Friday, August 16, 2024
BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2024
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST)
SUNRISE: 0453E
SUNSET: 1843E
VISIBILITY CONTINUES TO BE IMPACTED BY FOG AND WILDFIRE SMOKE,
DRY CONDITIONS WITH FILTERED SUNSHINE ON THE HILL TODAY….
This morning we started in the clouds as dense fog covered the
higher elevations of the area. By mid morning the fog lifted but
was replaced by the wildfire smoke that has lingered for much of
the week. Yesterday’s thunderstorm produced 0.57 inches of rain
on the hill and tied the peak gust wind record of 44 mph set back
in 1941.
Temperatures were impacted by the obscured and overcast sky
conditions, keeping us below normal values. Dew points have been
hovering in the low to mid 60’s and with a light wind the air has
felt a bit sticky, especially in the afternoon hours.
The wind has been very light and variable at times today, with an
average less than 5 mph for the day. Our peak “gust” of 11 mph
occurred around 11:30 this morning. Winds have been out of the NE
for much of the day.
Visibility was heavily impacted by fog this morning and then
replaced by wildfire smoke. By the afternoon, we had about 10
miles of visibility which was an improvement of the 1/4 mile we
had in the morning.
The maximum temperature so far today is 73F, which is 7 degrees
below the normal high of 80F. The minimum temperature since
midnight is 61F, which is 2 degrees below the normal low of 63F.
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Today’s Observations:
7 A.M.
Weather: Sky obscured, vertical visibility 200 ft
Temperature: 63F; Dew Point: 63F; Relative Humidity: 100%
Wind: NNE @ 3 kts, wind light
Sea-level pressure: 1018.5 mb ; 30.08 in. Hg: rising unsteadily
Visibility: 1/4 mile, fog
6-hr Max temp: 63F
6-hr Min temp: 62F
24-hr Precip: 0.57 inches
BHO SA 1155 X W2 1/4F 185/63/63/0303/008/ WND LGT/ 8//// 52012
70057 10063 20062
10 A.M.
Weather: Overcast stratocumulus, thin smoke layer all quadrants,
sun dimly visible
Temperature: 68F; Dew Point: 65F; Relative Humidity: 85%
Wind: ENE @ 3 kts, wind light
Sea-level pressure: 1019.5 mb; 30.11 in. Hg: rising, then more
slowly
Visibility: 8 miles, thin fog all quadrants
3-hr Precip: 0.00 inches
BHO SA 1455 E3 OVC 8 195/68/65/0803/011/ THN K LYR ALQDS THN F ALQDS
SUN DMLY VSBL WND LGT/ 8/5// 51010
1 P.M.
Weather: Broken cumulus, thin broken cirrus, thin smoke layer all
quadrants
Temperature: 72F; Dew Point: 64F; Relative Humidity: 76%
Wind: NE @ 2 kts, wind light and variable
Sea-level pressure: 1019.1 mb; 30.09 in. Hg: steady, then falling
Visibility: 10 miles, hazy
6-hr Max temp: 73F
6-hr Min temp: 63F
6-hr Precip: 0.00 inches
BHO SA 1755 E20 BKN 250 -BKN 10 191/72/64/0502/009/ THN K LYR ALQDS
HAZY WND L/V/ 8/201 58004 10073 20063
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SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2024
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…….84 NORMAL…..81
MIN…….62 NORMAL…..63
MEAN……73 NORMAL…..72
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR (1991-2020) NORMAL…………..+1
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH…………………….+17 [+0.9 DEGREES/DAY]
HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON: JUL 2024 THRU JUN 2025)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY…………….0 DEPARTURE………0
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH…………….2 DEPARTURE……..-1
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON……………2 DEPARTURE……..-8
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE……….0 DEPARTURE……..+2
COOLING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON: JAN 2024 THRU DEC 2024)
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY…………….8 DEPARTURE……..+1
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE MONTH…………..131 DEPARTURE…….+17
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE SEASON………….628 DEPARTURE……+128
TOTAL COOLING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE……..517 DEPARTURE……+111
PEAK WIND GUST (MPH):
Note: Instruments designated #1 = Main Tower, #2 = South Tower,
F420C, Contacting, Merlin, and Richards are all on Main Tower.
