Sunday, February 4, 2024

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

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2024
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST)
SUNRISE: 0655E
SUNSET:  1702E

CLEAR SKIES WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE AND A CHILLY BREEZE….

It’s been awhile since we’ve had a day with wall to wall sunshine,
so today is proving to be a sight for sore eyes! Despite the chill
in the air, all in all it’s a nice day.

Temperatures have reached the mid 30s early this afternoon, which
is about normal for this time of year. The dew point is on the low
side however, generally in the mid teens, which is adding a decided
chill to the air, especially with the brisk wind blowing.

As mentioned, the wind has been a bit on the brisk side. While not
overly strong, it has been fairly steady averaging at around 10mph.
The highest gust so far occurred in the wee hours of the morning
with 24mph being measured.

Visibility has been excellent today with a view of around 70 miles.

The maximum temperature so far today is 36F degrees, which is
1 degree above the normal high of 35F. The minimum temperature
so far since midnight is 20F degrees, which is 2 degrees above
the normal low of 18F.

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PRELIMINARY STATS FOR JANUARY 2024

TEMPERATURE, Deg. F
Avg. Max. 36.4 [+1.7] Avg. Min. 24.0 [+5.7] Mean      30.2 [+3.7] 24-hour corrected mean: 29.8
Max. for month: 57F on the 13th
Min. for month: 10F on the 20th and 21st

HEATING DEGREE DAYS
Total heating units:   1070 [-123] Total for the season:  2965 [-438] Total for last season: 2823

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

PRECIPITATION, Inches
Total: 9.24 [+4.74] Greatest in 24 hrs: 2.88 on the 9th-10th

SNOWFALL, Inches
Total: 20.6 [+2.0] Greatest in 24 hrs: 13.2 on the 6th-7th

WIND, mph
Avg. uncorrected wind speed: 11.2 mph
Avg. corrected wind speed:   11.7 mph
Prevailing wind direction:   Northwest [18%] Peak gust and direction:  70 SSE on the 10th

SUNSHINE:
Campbell-Stokes card minutes: 5880 of a possible 17130, or 34%
Astronomical total minutes: 6056 of a possible 17652, or 34%

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Today’s Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus offshore distant NE-SSE
Temperature: 20F; Dew Point: 14F; Relative Humidity: 77%
Wind: N @ 9 kts
Sea-level pressure: 1016.1 mb; 30.01 in. Hg: rising, then more slowly
Visibility: 70 miles
6-hr Max temp: 25F
6-hr Min temp: 20F
24-hr Precip: 0.00 inches
24-hr Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Snow Depth: Trace
BHO SA 1155 CLR 70 161/20/14/3509/001/ FEW SC OFFSHR DSNT NE-SSE/
8/500 4/000 51006 10025 20020

10 A.M.
Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus offshore distant ESE-SE
Temperature: 28F; Dew Point: 16F; Relative Humidity: 60%
Wind: NNW @ 6 kts, wind light
Sea-level pressure: 1015.6 mb; 29.99 in. Hg: rising, then falling
Visibility: 70 miles
3-hr Precip: 0.00 inches
3-hr Snowfall: 0.0 inches
BHO SA 1455 CLR 70 156/28/16/3306/999/ FEW SC OFFSHR DSNT ESE-SE
WND LGT/ 8/500 58005

1 P.M.
Weather: Clear, few stratocumulus offshore distant E-ESE
Temperature: 36F; Dew Point: 14F; Relative Humidity: 40%
Wind: NNW @ 8 kts
Sea-level pressure: 1013.1 mb; 29.92 in. Hg: falling, then more slowly
Visibility: 70 miles
6-hr Max temp: 36F
6-hr Min temp: 20F
6-hr Precip: 0.00 inches
6-hr Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Snow Depth: Trace
BHO SA 1755 CLR 70 131/36/14/3308/992/ FEW SC OFFSHR DSNT E-ESE/
8/500 4/000 56025 10036 20020

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SUMMARY FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…….35   NORMAL…..35
MIN…….26   NORMAL…..18
MEAN……31   NORMAL…..26

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR (1991-2020) NORMAL………….+5
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH……………………+23 [+7.5 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON: JUL 2023 THRU JUN 2024)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY……………34  DEPARTURE……..-5
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH……………94  DEPARTURE…….-22
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON…………3060  DEPARTURE……-460
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE…….2956  DEPARTURE……+104

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)……….E26 N    @  06:00 A.M.
VECTOR #1 (1-Sec)……….26 NNW  @  03:25 P.M.
VECTOR #2 (1-Sec)……….28 N    @  12:10 A.M.
DAVIS #1……………….24 N    @  03:16 P.M.
DAVIS #2 ………………25 N    @  12:10 A.M.
RMY #1 (Instantaneous)…..28 N    @  05:59 A.M.
RMY #2 (Instantaneous)…..28 N    @  12:10 A.M.
MERLIN…………………25 N
RICHARDS (C5C) (Inst)……27      @  05:59 A.M.

