M. FASTEST 2-MINUTE MILE BY ASOS: 22 MPH SSW AT 6:16 P.M. DECEMBER 2003 PRELIMINARY DATA....ALL IS CALENDAR DAY DATA.... BELOW IS THE ORDER OF DATA REPORTED.... MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOWFALL/SUNSHINE/ OFFICIAL 420C WIND GUST/ AERO GUST Aero = Aerovane recording wind system gust when significant TSTM = thunderstorm day .../.. no sunshine data yet available 12/1 49/29/39/+3/0/0/342/61/ 59 WNW Aero 60 mph WNW 12/2 31/12/22/-14/0.02/0.3/301/54/ 46 WNW Aero 49 mph NW 12/3 27/10/19/-16/0/0/551/99 33 WNW Aero 36 mph WNW 12/4 36/15/26/-9/T/0.1/356/64 25 W 12/5 29/13/21/-14/0.10/1.0/200/36 44 ENE 12/6 31/21/26/-9/2.78/17.0/000/00 58 NNE 12/7 26/22/24/-10/0.66/6.3/000/00 46 NW 12/8 33/20/27/-6/0/0/540/98 35 WNW 12/9 35/19/27/-6/0/0/418/76 17 N 12/10 37/30/34/+1/0/0/000/00 27 ESE 12/11 53/37/45/+13/1.10/0/000/00 58 SSE Aero 58 MPH SSE 12/12 39/26/33/+1/0/0/548/100 51 W 12/13 29/17/23/-9/0/0/543/99 33 WNW 12/14 37/12/25/-6/1.20/5.0/000/00 59 E Aero 61 MPH E 12/15 39/25/32/+1/0.95/0/071/13 61 WNW Aero 66 MPH WNW 12/16 40/22/31/0/0/0/496/91 35 W 12/17 53/36/45/+14/0.72/0/000/00 62 SSE Aero 61 MPH SE 12/18 38/26/33/+3/T/0/.../.. 54 SW 12/19 38/24/31/0/0/.../.. 22 W 12/20 36/23/30/0/0/0/.../.. 25 WNW 12/21 32/17/25/-5/0/0/343/63 31 SW 12/22 morning low temp. 31 deg. NEW DAILY RECORDS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED THIS MONTH.... 12/6....17.0 inches of snow; old record 12.0 ins in 1886, 1981 12/6....2.78 of melted precipitation; old record 2.36 in 1945 ** 12/7.... 6.3 inches; old record 4.0 in 1886 ** this has been corrected from 2.68 inches OUR DAILY EXTREMES.... RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 22 HIGH 62 IN 1994 LOW -05 IN 1921 PRECIP 1.52 INS. IN 1975 SNOWFALL 8.8 INS. IN 1975 PEAK GUST 62 MPH WNW IN 1998 RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 23 HIGH 62 IN 1990 LOW -01 IN 1989 PRECIP 1.70 INS. IN 1947 SNOWFALL 11.9 INS. IN 1947 PEAK GUST 63 NE IN 1994 RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 24 HIGH 58F IN 1996 LOW -06F IN 1943 PRECIP 2.21 INS. IN 1994 SNOWFALL 12.3 INS. IN 1961 PEAK GUST 79e MPH SE IN 1941 HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS! RECORDS FOR DECEMBER 25 HIGH 62 IN 1889 LOW -11 IN 1980 PRECIP 1.37 INS. IN 2002 SNOWFALL 8.5 INS. IN 2002 PEAK GUST 80 MPH NW IN 1971 e = estimated Today's Report By: Robert Skilling