Friday, March 16, 2018

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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2018
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

ANOTHER BLUSTERY DAY WITH BELOW SEASONABLE
TEMPERATURES…

We continue the pattern of below seasonable
daytime temperatures and seasonable or
slightly above overnight low temperatures.
Our high of 40F yesterday is 4 degrees below
the normal of 44F. So far temperatures today
have been cooler than yesterday. We have had
a high of 33F, so far which is 11 degrees below
the normal of 44F. We have had a low yesterday
of 29F, this is 3 degrees above the daily
normal of 26F. Since midnight the low is 25F,
1 degree below the daily normal of 26F. The wind
was calmer overnight but began to pick up after
7:00 A.M. EST. The wind continues from the
W-WNW with strong gusts at times. We have had
frequent gusts at or over 30 kts (35 MPH). So
far we have measured a peak gust of 36 kts
(41 MPH) from the WNW just before 11:00 A.M. EST
this morning. Visibility increased today with 70
miles by 1:00 P.M. We had a distant fog from W-E
this morning obscuring visibility to 50 miles in
that direction.

BHO Greatest March Snowstorms,
inches (1885-2018):

1) 30.3 on 3-5 Mar, 1960
2) 30.0 on 31 Mar – 1 Apr, 1997
3) 29.8 on 6-8 Mar, 2013
4) 23.0 on 13 Mar, 2018
23.0 on 5-7 Mar, 2001
6) 19.5 on 19-20 Mar, 1956
7) 17.8 on 15-16 Mar, 1967
8) 17.5 on 20-22 Mar, 1958
9) 16.9 on 11-14 Mar, 1939
10) 15.4 on 29-30 Mar, 1984

BHO Greatest Snowstorms,
inches (1885-2018):

1) 38.7 on 24-28 Feb 1969
2) 30.8 on 26-28 Jan 2015
3) 30.3 on 3-5 Mar 1960
4) 30.1 on 6-7 Feb 1978
5) 30.0 on 31 Mar – 1 Apr 1997
6) 29.8 on 6-8 Mar 2013
7) 26.6 on 8-9 Feb 2013
8) 24.7 on 17-18 Feb 2003
9) 24.3 on 5-7 Dec 2003
10) 23.0 on 5-7 Mar 2001
23.0 on 13 Mar, 2018

BHO Greatest March Calendar Day Snowfalls,
inches (1885-2018):

1) 23.0 on 13 Mar, 2018
2) 18.0 on 8 Mar, 2013
3) 17.6 on 19 Mar, 1956
4) 17.3 on 4 Mar, 1960
5) 15.5 on 6 Mar, 2001
6) 15.0 on 31 Mar, 1997
7) 13.5 on 29 Mar, 1984
8) 13.0 on 5 Mar, 1891
9) 12.8 on 3 Mar, 1960
10) 12.3 on 24 Mar, 1956

Today’s Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Few stratocumulus distant off shore, few altocumulus
in all directions, scattered cirrostratus
Temperature: 28F; Dew Point: 18F; Wind: WNW at 14G21 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.53 ins. Hg, rising, then more rapidly
Visibility: 70 miles, except W-E 50 miles due to a distant fog
6-hr Max temp: 29F
6-hr Min temp: 25F
24-hr precip:  0.00 ins.
24-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins.
Snow depth: 13 ins.
BHO SA 1155 200 SCT 70 999/28/18/2914G21/953/ FEW SC DSNT
OFFSHR NNE-N FEW AC ALQDS VSBY W-E 50 DSNT FG W-E/ 8/568
4/013 53015 10029 20025

10 A.M.
Weather: Overcast stratocumulus with a break from S-SSW
Temperature: 30F; Dew Point: 18F; Wind: NW at 17G28 kts,
Peak Wind: 32 (37 MPH) NW at 8:59 A.M.
Sea-level pressure: 29.56 ins. Hg, rising, the more slowly
Visibility: 60 miles
3-hr precip:  0.00 ins.
3-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins.
BHO SA 1455 E46 OVC 60 009/30/18/3117G28/956/
BINOVC S-SSW PK WND 3132/1359/ 8/5// 51010

