Sunday, March 3, 2024

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

SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2024
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST)
SUNRISE: 0615E
SUNSET:  1737E

HEAVY RAIN OVERNIGHT MOVES OUT, BUT SKIES REMAIN ON THE CLOUDY SIDE…

The storm system that brought rain to the region yesterday and
overnight left more rainfall than we received in all of February.
Rain was heavy at times overnight with 1.40″ of water left in the
rain gauge by 7am this morning (we only had 1.32″ for the month of
February).

Rain tapered to drizzle in the wee hours of this morning before
coming to an end just after 7am this morning. Skies have remained
on the cloudy side, although we can see breaks of sunshine not too
far off to our southwest through northwest.

Temperatures are mild for early March with readings in the lower
50s. The dew point is hanging out in the mid 40s, so there is still
plenty of moisture in the air.

Winds were gusty for a time overnight during the height of the storm.
Gusts over 40mph occurred during the late evening hours. They have
diminished today however with an average speed for the day so far of
around 11mph. Occasional gusts of 20-25mph have been occurring.

Visibility was very limited this morning as we observed dense fog.
The view was only around 1/8 of a mile. However the view has
improved markedly early this afternoon with the view now reaching
70-80 miles!

The maximum temperature so far today is 52F degrees, which is 12
degrees above the normal high of 40F. The minimum temperature since
midnight is 42F degrees, which is 19 degrees above the normal low
of 23F.

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PRELIMINARY STATS FOR FEBRUARY 2024

TEMPERATURE, Deg. F
Avg. Max. 40.9 [+3.9] Avg. Min. 25.0 [+5.5] Mean      33.0 [+4.8] 24-hour corrected mean: 32.7
Max. for month: 62F on the 27th
Min. for month: 11F on the 25th

HEATING DEGREE DAYS
Total heating units:    922 [-107] Total for the season:  3888 [-544] Total for last season: 3720

COOLING DEGREE DAYS
Total cooling units:    000 [ 000] Total for the season:   000 [ 000] Total for last season:  000

PRECIPITATION, Inches
Total: 1.32 [-2.68] Greatest in 24 hrs: 0.65 on the 13th

SNOWFALL, Inches
Total: 5.2 [-13.0] Greatest in 24 hrs: 4.3 on the 13th

WIND, mph
Avg. uncorrected wind speed: 11.5 mph
Avg. corrected wind speed:   12.0 mph
Prevailing wind direction:   South-Southwest [14%] Peak gust and direction:  62 WNW on the 28th and 29th

SUNSHINE:
Campbell-Stokes card minutes: 10548 of a possible 17796, or 59%
Astronomical total minutes: 10916 of a possible 18424, or 59%

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Today’s Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Sky obscured, vertical visibility 200 ft, light drizzle
Temperature: 44F; Dew Point: 44F; Relative Humidity: 100%
Wind: NNW @ 10 kts
Sea-level pressure: 1018.3 mb; 30.07 in. Hg: falling, then rising
Visibility: 1/8 mile, fog
6-hr Max temp: 48F
6-hr Min temp: 44F
24-hr Precip: 1.40 inches
24-hr Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Snow Depth: 0 inches
BHO SA 1155 X W2 1/8L-F 183/44/44/3310/007/ 8//// 53004 6006/ 70140
10048 20044

10 A.M.
Weather: Sky obscured, vertical visibility 200 ft
Temperature: 43F; Dew Point: 43F; Relative Humidity: 100%
Wind: NNW @ 13G22 kts
Sea-level pressure: 1020.1 mb; 30.12 in. Hg: rising, then more slowly
Visibility: 1.5 miles, fog
3-hr Precip:  Trace
3-hr Snowfall: 0.0 inches
BHO SA 1455 X W2 11/2F 201/43/43/3313G22/012/ 8//// 51018 6000/