E=Estimated
F420C (Official)……….E44 N @ 03:27 P.M.
VECTOR #1 (1-Sec)……….42 N @ 03:27 P.M.
VECTOR #2 (1-Sec)……….49 NNW @ 03:27 P.M.
DAVIS #1……………….38 N @ 03:28 P.M.
DAVIS #2 ………………44 NNE @ 03:27 P.M.
RMY #1 (Instantaneous)…..46 N @ 03:27 P.M.
RMY #2 (Instantaneous)…..51 N @ 03:28 P.M.
MERLIN…………………40 N
RICHARDS (C5C) (Inst)…..OTS
FASTEST MILE:
CONTACTING ANEMOMETER/OFFICIAL………………28 N @ 03:28 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE VECTOR #1 AVERAGE…………..28 @ 03:28 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE VECTOR #2 AVERAGE…………..30 @ 03:29 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS #1 AVERAGE……………28 N @ 03:28 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS #2 AVERAGE……………29 N @ 03:29 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RMY #1 AVERAGE……………..27 N @ 03:28 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RMY #2 AVERAGE……………..29 NNW @ 03:29 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RICHARDS (C5C) AVERAGE……..OTS
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION:
CONTACTING/OFFICIAL…….6.1 NNW [146 total miles]
VECTOR #1……………..6.4
VECTOR #2……………..6.6
DAVIS #1………………6.8 NW
DAVIS #2………………6.8 NW
RMY #1………………..7.0 WNW
RMY #2………………..7.4 WNW
RICHARDS (C5C)…………OTS
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST):
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M……..0.57 DEPARTURE…..+0.44
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH…………..2.61 DEPARTURE…..+0.65
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR (2024)…….40.86 DEPARTURE…..+8.20
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PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR AUGUST CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/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
8/1 92/71/82/+9/T/779/90 24 W VEC1 24 W RMY 23
8/2 94/73/84/+11/0.01/579/67 31 SSW VEC1 31 SSW RMY 30 TSTM
8/3 92/75/84/+11/0.00/612/71 29 W VEC1 28 W RMY 28
8/4 85/68/77/+4/0.20/318/37 29 WSW VEC1 29 WSW RMY 31 TSTM
8/5 90/67/79/+6/T/686/80 28 SSW VEC1 28 SSW RMY 29
8/6 73/60/67/-6/0.56/009/01 26 ENE VEC1 26 ENE RMY 26
8/7 69/57/63/-10/0.18/119/14 25 NE VEC1 23 NE RMY 23
8/8 72/58/65/-7/0.09/187/22 20 ESE VEC1 20 ESE RMY 19
8/9 82/62/72/0/0.48/127/15 50 SSW VEC1 48 S RMY 50
8/10 85/68/77/+5/0.37/659/78 41 SSW VEC1 41 SSW RMY 43
8/11 81/63/72/0/0.00/741/88 30 W VEC1 29 SW RMY 30
8/12 77/59/68/-4/0.15/638/76 35 WNW VEC1 34 WNW RMY 36
8/13 80/58/69/-3/0.00/787/94 21 NW VEC1 22 NW RMY 21
8/14 82/62/72/0/0.00/676/81 16 NNW VEC1 15 NNW RMY 15
8/15 84/62/73/+1/0.57/…/.. 44 N VEC1 42 N RMY 46 TSTM
8/16 The low since midnight is 61F, the daily normal low is 63F.
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AUGUST DAILY RECORDS TO DATE
8/3 RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 75F,
TIED THE PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 2020
8/15 PEAK GUST 44e MPH N,
TIED THE PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 1941
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DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated)
RECORDS FOR AUGUST 16
HIGH 95F IN 1944
LOW 50F IN 1927
PRECIP 1.31 INCHES IN 1951
PEAK GUST 45e MPH N IN 1951
RECORDS FOR AUGUST 17
HIGH 97F IN 1944
LOW 48F IN 1902
PRECIP 2.17 INCHES IN 1998
PEAK GUST 50e MPH SSW IN 1952, 50 MPH WNW IN 1962
TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Amanda Joly