1 P.M.
Weather: Broken stratocumulus
Temperature: 32F; Dew Point: 18F; Wind: WNW at 20G34 kts,
Peak Wind: 34 kts (39 MPH) WNW at 12:53 P.M.
Sea-level pressure: 29.56 ins. Hg, falling then steady
Visibility: 70 miles
6-hr Max temp: 33F
6-hr Min temp: 27F
6-hr precip:   0.00 ins.
6-hr snowfall: 0.0 ins.
Snow depth: 12 ins.
BHO SA 1755 E46 BKN 70 009/32/18/3020G34/956/
PK WND 3034/53/ 8/500 4/012 54000 10033 20027

SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…..40   NORMAL…..44
MIN…..29   NORMAL…..26
MEAN….35   NORMAL…..35

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL………………………..0
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH………………………+21 [+1.2 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY………….35   DEPARTURE………..0
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH…………465   DEPARTURE………-16
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON……….4587   DEPARTURE……..-462
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE…..4413   DIFFERENCE…….+174

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY……………….44 W   AT  8:26 A.M.
AERO……………………44 W   AT  8:25 A.M.
ASOS……………………45 WNW AT  8:27 A.M.
DAVIS…………………..41 M   AT  8:26 A.M ** RMY 44
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY…………………28 W   AT  9:57 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE………………28 W   AT 10:54 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE……………..26 M   AT  9:57 A.M.**
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION………….18.2 W
ASOS………………….18.0
DAVIS…………………15.8 **
** Davis direction malfunctioning

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M….0.00  DEPARTURE……-0.18
ASOS…………..0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH……….7.97  DEPARTURE……+5.56
ASOS…………..8.67
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR……….18.08  DEPARTURE……+7.25
ASOS………….19.52

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M……….0.0  DEPARTURE……..-0.4
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH……………40.1  DEPARTURE…….+32.8
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON…………..84.8  DEPARTURE…….+30.4

PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MARCH CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/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
M:    Missing data

3/01 61/37/49/+18/0.00/0.0/378/56    39 ENE AERO 37 ENE RMY N/A
3/02 40/32/36/+5/3.47/0.7/000/00     73 NNE AERO 70 NNE RMY N/A
3/03 40/32/26/+4/T/T/034/05          52 NNE AERO 50 NNE RMY 49
3/04 39//34/37/+5/T/T/000/00         36 NNE AERO 32 NNE RMY 32
3/05 40/29/35/+3/…/1.2/261/38      40 NE  AERO 39 NE  RMY 40
3/06 34/29/32/0/0.00/0.0/062/09      20 N   AERO 16 N   RMY N/A
3/07 35/31/33/0/…./…/000/00      52 ENE AERO 53 ENE RMY 50
3/08 34/28/31/-2/…./…/000/00     44 NNE AERO 47 NNE RMY N/A
3/09 36/24/30/-3/T/T/265/38          28 W   AERO 26 W   RMY N/A
3/10 37/28/33/0/0.00/0.0/343/49      38 WNW AERO 38 WNW RMY 41
3/11 42/26/34/0/0.00/0.0/…/..      28 NW  AERO 26 NW  RMY 29
3/12 39/26/33/-1/T/T/…/..          36 ENE AERO 33 ENE RMY N/A
3/13 35/26/31/-3/…./23.0/…/..    60 N   AERO 60 N   RMY 64
3/14 36/24/30/-5/…./…/…/..     38 WSW AERO 38 WSW RMY 41
3/15 40/29/35/0/…./…/…/..      44 W   AERO 44 W   RMY 44

3/16 Low temp since midnight is 25F; normal low is now 26F

DAILY RECORDS FOR MARCH 2018

3/02/18: NEW DAILY RECORD MAXIMUM PRECIPITATION OF 3.47 INS.
PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 2.15 INS. SET IN 1983

3/13/18: NEW DAILY RECORD MAXIMUM SNOWFALL OF 23.0 INS.
PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 10.0 INS. SET IN 1993

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

RECORDS FOR MARCH 16
HIGH 73 IN 1990
LOW 8 IN 1932
PRE 1.95 INS. IN 1900
SNOW 10.0 INS. IN 1896
WIND 79 MPH NE IN 1956

RECORDS FOR MARCH 17
HIGH 69 IN 2003
LOW 6 IN 1885
PRECIP 1.97 INS. IN 1968
SNOWFALL 6.5 INS. IN 1956
PEAK GUST 70 MPH SSW IN 1973

TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Kaitlin Ann Geagan