Friday, January 30, 2015

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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

SECONDARY LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING ALONG S.N.E. COAST TODAY
LIGHT SNOW BEGAN JUST AFTER 1 A.M. THIS MORNING
ACCUMULATION REACHES ONE INCH MARK EARLY THIS AFTERNOON

A developing area of low pressure (a secondary low)
was spreading light snow over southern New England.
Light snow and snow grains had accumulated to 1.0 inch
on snow board as of 1 P.M. Light snow grains continuing
with a light northwest wind blowing.

Strong winds and bitter COLD wind chills will follow in the
wake of today’s developing low pressure system as its center
moves to the Gulf of Maine.

Snow for January is now up to 40.9 inches, as of 7:00 A.M.
this morning, which keeps January 2015 in 8th place for snowiest
January. We stand to move slightly higher depending on the current
snowfall….more snow is forecast for tomorrow, and we can still
move further up the list:

BHO Snowiest Januarys, inches

1) 56.3 in 1948
2) 48.2 in 2011
3) 48.0 in 1904
4) 47.6 in 1996
5) 46.0 in 1966
6) 44.8 in 2005
7) 44.5 in 1923
8) 40.9 in 2015 (7 A.M. TODAY)
9) 38.3 in 1987
10) 35.6 in 1978

Today’s Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Broken stratus fractus, overcast nimbostratus,
light snow, thin fog
Temperature: 29F; Dew Point: 28F; Wind: SSE at 10 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.85 ins. Hg, falling then more slowly
Visibility: 9 miles, light snow and thin fog
6-hr max temp: 29F
6-hr min temp: 26F
24-hr precip: 0.01 in.
24 hr snowfall: 0.2 in.
Total average snow depth on ground: 17 inches
BHO SA 1155 15 SCT E35 OVC 9S- 107/29/28/1510/985/ SB50 PCPN VRY LGT
THN FG TOTAL NEW SNW PST 6/24 HRS 0.2 IN/ 8/72/ 4/017
56018 MANUAL 6001/ MANUAL 70001 AS0S 60001 ASOS 70001
10029 20026

10 A.M.
Weather: Partial obscurement, scattered stratus fractus, overcast
of nimbostratus, 5/10 of sky obscured by snow and fog
Temperature: 31F; Dew Point: 31F; Wind: W at 7 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.80 ins. Hg, falling then more rapidly
Visibility: 1 3/4 miles, E 3, light snow and fog
3-hr precip: 0.01
3-hr snowfall 0.2
BHO SA 1455 -X6 SCT E34 OVC 1 3/4S-F 091/31/31/2607/980/ SF5
VSBY E 3 TOTAL NEW SNW PST 3 HRS 0.2 IN/ 8/72/
58016 MANUAL 6001/ ASOS 60001

1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered and broken stratus fractus, overcast nimbostratus,
light snow grains and fog
Temperature: 31F; Dew Point: 30F; Wind: NW at 7 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 29.73 ins. Hg, falling then more rapidly
Visibility: 4 miles, light snow grains and fog
6-hr max. temp: 32F
6-hr min. temp: 29F
6-hr precip: 0.07 ins
6-hr snowfall: 0.8 in.
BHO SA 1755 6 SCT E15 BKN 35 OVC 4SG-F 067/31/30/3107/973/
PCPN VRY LGT TOTAL NEW SNW 6 HRS 0.8 IN/ 8/72/ 58024
MANUAL 6/007 ASOS 60006 10032 20029

SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…..33   NORMAL…..34
MIN…..11   NORMAL…..17
MEAN….22   NORMAL…..25

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL……………………..-3
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH…………………….-47 [-1.8 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY…………..43  DEPARTURE………..+3
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH…………1196  DEPARTURE……….+49
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON………..3256  DEPARTURE………-196
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE……3436  DIFFERENCE……..-180

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY………………20  NW    AT 12:06 A.M.
ASOS…………………..MISSING**
DAVIS………………….18  NW    AT 12:05 A.M. RMY N/A
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY………………..14 SSE    AT 10:44 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE……………..14 SSE    AT 10:44 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE…………….14 SSE    AT 10:44 P.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION………….8.1 N
ASOS…………………MISSING**
DAVIS……………….. 7.3 WNW [300 degrees] * last of several occurrences…
** ASOS WIND SENSOR FAILED APPROXIMATELY 4:00 AM EST 1/27/15
REPAIRED YESTERDAY, 1/29.

