January 27, 2015 Special Report – 7 AM
BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
**SPECIAL REPORT**
TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015
BLIZZARD IN PROGRESS ON GREAT BLUE HILL
15.5 INCHES OF SNOW AS OF 7:00 AM EST,
PEAK GUST OF 51 MPH RECORDED
Light ocean effect snow that began yesterday morning
at 9:03 AM EST lingered into the afternoon hours,
only totaling 0.1 inch by 1:00 PM EST yesterday, and
gradually increasing to 1.0 inch total by 7:00 PM EST
yesterday evening.
By midnight this morning, an additional 4.6 inches were
recorded under deteriorating conditions and visibility,
bringing the storm total to 5.6 inches with snow fall
rates approaching 1 inch per hour and winds gusting
over 40 MPH.
At this morning’s 7:00 AM EST observation, an additional
9.9 inches were measured with a liquid content of 1.08
inches of water. Snow fall rates had begun to exceed
1 inch per hour, potentially reaching as high as 3 inches
per hour from 6:00 AM EST through 7:00 AM EST.
This brings storm totals to 15.5 inches through 7:00 AM
EST this morning with a roughly 10:1 liquid equivalent
of 1.58 inches of water. Snow depth at 7:00 AM EST
averaged to an estimated 12 inches of snow on the ground
over a wide area. Snow drifts exceed 2 to 3 feet in areas
of the summit, along with bare ground. Visibility of 1/4
of a mile has been reduced at times to 1/8 of a mile due
to blowing snow, fog and heavy snow.
For the latest updates, check out our Facebook and
Twitter pages, and stay tuned to this afternoon’s
daily discussion.
Once again, here is the list of storms total over
20 inches here at Blue Hill Observatory’s history
dating back to 1885:
1) 38.7 on 24-28 Feb, 1969
2) 30.3 on 3-5 Mar, 1960
3) 30.1 on 6-7 Feb, 1978
4) 30.0 on 31 Mar – 1 Apr, 1997
5) 29.8 on 6-8 Mar, 2013
6) 26.6 on 8-9 Feb, 2013
7) 24.7 on 17-18 Feb, 2003
8) 24.3 on 5-7 Dec, 2003
9) 23.0 on 5-7 Mar, 2001
10) 22.2 on 16-17 Feb, 1958
11) 21.0 on 9-10 Feb, 1969
12) 20.5 on 22-23 Jan, 2005
13) 20.3 on 12 Dec, 1960
14) 20.0 on 31 Jan – 1 Feb, 1898
Brian Fitzgerald
Chief Observer
