BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016 
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

SPRING LIKE CONDITIONS ON GREAT BLUE HILL AS TEMPS REACH
THE 50S ON CONSECUTIVE DAYS 

Temperatures were quick to rise yesterday afternoon, eventually
reaching a peak of 58F just after 2:30 PM EST. This maximum
reading was 20 degrees warmer than the daily normal maximum
temperature for that date, yet still quite a bit lower than
yesterday's daily record maximum temperature of 66F set back
in 1930. 

Overnight, temperatures dipped to an unseasonably warm 43F,
some 23 degrees warmer than today's daily normal low. Mostly
clear conditions today had given way to overcast conditions
by today's 1:00 PM EST observation. A thin layer of cirrostratus
had overtaken the sky with a few cumulus/stratocumulus in
all directions. Temperatures had made it to a maximum of 52F
so far.


Today's Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus distant W-E, few
cirrus distant SSE-W
Temperature: 45F; Dew Point: 29F; Wind: W at 17G23 kts,
Peak Wind: 28 knots W at 6:27 AM EST
Sea-level pressure: 29.82 ins. Hg, increasing, then more quickly
Visibility: 80 miles
6-hr Max temp: 47F 
6-hr Min temp: 43F
24-hr precip: 0.00 ins.
24-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins.
BHO SA 1155 CLR 80 099/45/29/2817G23/982/ FEW SC DSNT W-E FEW CI 
DSNT SSE-W PK WND 2728/27/ 8/501 53020 10047 20043

10 A.M.
Weather: Thin broken cirrus, few stratocumulus distant WSW-NNE
Temperature: 48F; Dew Point: 31F; Wind: W at 12G20 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.87 ins. Hg, rising, then more quickly
Visibility: 80 miles
BHO SA 1455 E300 -BKN 80 115/48/31/2812G20/987/ FEW SC DSNT WSW-NNE/ 
8/502 53016

1 P.M.
Weather: Overcast cirrostratus, few stratocumulus/cumulus
in all directions
Temperature: 52F; Dew Point: 30F; Wind: W at 11G19 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.86 ins. Hg, falling, then rising but lower
Visibility: 75 miles
6-hr Max temp: 52F
6-hr Min temp: 44F 
BHO SA 1755 E250 OVC 75 111/52/30/2711G19/986/ FEW SC/CU ALQDS/ 
8/507 55004 10052 20044


SUMMARY FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016 
  
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....58   NORMAL.....38
MIN.....31   NORMAL.....20 
MEAN....45   NORMAL.....29

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL........................+16
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH........................+34 [+1.5 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..............20   DEPARTURE.........-16
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.............721   DEPARTURE.........-36
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON...........3463   DEPARTURE........-824
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE......4335   DIFFERENCE.......-872

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH) 
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY...................44 SSW AT  6:18 A.M.                        
                   ASOS........................41 SSW AT  6:36 A.M.     
                   DAVIS.......................41 SSW AT  6:40 A.M. RMY N/A
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY.....................30 SSW AT  6:37 A.M.     
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE..................31 S   AT  6:37 A.M.      
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE.................29 S   AT  6:37 A.M.      
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION...............18.7 S
                   ASOS........................18.5  
                   DAVIS.......................17.2 SSW [195 Deg.]

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00  DEPARTURE......-0.15
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........4.09  DEPARTURE......+1.28
                         ASOS..............4.33
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........7.86  DEPARTURE......+0.70  
                         ASOS..............8.27

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE.......-0.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH...............22.5  DEPARTURE......+12.6
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON..............38.1  DEPARTURE.......-4.9

PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/ AERO/RMY GUST
AERO: Aerovane wind recording system 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

2/1   64/40/52/+26/0.00/0.0/305/51          36 WNW AERO 37 W   RMY 34
2/2   48/31/40/+14/0.00/0.0/602/100         23 NW  AERO 23 WNW RMY N/A
2/3   55/34/45/+19/0.80/0.0/000/00          55 SSE AERO 58 SSE RMY 53
2/4   55/39/47/+21/..../0.0/000/00          37 W   AERO 36 W   RMY 35
2/5   39/19/29/+3/..../12.5/000/00          37 NNW AERO 39 NNW RMY 35
2/6   35/17/26/0/0.00/0.0/532/87            25 SSW AERO 24 SSW RMY 23 
2/7   43/26/35/+8/0.00/0.0/.../..           35 ENE AERO 35 ENE RMY N/A
2/8   36/16/26/-1/..../.../000/00           53 NE  AERO 55 NE  RMY 53
2/9   26/17/22/-5/..../.../000/00           21 N   AERO 22 N   RMY N/A
2/10  33/21/27/+0/0.01/0.0/.../..           23 W   AERO 23 W   RMY 21
2/11  26/7/17/-10/T/T/.../..                39 W   AERO 47 W   RMY 42
2/12  23/4/13/-14/0.00/0.0/.../..           31 WNW AERO 38 WNW RMY 21
2/13  21/-7/7/-21/0.00/0.0/.../..           41 W   AERO 46 WNW RMY 43 
2/14  10/-14/-2/-30/0.00/0.0/632/100        33 WNW AERO 46 WNW RMY N/A
2/15  32/-2/15/-13/..../1.2/.../..          24 E   AERO 28 E   RMY N/A
2/16  55/32/44/+16/..../0.0/.../..          65 SSE AERO 69 SSE RMY 64
2/17  43/30/37/+9/0.00/0.0/.../..           33 W   AERO 35 W   RMY N/A
2/18  32/20/26/+3/0.00/0.0/.../..           25 NNW AERO 29 NW  RMY 25 
2/19  39/16/28/-1/0.01/T/.../..             24 SSW AERO 26 SSW RMY N/A
2/20  58/31/45/+16/..../.../.../..          44 SSW AERO 44 SSW RMY 41
 
2/21  morning low temp. since midnight 43F; normal now 20F

DAILY RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 2016

2/14/16: **NEW DAILY RECORD LOW MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF -14F,
SURPASSING PREVIOUS RECORD OF -8F SET IN 1979**
2/14/16: **TIED DAILY RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 10F,
MATCHING PREVIOUS RECORD OF 10F SET IN 1979**

DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated): 

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

RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 22
HIGH 63F IN 1997
LOW -1F IN 1918
PRECIP 1.38 INCHES IN 1900
SNOWFALL 8.0 INCHES IN 1893
PEAK GUST 74 MPH S IN 1974

TODAY'S REPORT PREPARED BY: Brian Fitzgerald