Saturday, January 13, 2024

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

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2024
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST)
SUNRISE: 0712E
SUNSET:  1634E

STORM SYSTEM BRINGS STRONG WINDS AND RECORD PRECIPITATION….

Another potent, fast moving, storm system passed through this morning,
bringing periods of moderate to heavy rain and strong winds. The total
precipitation measured so far today is 1.70″, which beats the previous
record of 1.54″ set back in 1979. As of 1pm though, the clouds have broken
to allow some sunshine, and it is quite nice outside at the time of writing.

Temperatures have been well above normal today due to warm advection,
beginning the morning in the upper 30s and rising into the mid 50s by
early afternoon. As one would suspect in this case, the dew point has
followed an identical trend.

The winds have been quite busy since midnight, frequently gusting between
35-45mph. The peak gust so far occurred at 4:34am with a speed of 50mph. Our
average speed is 22mph, primarily out of the ESE, although it has shifted to
out of the SSW by early afternoon.

Visibility was poor for much of the morning as we were stuck in the clouds.
Fog limited views to a maximum of 1/4 mile during this time. Right around noon,
the cloud base began to lift, increasing visibility to 30 miles for the
1pm observation.

The maximum temperature so far today is 57F degrees, this is 22
degrees above the normal high of 35F. The minimum temperature
so far since midnight is 38F degrees, this is 20 degrees above
the normal low of 18F.

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Today’s Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Sky obscured, vertical visibility 200ft, heavy rain
Temperature: 43F; Dew Point: 43F; Relative Humidity: 100%
Wind: ESE @ 21G35 kts, peak wind 48mph ESE @ 06:42am
Sea-level pressure: 997.3 mb; 29.45 in. Hg: falling, then more rapidly
Visibility: 1/4 mile, fog
6-hr Max temp: 43F
6-hr Min temp: 38F
24-hr Precip: 0.99 inches
24-hr Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Snow Depth: 0 inches
BHO SA 1155 X W2 1/4R+F 973/43/43/1221G35/945/ PK WND 1142/42/ 8////
58083 6099/ 70099 10043 20038

10 A.M.
Weather: Sky obscured, vertical visibility 200ft, light drizzle
Temperature: 50F; Dew Point: 50F; Relative Humidity: 100%
Wind: SE @ 20G30 kts, peak wind 43mph SE @ 09:10am
Sea-level pressure: 991.3 mb; 29.27 in. Hg: falling unsteadily
Visibility: 1/16 mile, fog
3-hr Precip: 0.70 inches
3-hr Snowfall: 0.0 inches
BHO SA 1455 X W2 1/16L-F 913/50/50/1420G30/927/ PK WND 1437/10/ 8////
57060 6070/

1 P.M.
Weather: Broken stratocumulus, few lower stratus fractus all quadrants
Temperature: 56F; Dew Point: 56F; Relative Humidity: 100%
Wind: SSW @ 19G28 kts, peak wind 36mph SSW @ 12:39pm
Sea-level pressure: 986.3 mb; 29.13 in. Hg: falling, then more slowly
Visibility: 30 miles
6-hr Max temp: 57F
6-hr Min temp: 43F
6-hr Precip: 0.71 inches
6-hr Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Snow Depth: 0 inches
BHO SA 1755 E6 BKN 30 863/56/56/2119G28/913/ FEW LWR STRFA ALQDS
PK WND 2131/39/ 8/500 56050 6071/ 10057 20043

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SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2024

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…….47   NORMAL…..35
MIN…….33   NORMAL…..19
MEAN……40   NORMAL…..27

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR (1991-2020) NORMAL………..+13
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH…………………..+61 [+4.9 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON: JUL 2023 THRU JUN 2024)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY……………25  DEPARTURE…….-14
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH…………..388  DEPARTURE…….-63
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON…………2283  DEPARTURE……-378
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE…….2255  DEPARTURE…….+28

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)……….E29 SE   @  11:50 P.M.
VECTOR #1 (1-Sec)……….28 ESE  @  11:54 P.M.
VECTOR #2 (1-Sec)……….29 ESE  @  11:55 P.M.
DAVIS #1……………….26 SE   @  11:51 P.M.
DAVIS #2 ………………28 ESE  @  11:54 P.M.
RMY #1 (Instantaneous)…..28 ESE  @  11:58 P.M.
RMY #2 (Instantaneous)…..30 ESE  @  11:55 P.M.
MERLIN………………….M
RICHARDS (C5C) (Inst)……27      @  11:58 P.M.

