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BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2016
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
DRY WEATHER CONTINUES WITH MUCH OF EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS
NOW IN AN EXTREME DROUGHT…PRECIPITATION DEPARTURE FOR
THE YEAR APPROACHING TEN INCHES…
MOSTLY SUNNY AND WARM TODAY WITH A FEW SHOWERS FAR INLAND…
It has been another warm and dry day at the Observatory
with the temperature reaching the middle 80s by mid-afternoon.
With an on-shore flow from the S-SSE, the dew point has
dropped from the low 60s earlier today to the middle 50s
this afternoon. A weak coastal front caused a few showers
to form over Connecticut and interior Massachusetts earlier
today, though there has been no rain on the summit.
With a monthly precipitation of 0.99 inches so far and a
rainfall total of only 4.11 inches so far this summer, the
annual precipitation departure has dropped to -9.43 inches
relative to the 1981-2010 30-year normal. The summer total
is one of the driest, though it will not be the driest
summer on record.
Today’s Observations:
7 A.M.
Weather: Scattered altocumulus, few stratocumulus distant SW-E
along horizon, few stratocumulus castellanus WSW-WNW, hazy
Temperature: 72F; Dew Point: 61F; Wind: SSE at 6 kts,
Wind: Light
Sea-level pressure: 29.99 ins. Hg, falling then increasing,
now higher
Visibility: 30 miles, visibility ESE-SSW 45, W-NW 20, hazy
6-hr Max temp: 72F
6-hr Min temp: 67F
24-hr precip: 0.00 inches
BHO SA 1155 70 SCT 30 156/72/61/1606/999/ SC DSNT SW-E
ALG HRZN FEW SCCAS WSW-WNW VSBY ESE-SSW 45 W-NW 20 HAZY
WND LGT/ 8/530 53002 10072 20067
10 A.M.
Weather: Scattered cumulus, scattered stratocumulus,
scattered altocumulus, few moderate cumulus all quadrants,
few altocumulus lenticularis distant ENE-E, hazy
Temperature: 82F; Dew Point: 62F; Wind: SSE at 7 kts,
Wind: Direction variable SE-S
Sea-level pressure: 30.01 ins. Hg, increasing then more slowly
Visibility: 35 miles, visibility E-SSW 45, W-NW 25, hazy
BHO SA 1455 25 SCT E50 BKN 70 BKN 35 161/82/62/1607/001/
FEW MDT CU ALQDS FEW ACSL DSNT ENE-E VSBY E-SSW 45 W-NW
25 HAZY WND 13V19/ 8/530 51005
1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered stratocumulus formed by spreading out
of cumulus, few cumulus fractus, few moderate cumulus W-NW,
cumulonimbus and rainshower distant NNW moving NE, hazy
Temperature: 85F; Dew Point: 56F; Wind: SSE at 12G19 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 29.98 ins. Hg, falling, then more quickly
Visibility: 45 miles, visibility E-S 55, W-NW 40, hazy
6-hr Max temp: 85F
6-hr Min temp: 72F
BHO SA 1755 45 SCT 75 SCT 45 153/85/56/1512G19/998/ FEW
CUFRA FEW MDT CU W-NW CB/RW DSNT NNW MVNG NE VSBY E-S 55
W-NW 40 HAZY/ 8/230 58008 10085 20072
SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2016
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…..86 NORMAL…..79
MIN…..68 NORMAL…..62
MEAN….77 NORMAL…..71
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL……………………+7
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH…………………..+86 [+4.3 DEGREES/DAY]
COOLING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JAN TO DEC)
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY…………..12 DEPARTURE……….+6
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE MONTH………….208 DEPARTURE………+81
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE SEASON…………682 DEPARTURE……..+204
TOTAL COOLING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE…….568 DIFFERENCE…….+114
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY……………….17 S AT 10:05 P.M. *
AEROVANE………………..16 SSE AT 8:18 P.M.
ASOS……………………18 S AT 9:38 P.M.
DAVIS…………………..16 SSE AT 8:19 P.M. RMY 17
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY…………………12 SSE AT 11:34 P.M. *
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE………………14 S AT 4:20 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE……………..13 S AT 4:21 P.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION…………..8.6 NNW
ASOS…………………..7.8
DAVIS………………….6.8 ENE [070 Deg.]
* Last of several occurrences
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M….0.00 DEPARTURE……-0.13
ASOS…………..0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH……….0.99 DEPARTURE……-1.63
ASOS…………..0.97
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR……….24.18 DEPARTURE……-9.43
ASOS………….24.48
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 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
8/1 75/65/70/-2/0.02/320/37 21 NE AERO 20 ENE RMY 20
8/2 71/63/67/-5/0.12/000/00 16 ENE AERO 16 ENE RMY 16
8/3 81/60/71/-1/0.00/603/70 18 S AERO 16 S RMY 17
8/4 86/61/74/+2/0.00/833/97 23 S AERO 22 S RMY 17
8/5 87/61/74/+2/0.00/823/96 29 S AERO 29 S RMY 30
8/6 88/67/78/+6/T/419/49 24 SSW AERO 23 SSW RMY 23
8/7 89/65/77/+5/0.00/784/92 26 WNW AERO 25 WNW RMY 26
8/8 87/63/75/+3/0.00/816/96 23 W AERO 21 W RMY 22
8/9 90/65/78/+6/0.00/789/93 25 SSW AERO 24 SSW RMY 25
8/10 76/66/71/+0/0.28/017/02 30 SSW AERO 31 SSW RMY 33
8/11 93/73/83/+12/T/666/79 22 SSW AERO 21 SSW RMY 22
8/12 95/74/85/+14/0.00/487/58 30 SW AER0 30 SW RMY 31
8/13 77/67/72/+1/0.16/…/.. 25 NNW AERO 36 NNW RMY N/A TSTM
8/14 94/69/82/+11/0.39/…/.. 39 SSW AERO 40 SSW RMY N/A TSTM
8/15 89/68/79/+8/0.00/…/.. 25 W AERO 24 W RMY 28
8/16 83/69/76/+5/0.02/…/.. 31 S AERO 30 S RMY N/A
8/17 84/68/76/+5/0.00/…/.. 38 W* AERO 35 W RMY 39
8/18 89/65/77/+6/T/…/.. 22 SW AERO 20 SW RMY 21
8/19 86/68/77/+7/0.00/…/.. 17 S AERO 16 SSE RMY 17
8/20 Low temp since midnight is 67F; normal low is now 62F
DAILY RECORDS FOR AUGUST 2016
8/11/16: DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 73F,
TIES PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 1900 AND 1988
8/12/16: DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 74F,
TIES PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 1988
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
RECORDS FOR AUGUST 20
HIGH 93F IN 1937
LOW 48F IN 1896, 1905, 1949
PRECIP 2.71 INCHES IN 1970
PEAK GUST 47 MPH W IN 1983
RECORDS FOR AUGUST 21
HIGH 92F IN 1937, 1995
LOW 47F IN 1982
PRECIP 2.84 INCHES IN 1888
PEAK GUST 54 MPH WSW IN 2004
TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Mike Iacono