FASTEST MILE:
CONTACTING ANEMOMETER/OFFICIAL………………19 N    @  06:00 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE VECTOR #1 AVERAGE…………..18      @  03:26 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE VECTOR #2 AVERAGE…………..18      @  10:47 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS #1 AVERAGE……………18 NNW  @  03:26 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS #2 AVERAGE……………17 N    @  10:47 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RMY #1 AVERAGE……………..17 N    @  06:00 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RMY #2 AVERAGE……………..17 N    @  02:20 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE RICHARDS (C5C) AVERAGE………18      @  06:00 A.M.

AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION:
CONTACTING/OFFICIAL……10.6 NNW [255 total miles] VECTOR #1…………….10.6
VECTOR #2…………….10.8
DAVIS #1……………..10.7 NNW
DAVIS #2……………..10.8 N
RMY #1……………….10.3 NNW
RMY #2……………….10.7 N
RICHARDS (C5C)………..10.9

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST):
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M……..0.00 DEPARTURE…..-0.13
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH…………..0.03 DEPARTURE…..-0.38
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR (2024)……..9.27 DEPARTURE…..+4.36

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST):
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M…………..0.0 DEPARTURE……-0.6
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH………………TRACE DEPARTURE……-2.0
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON (2023-2024)……20.9 DEPARTURE…..-14.8

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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/…/..         25 SW  VEC1 24 SW  RMY 26
2/2   39/31/35/+9/0.03/T/…/..           23 N   VEC1 24 N   RMY 25
2/3   35/26/31/+5/0.00/0.0/…/..         26 N   VEC1 26 NNW RMY 28

2/4 The low since midnight is 20F, the daily normal low is 18F

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FEBRUARY DAILY RECORDS TO DATE

NONE…

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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/+12/0.00/0.0/162/29        45 WNW VEC1 43 WNW RMY 47
1/12  47/33/40/+13/0.00/0.0/533/95        29 SE  VEC1 28 ESE RMY 28
1/13  57/36/47/+21/1.72/0.0/146/26        47 ESE VEC1 51 ESE RMY 49
1/14  39/22/31/+5/0.02/0.4/328/58         53 WNW VEC1 52 WNW RMY 54
1/15  31/17/24/-2/T/T/475/84              30 WNW VEC1 29 WNW RMY 30
1/16  34/19/27/+1/0.61/3.2/000/00         36 NW  VEC1 33 NW* RMY 31*
1/17  25/13/19/-7/0.00/0.0/529/93         29 NW  VEC1 28 W*  RMY 27*
1/18  26/13/20/-6/0.00/0.0/069/12         30 WSW VEC1 30 WSW RMY 29
1/19  27/16/22/-4/T/T/000/00              31 NW  VEC1 30 NW  RMY 34
1/20  20/10/15/-11/0.05/0.7/172/30        30 NW  VEC1 30 NW  RMY 31
1/21  25/10/18/-8/0.00/0.0/513/89         30 NW  VEC1 31 NW  RMY 32
1/22  37/13/25/-1/0.00/0.0/416/72         35 SW  VEC1 35 SW  RMY 36
1/23  38/30/34/+8/0.07/0.5/006/01         30 WSW VEC1 30 WSW RMY 31
1/24  39/29/34/+8/0.40/0.7/000/00         26 S   VEC1 26 S   RMY 26
1/25  50/38/44/+18/0.18/0.0/088/15        35 SW  VEC1 34 SSW RMY 36
1/26  40/35/38/+12/0.69/0.0/000/00        23 ESE VEC1 23 ESE RMY 23
1/27  36/33/35/+9/0.06/0.0/000/00         20 NNE VEC1 20 NNE RMY 19
1/28  35/31/33/+7/0.70/0.6/000/00         33 NNE VEC1 33 NNE RMY 35
1/29  34/29/32/+6/0.13/0.9/018/03         38 N   VEC1 38 N   RMY 39
1/30  30/21/26/+/0.06/0.4/000/00          26 ENE VEC1 26 ENE RMY 28
1/31  32/23/28/+2/0.00/0.0/000/00         14 SW  VEC1 13 SW  RMY 14

* Reading impacted by icing

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JANUARY DAILY RECORDS TO DATE

1/13: RECORD PRECIPITATION OF 1.72 INS,
BEATS PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.54 INS SET IN 1979

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

RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 4
HIGH 63F IN 1991
LOW -14F IN 2023
PRECIP 1.80 INS. IN 1926
SNOWFALL 15.0 INS. IN 1961
PEAK GUST 89 MPH SSE IN 1972

RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 5
HIGH 65F IN 1991
LOW -14F IN 1918
PRECIP 1.62 INS. IN 2016
SNOWFALL 16.0 INS. IN 1907
PEAK GUST 67 MPH WNW IN 1969

TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Matt Douglas