1 P.M.
Weather: Overcast stratocumulus, few breaks in overcast SW-NW
Temperature: 51F; Dew Point: 45F; Relative Humidity: 80%
Wind: NNW @ 10G22 kts
Sea-level pressure: 1019.9 mb; 30.12 in. Hg: falling, then steady
Visibility: 80 miles
6-hr Max temp: 52F
6-hr Min temp: 42F
6-hr Precip:  Trace
6-hr Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Snow Depth: 0 inches
BHO SA 1755 E25 OVC 80 199/50/45/3410G22/012/ FEW BINOVC SW-NW/ 8/5//
56002 6000/ 10052 20042

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SUMMARY FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2024

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…….50   NORMAL…..40
MIN…….32   NORMAL…..23
MEAN……41   NORMAL…..32

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR (1991-2020) NORMAL…………+9
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH……………………+8 [+3.8 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON: JUL 2023 THRU JUN 2024)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY……………24  DEPARTURE…….-10
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH……………59  DEPARTURE……..-8
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON…………3947  DEPARTURE……-552
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE…….3778  DEPARTURE……+169

PEAK WIND GUST (MPH):
Note: Instruments designated #1 = Main Tower, #2 = South Tower,
F420C, Contacting, Merlin, and Richards are all Main Tower.
E=Estimated

F420C (Official)……….E44 SSE  @  11:16 P.M.
VECTOR #1 (1-Sec)……….46 SE   @  10:35 P.M.
VECTOR #2 (1-Sec)……….42 SE   @  10:46 P.M.
DAVIS #1……………….45 SSE  @  11:14 P.M.
DAVIS #2 ………………39 SSE  @  10:50 P.M.
RMY #1 (Instantaneous)…..42 SSE  @  11:16 P.M.
RMY #2 (Instantaneous)…..45 SE   @  10:29 P.M.
MERLIN…………………38 SSE
RICHARDS (C5C) (Inst)……44      @  11:16 P.M.

FASTEST MILE:
CONTACTING ANEMOMETER/OFFICIAL………………30 SSE  @  10:01 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE VECTOR #1 AVERAGE…………..28      @  10:06 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE VECTOR #2 AVERAGE…………..30      @  10:20 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS #1 AVERAGE……………29 SE   @  10:06 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS #2 AVERAGE……………29 SE   @  10:06 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RMY #1 AVERAGE……………..26 SE   @  10:06 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RMY #2 AVERAGE……………..30 SE   @  10:06 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RICHARDS (C5C) AVERAGE………28      @  10:06 P.M.

AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION:
CONTACTING/OFFICIAL……13.1 SSE [315 total miles] VECTOR #1…………….13.4
VECTOR #2…………….13.9
DAVIS #1……………..12.9 S
DAVIS #2……………..13.5 S
RMY #1……………….12.9 S
RMY #2……………….14.1 SSE
RICHARDS (C5C)………..13.3

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST):
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M……..1.40 DEPARTURE…..+1.23
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH…………..1.40 DEPARTURE…..+1.06
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR (2024)…….11.96 DEPARTURE…..+3.12

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST):
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M…………..0.0 DEPARTURE……-0.6
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH………………..0.0 DEPARTURE……-1.3
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON (2023-2024)……26.1 DEPARTURE…..-27.1

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PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/SUN(MIN)/SUN(%)/PEAK GUST/VEC1/RMY GUST
PEAK GUST: F420C (Official)
VEC1: Vector #1 1-second gust
RMY:  R.M. Young #1 wind gust recording system (Instantaneous)
TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day)
….: Data not yet available, records not finalized
M:    Missing data