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M….0.01  DEPARTURE…..-0.13
ASOS…………..0.01
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH……….5.05  DEPARTURE…..+0.97
ASOS…………..5.37
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR………..5.05  DEPARTURE…..+0.97
ASOS…………..5.31

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M……….0.2  DEPARTURE……-0.4
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH……………40.9  DEPARTURE…..+24.8
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON…………..51.9  DEPARTURE…..+19.8

PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOWFALL/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
1/1  31/18/25/-2/0.00/0.0/544/99              29 SSW RMY 30
1/2  37/26/32/+5/0.00/0.0/314/57              35 WSW RMY 38
1/3  34/21/28/+2/0.67/2.5/017/03              25 SE  RMY 26
1/4  51/33/42/+16/0.48/0.0/000/00             30 SSW RMY N/A
1/5  46/13/30/+4/0.00/0.0/542/98              48 W   RMY 54
1/6  15/10/13/-13/0.02/0.4/000/00             29 W   RMY N/A
1/7  22/01/12/-14/0.01/0.3/394/71             43 WNW RMY 47
1/8  16/-5/6/-20/0.00/0.0/539/97              39 WNW RMY N/A
1/9  27/16/22/-4/0.08/0.9/201/36              35 WSW RMY 38
1/10 22/11/17/-8/0.00/0.0/541/97              26 WNW RMY 27
1/11 31/9/20/-5/45/0.00/0.0/123/22            26 SSW RMY N/A
1/12 36/31/34/+9/0.23/T/000/00                29 NNW RMY N/A
1/13 33/11/22/-3/0.00/0.0/524/93              30 NNW RMY 29
1/14 22/11/17/-8/T/T/000/00                   18 NNW RMY 16
1/15 27/20/24/-1/0.09/0.8/000/00              20 WSW RMY 22
1/16 35/12/24/-1/T/T/341/60                   46 WSW RMY 50
1/17 21/5/13/-12/0.00/0.0/558/98              30 WNW RMY N/A
1/18 50/19/35/+10/0.16/0.0/000/00             47 SE  RMY 52
1/19 44/28/36/+11/T/0.0/304/53                33 W   RMY 36
1/20 36/23/30/+5/0.00/0.0/495/86              28 W   RMY 28
1/21 30/17/24/-1/0.00.0.0/358/62              21 WNW RMY N/A
1/22 36/25/31/+6/T/T/…/..                   20 WNW RMY 20
1/23 36/18/27/+2/0.00/0.0/…/..              25 SSW RMY 26
1/24 32/27/30/+5/0.84/5.0/000/00              24 SSW RMY N/A
1/25 34/17/26/+1/0.00/0.0/…/..              31 W   RMY 33
1/26 26/9/18/-7/0.50/5.6/…/..               45 N   RMY N/A
1/27 17/10/14/-11/1.94/25.2/000/00            51 N   RMY 52
1/28 22/8/15/-10/T/T/…/..                   30 NW  RMY N/A
1/29 33/11/22/-3/0.00/0.0/…/..              20 NW  RMY N/A

1/30 morning low temp: 26F since midnight; normal low is now 17F

DAILY RECORDS FOR JANUARY 2015

– NEW DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL FOR 27 JANUARY 2015
SNOWFALL 25.2 INS. [NEW RECORD FOR THE MONTH] Surpasses previous record of 11.7 inches in 2011 for
the date, and surpasses previous record for the month of
19.0 inches on 20 January, 1978

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

RECORDS FOR JANUARY 30
HIGH 60F IN 1914
LOW -8F IN 1948
PRECIP 1.12 INS. IN 1925
SNOWFALL 6.5 INS. IN 1986
PEAK GUST 76 MPH WNW IN 1962

RECORDS FOR JANUARY 31
HIGH 58F IN 1913, 1947, 2013
LOW -12F IN 1920
PRECIP 1.03 INS. IN 1914
SNOWFALL 9.0 INS. IN 1898
PEAK GUST 75 MPH NW IN 1974

TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling