Sunday, February 9, 2014

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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2014
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

CLOUDS, SUN, SNOW SHOWERS AND COOLER-THAN AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES ROUND OUT THE WEEKEND.

Saturday marked the third day in a row with below average
temperatures, though nowhere near record levels. Yesterday’s average
temperature of 20F is considered to be 7 degrees below the norm for
that date historically.

An offshore disturbance sparked some flurries this morning between
7 and 8 AM with only a trace recorded. Moisture at several layers
in the atmosphere is still present today ahead of overnight
snow showers. By 10 AM the prevailing surface visibility was
35 miles.

Yesterday and today mark the one year anniversary of the major snowstorm
of February 8-9 last year.  The storm brought 26.6 inches of snow over
two days, with wind gusts up to 63mph and 2.84 inches of total liquid
precipitation.  While we fell just short of blizzard criteria, the storm
ended up as the fifth biggest snowstorm in the Observatory’s history, though
it would be moved down to sixth by another major storm later that winter.

Today’s Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Scattered stratus/nimbostratus, broken altostratus,
broken altocumulus lenticularis, thin overcast of cirrus
Temperature: 20F; Dew Point: 12F; Wind: NNW at 9 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.13 ins. Hg, decreasing, then steady
Visibility: 35 miles, 9 miles SSE-SW reduced by snow showers,
light distant haze
6-hr min temp: 20F
Snow depth: 9 inches
BHO SA 1155 22 SCT E70 BKN 90 BKN 200 -OVC 35 204/20/12/3309/013/
ACSL OVHD AND DSNT ALQDS SNW SHWRS DSNT NE-SSE VSBY NE-SSE 9 MI VSBY
SSE-SW 50 MI LG DSNT HZ/ 8/642 4/009 53001 10022 20020

10 A.M.
Weather: Scattered stratus/stratocumulus, broken altocumulus,
broken cirrus
Temperature: 25F Dew Point: 15F; Wind: N at 7 kts
Sea-level pressure: 30.16 ins. Hg, rising, then falling, but higher
Visibility: 35 miles, 15 miles WNW-SE, light distant haze
3-hr snow: Trace
3-hr precip: Trace
BHO SA 1455 22 SCT E70 BKN 200 BKN 35 212/25/15/3507/016/
VSBY WNW-SE 15 MI LGT DSNT HZ NEW SNW PST 3 HRS TRACE/
8/632 50008 MANUAL 60000

1 P.M.
Weather: Broken stratocumulus, thin overcast of cirrus
Temperature: 27F; Dew Point: 18F; Wind: NE at 4 kts
Wind: Wind light
Sea-level pressure: 30.09 ins. Hg, falling, then steady
Visibility: 25 miles, light distant haze
6-hr max. temp: 27F
6-hr min. temp: 19F
BHO SA 1755 E20 BKN 250 –OVC 35 188/27/18/0504/009/
VSBY ENE-ESE 20 MI LGT DSNT HZ WND LGT/ 8/502 58024 10027 20019

WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2014

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…..28    NORMAL…..35
MIN…..12    NORMAL…..18
MEAN….20    NORMAL…..27

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL…………………….-7
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH……………………+14 [+1.6 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY…………..45  DEPARTURE……….+7
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH………….296  DEPARTURE………-15
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON………..3813  DEPARTURE………-29
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE……3451  DIFFERENCE…….+362

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY………………24  W  AT   7:59 A.M. *
AERO…………………..23  W  AT   5:26 A.M.
ASOS…………………..25  W  AT   4:28 A.M.
DAVIS………………….24  W  AT   4:27 A.M. RMY 23
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY………………..20  W  AT   5:18 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE……………..20  W  AT   8:06 A.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE…………….17  W  AT   3:37 A.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION…………  10.7  W
ASOS…………………..10.9
DAVIS…………………..9.5  W [272 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……….1.66  DEPARTURE………….+0.58
ASOS…………..1.73
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR………..6.28  DEPARTURE………….+0.85
ASOS…………..6.64

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M……….0.0  DEPARTURE…………..-0.4
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH……………13.9  DEPARTURE………….+10.0
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON…………..62.7  DEPARTURE………….+25.7

PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 2014 CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOW/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO GUST
AERO: Aerovane wind recording system gust
RMY:  RMY = R.M. Young wind gust recording system added 8/9/2011
TSTM: Thunderstorm day (thunder heard some time during day)
….: Data not yet available, records not finalized

2/1  45/30/38/+12/0.00/0.0/402/67         24 S   AERO 23 MPH S   RMY 25
2/2  53/33/43/+17/0.00/0.0/181/30         22 S   AERO 21 MPH WNW RMY 21
2/3  36/22/29/+3/0.32/2.8/000/00          22 NNE AERO 18 MPH NNE RMY 21
2/4  33/18/26/0/0.00/0.0/…/..           20 NW  AERO 16 MPH NW  RMY 17
2/5  31/21/26/0/…./…/000/00           32 ENE AERO 30 MPH ENE RMY 30
2/6  26/15/21/-5/…./…/…/..          22 WNW AERO 21 MPH WNW RMY 22
2/7  29/13/21/-6/0.00/0.0/…/..          25 W   AERO 23 MPH W   RMY 27
2/8  28/12/20/-7/0.00/0.0/…/..          24 W   AERO 23 MPH W   RMY 23

2/9 morning low temp: 19F; the normal low is now 18F

DAILY RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 2014
None so far.

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

RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 9
HIGH 58F IN 1990
LOW -21F IN 1934 [LOWEST TEMPERATURE ON RECORD] PRECIP 2.12 INS. IN 1969
SNOWFALL 13.0 INS. IN 1969
PEAK GUST 89 MPH NE IN 1969

RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 10
HIGH 56F IN 1909
LOW -8F IN 1899
PRECIP 1.34 INS. IN 1909
SNOWFALL 12.1 INS. IN 1926
PEAK GUST 64 MPH W IN 2001

TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Brian Fitzgerald