FASTEST MILE:
CONTACTING ANEMOMETER/OFFICIAL………………20 ESE  @  11:59 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE VECTOR #1 AVERAGE…………..19      @  11:58 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE VECTOR #2 AVERAGE…………..20      @  11:57 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS #1 AVERAGE……………20 ESE  @  11:58 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS #2 AVERAGE……………21 ESE  @  11:57 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RMY #1 AVERAGE……………..19 ESE  @  11:58 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RMY #2 AVERAGE……………..20 ESE  @  11:56 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RICHARDS (C5C) AVERAGE………20      @  11:58 P.M.

AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION:
CONTACTING/OFFICIAL……10.2 SE [244 total miles] VECTOR #1…………….10.2
VECTOR #2…………….10.9
DAVIS #1……………..10.3 SSW
DAVIS #2……………..10.7 SW
RMY #1………………..9.9 SW
RMY #2……………….10.8 SW
RICHARDS (C5C)………..10.6

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST):
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M……..0.99 DEPARTURE…..+0.84
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH…………..5.54 DEPARTURE…..+3.73
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR (2024)……..5.54 DEPARTURE…..+3.73

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST):
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M…………..0.0 DEPARTURE……-0.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH……………….13.2 DEPARTURE……+6.6
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON (2023-2024)……13.5 DEPARTURE……-8.2

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PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 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

1/1   37/25/31/+2/0.00/0.0/296/54         15 N   VEC1 14 N   RMY 15
1/2   39/19/29/+1/0.00/0.0/550/100        17 WNW VEC1 17 WNW RMY 17
1/3   42/25/34/+6/0.00/0.0/347/63         20 WNW VEC1 21 WNW RMY 21
1/4   42/21/32/+4/T/T/237/43              37 NNW VEC1 36 NNW RMY 39
1/5   32/17/25/-3/0.00/0.0/542/98         40 NW  VEC1 39 NW  RMY 39
1/6   34/24/29/+1/0.11/0.2/022/04         36 E   VEC1 36 E   RMY 36
1/7   33/21/27/0/0.84/13.0/000/00         38 ENE VEC1 37 ENE RMY 42
1/8   32/21/27/0/0.00/0.0/406/73          28 NW  VEC1 28 NW  RMY 31
1/9   40/23/32/+5/0.98/T/000/00           46 SE  VEC1 49 SE  RMY 46
1/10  53/41/47/+20/1.90/0.0/201/36        70 SSE VEC1 69 SSE RMY 75
1/11  43/35/39/+12/0.00/0.0/…/..        45 WNW VEC1 43 WNW RMY 47
1/12  47/33/40/+13/0.00/0.0/…/..        29 SE  VEC1 28 ESE RMY 28

1/13 The low since midnight is 38F, the daily normal low is 18F

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JANUARY 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 JANUARY 13
HIGH 60F IN 2018
LOW -11F IN 1912
PRECIP 1.54 INS. IN 1979
SNOWFALL 12.6 INS. IN 1964
PEAK GUST 74 MPH NE IN 1964

RECORDS FOR JANUARY 14
HIGH 65F IN 1995
LOW -12F IN 1914
PRECIP 1.45 INS. IN 2008
SNOWFALL 10.3 INS. IN 2008
PEAK GUST 68 MPH WNW IN 1976, S IN 2005

TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Joshua Polen