2/1   40/30/35/+9/0.00/0.0/012/02         25 SW  VEC1 24 SW  RMY 26
2/2   39/31/35/+9/0.03/T/000/00           23 N   VEC1 24 N   RMY 25
2/3   35/26/31/+5/0.00/0.0/338/56         26 N   VEC1 26 NNW RMY 28
2/4   39/20/30/+4/0.00/0.0/607/100        28 NNW VEC1 28 NNW RMY 27
2/5   39/22/31/+4/0.00/0.0/597/98         29 N   VEC1 29 N   RMY 30
2/6   35/26/31/+4/0.00/0.0/251/41         26 N   VEC1 26 N   RMY 26
2/7   39/26/33/+6/0.00/0.0/436/71         21 NE  VEC1 21 NE  RMY 24
2/8   44/29/37/+10/0.00/0.0/457/74        16 S   VEC1 16 S   RMY 16
2/9   47/30/39/+12/0.00/0.0/229/37        31 SSW VEC1 31 SSW RMY 31
2/10  58/35/47/+20/0.02/0.0/385/62        26 NW  VEC1 26 NW  RMY 30
2/11  45/34/40/+13/0.00/0.0/119/19        30 NW  VEC1 30 NW  RMY 31
2/12  47/29/38/+10/0.00/0.0/470/75        21 N   VEC1 20 N   RMY 20
2/13  35/25/30/+2/0.65/4.3/000/00         40 NNE VEC1 41 NNE RMY M
2/14  29/21/25/-3/0.00/0.0/562/89         53 NW  VEC1 53 NW  RMY 54
2/15  38/18/28/0/0.03/0.4/527/83          37 SW  VEC1 36 SW  RMY 37
2/16  37/26/32/+4/T/T/599/94              50 WNW VEC1 47 WNW RMY 51
2/17  33/21/27/-2/T/T/128/20              36 WNW VEC1 38 WNW RMY 38
2/18  35/17/26/-3/0.00/0.0/418/65         39 SW  VEC1 40 SW  RMY 41
2/19  36/21/29/0/0.00/0.0/639/99          29 WNW VEC1 29 WNW RMY 28
2/20  36/16/26/-3/0.00/0.0/648/100        22 N   VEC1 22 N   RMY 21
2/21  39/24/32/+3/0.00/0.0/553/85         23 ESE VEC1 23 ESE RMY 22
2/22  42/24/33/+3/T/0.0/589/90            26 SSW VEC1 26 SSW RMY 25
2/23  41/33/37/+7/0.07/0.0/000/00         25 SSW VEC1 26 SSW RMY 27
2/24  37/17/27/-3/0.00/0.0/217/33         28 NW  VEC1 29 NNW RMY 29
2/25  37/11/24/-6/0.00/0.0/649/98         26 SSW VEC1 26 NW  RMY 27
2/26  54/26/40/+9/0.00/0.0/439/66         31 SE  VEC1 32 SW  RMY 33
2/27  62/29/46/+15/0.13/0.0/434/65        42 S   VEC1 42 S   RMY 42
2/28  54/35/45/+14/0.33/T/000/00          62 WNW VEC1 61 WNW RMY 64
2/29  35/22/29/-2/T/T/613/91              62 WNW VEC1 60 WNW RMY 65

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FEBRUARY DAILY RECORDS TO DATE

2/27 MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 62F SETS A NEW DAILY RECORD,
BEATING THE OLD RECORD OF 61F SET IN 1976

2/29 RECORD PEAK WIND GUST OF 62 MPH WNW
BEATING THE OLD RECORD OF 60 MPH SET IN 1968

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PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MARCH CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/SUN(MIN)/SUN(%)/PEAK GUST/VEC1/RMY GUST
PEAK GUST: F420C (Official)
VEC1: Vector #1 1-second gust
RMY:  R.M. Young #1 wind gust recording system (Instantaneous)
TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day)
….: Data not yet available, records not finalized
M:    Missing data
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated)

3/1   41/18/30/-1/0.00/0.0/…/..         30 NW  VEC1 30 WNW RMY 33
3/2   50/32/41/+9/1.16/0.0/…/..         44 SSE VEC1 46 SE  RMY 42

3/3 The low since midnight is 42F, the daily normal low is 23F.

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MARCH DAILY RECORDS TO DATE

NONE…

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

RECORDS FOR MARCH 3
HIGH 64 IN 1991, 2020
LOW -1 IN 1950
PRECIP 2.36 INS. IN 1972
SNOWFALL 12.8 INS. IN 1960
PEAK GUST 78e MPH E IN 1942

RECORDS FOR MARCH 4
HIGH 69 IN 1974
LOW -5 IN 1950 [RECORD LOW FOR MONTH] PRECIP 1.80 IN 1960
SNOWFALL 17.3 IN 1960
PEAK GUST 81e MPH SSW IN 1971

TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Matt Douglas