Saturday, August 13, 2016

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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2016
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

“BACK DOOR” COLD (FRONT FROM NORTHEAST) BRINGS RELIEF FROM THE 90-DEGREE
WIND SHIFT TO NORTHEAST USHERS IN COOL, DAMP MARITIME AIR OFF ATLANTIC
THUNDERSTORMS, SOME SEVERE SKIRT MANY PARTS OF EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS
EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUE WITHOUT A DROP OF RAIN HERE

Very early this morning a wind shift occurred from the southwest
of yesterday to northeast during the pre-dawn hours between 3 and
4 AM EDT. The temperature fell from the upper 70’s just after midnight to a low
of 66F by 8 A.M. EDT. The high temperature reached 95F around mid-
afternoon (not a record) yesterday.  The low temperature of 74F equaled the
record high minimum for the date set in 1988. Afternoon thunderstorms
were severe in parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts and also in
parts of Maine. Not a drop of rain fell here at the Observatory and
no thunder was heard.

Today’s Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Obscurement with fog, heavy fog occurring
Temperature: 67F; Dew Point: 67F; Wind: NE at 8 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.95 ins. Hg, rising then more slowly
Visibility: 1/8 variable 1/16 mile, fog, stratus drifting over summit
6-hr Max temp: 77F
6-hr Min temp: 66F
24-hr precip: 0.00 in.
BHO SA 1155 W2 X 1/8VF 143/67/67/0510/995/ VSBY 1/16V1/8/ 8//// 51021
10077 20066

10 A.M.
Weather:  Overcast stratus, sun dimly visible
Temperature: 69F; Dew Point: 66F; Wind: NE at 9 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.97 ins. Hg, rising slowly
Visibility: 5 miles, fog
BHO SA 1455 E4 OVC 5F 149/69/66/0509/997/ SUN DMLY VSB/
8/6// 53006

1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered CB anvil extending from distant S to vicinity
of station SW-WSW, CB tops distant W and NW, stratus distant NNW-ESE
Temperature: 76F; Dew Point: 66F; Wind: ENE at 9 kts,
Sea-level pressure: 29.94 ins. Hg, falling, then more quickly
Visibility: 15 miles, except 12 miles N-E hazy all quadrants
6-hr Max temp: 77F
6-hr Min temp: 67F
BHO SA 1755 200 SCT 15 140/76/66/0709/994/
LG CB ANVIL TOP XTDNG DSNT S=VC SW=WSW CB TOPS DSNT W AND NW
STRA NNW-ESE VSBY N-E 12 HAZY ALQDS/
8/609 58009 10077 20067

SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…..95   NORMAL…..80
MIN…..74   NORMAL…..62
MEAN….85   NORMAL…..71

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL……………………+14
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH……………………+42  [+3.3 DEGREES/DAY]

COOLING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JAN TO DEC)
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY…………..20   DEPARTURE………+13
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE MONTH………….123   DEPARTURE………+39
TOTAL COOLING UNITS FOR THE SEASON…………597   DEPARTURE……..+162
TOTAL COOLING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE…….481   DIFFERENCE…….+116

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY……………….30 SW  AT 12:11 P.M.
AEROVANE………………..30 SW  AT 12:11 P.M.
ASOS……………………30 SW  AT 12:11 P.M.
DAVIS…………………..29 SSW AT 12:10 P.M. RMY 31
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY…………………21 SW  AT 12:11 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE………………22 SW  AT 12:12 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE……………..20 SSW AT  2:36 P.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION………….12.7 SW
ASOS………………….11.9
DAVIS…………………11.3 SW [230 Deg.] * Last of several occurrences

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M… 0.00  DEPARTURE……-0.13
ASOS…………..0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH……….0.42  DEPARTURE……-1.30
ASOS…………..0.40
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR……….23.61  DEPARTURE……-9.10
ASOS………….23.91

PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR AUGUST CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/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

8/1  75/65/70/-2/0.02/320/37                 21 NE  AERO 20 ENE RMY 20
8/2  71/63/67/-5/0.12/000/00                 16 ENE AERO 16 ENE RMY 16
8/3  81/60/71/-1/0.00/603/70                 18 S   AERO 16 S   RMY 17
8/4  86/61/74/+2/0.00/833/97                 23 S   AERO 22 S   RMY 17
8/5  87/61/74/+2/0.00/823/96                 29 S   AERO 29 S   RMY 30
8/6  88/67/78/+6/T/419/49                    24 SSW AERO 23 SSW RMY 23
8/7  89/65/77/+5/0.00/…/..                 26 WNW AERO 25 WNW RMY 26
8/8  87/63/75/+3/0.00/…/..                 23 W   AERO 21 W   RMY 22
8/9  90/65/78/+6/0.00/…/..                 25 SSW AERO 24 SSW RMY 25
8/10 76/66/71/+0/0.28/…/..                 30 SSW AERO 31 SSW RMY 33
8/11 93/73/83/+12/T/…/..                   22 SSW AERO 21 SSW RMY 22
8/12 95/74/85/+14/0.00/…/..                30 SW  AER0 30 SW  RMY 31

8/13 Low temp since midnight is 66F; normal low is now 62F

DAILY RECORDS FOR AUGUST 2016
8/11/16: DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 73F,
TIES PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 1900 AND 1988
8/12/16: DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 74F,
TIES PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 1988

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

RECORDS FOR AUGUST 13
HIGH 98F IN 1944, 2002
LOW 47F IN 1902, 1957
PRECIP 2.92 INCHES IN 1989
PEAK GUST 52 MPH SSE IN 1963

RECORDS FOR AUGUST 14
HIGH 99F IN 2002
LOW 46F IN 1964
PRECIP 3.06 INCHES IN 1919
PEAK GUST 61 MPH WNW IN 1963

TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Robert Skilling