Thursday, February 5, 2015

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

DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2015
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME

SNOW BEGINS ONCE MORE….3.5 INCHES BY 1:00 PM

Snow began just prior to 7:00 AM, becoming steadier
by 8:00 AM. By 9:00 to 10:00 AM snow became moderate
to heavy with gusty winds that blew and drifted snow.
By the 10:00 AM EST observation, 2.6 inches of new
snow with a liquid content of 0.12 inches was measured.

Snow continued past 10:00, gradually winding down after
11:00 AM. By the 1:00 PM observation new snow totaled
3.5 inches, with a liquid equivalent of 0.15 inches
of water. Winds have remained gusty from the NW,
peaking at 38 MPH at 12:04 PM EST. Temperatures
have also been sliding since midnight, with a maximum
of 34F falling to 22F by the 1:00 PM EST observation.
PRELIMINARY STATS FOR JANUARY 2015

TEMPERATURE Deg. F
Av. Max: 30.8 [-3.0] Av. Min: 15.4 [-1.7] Mean: 23.1 [-2.4] Corrected Mean: 23.3
Max. for month: 51 on 4th
Min. for month: -5 on 8th

HEATING DEGREE DAY UNITS
Total: 1289 [+63] Total for season: 3349 [-181]

PRECIPITATION, inches
Total: 5.17 [+0.82] Total snowfall: 42.9 [+25.8]

WIND:
Av. uncorrected wind speed: 13.8 MPH
Av. corrected wind speed: 14.1 MPH
Prevailing wind direction: N/A

SUNSHINE:
Astronomical total minutes: N/A
Campbell-Stokes card minutes: N/A
Additional data to be added in coming days

Top 10 Snowiest Januarys

1) 56.3 in 1948
2) 48.2 in 2011
3) 48.0 in 1904
4) 47.6 in 1996
5) 46.0 in 1966
6) 44.8 in 2005
7) 44.5 in 1923
8) 42.9 in 2015
9) 38.3 in 1987
10) 35.6 in 1978
Today’s Observations:

7 A.M.
Weather: Light snow, beginning 06:42 AM EST,
overcast stratus
Temperature: 32F; Dew Point: 31F; Wind: WNW at 7 kts
Sea-level pressure: 29.83 ins. Hg, decreasing, then increasing
Visibility: 8 miles, except 15 miles ESE-S, obscured by light snow
6-hr max temp: 34F
6-hr min temp: 32F
24-hr precip: Trace
24 hr snowfall: Trace
Snow depth: 22 inches
BHO SA 1155 E10 OVC 8S- 100/32/31/2907/983/ S-B42 VSBY ESE-S 15 MI
PRCP VRY LGT NEW SNW PST 24 HRS TRACE/ 8/6// 4/022 55004 MANUAL
6000/ 10034 20032

10 A.M.
Weather: Moderate snow, thick fog
Temperature: 29F; Dew Point: 28F; Wind: NW at 13G20 kts
Sea-level pressure:  29.88 ins. Hg, increasing, then more quickly
Visibility: 1/4 of a mile, obscured by moderate snow, fog and
blowing snow
3-hr snowfall: 2.6 in
3-hr precip: 0.12
BHO SA 1455 W3 X 1/4SF 119/29/28/3213G20/988/ BLSN ALQDS NEW SNW
PST 3 HRS 2.6 INS/ 8//// 53019 ASOS 60011 MANUAL 60012

1 P.M.
Weather: Scattered stratocumulus, overcast altostratus
Temperature: 22F; Dew Point: 16F; Wind: NNW at 18G29 kts
Peak Wind: 33 knots NW @ 12:04 PM EST
Sea-level pressure:  29.91 ins. Hg, increasing, then decreasing
Visibility: 30 miles, except 40 miles W-NW
6-hr snowfall: 3.5 in
6-hr precip: 0.15 in
BHO SA 1755 25 SCT E50 OVC 30 129/22/16/3318G29/991/
VSBY W-NW 40 MI NEW SNW PST 3 HRS 0.9 INS PK WND 3233/04/
8/52/ 50010 ASOS 60016 MANUAL 60015 10032 20021
SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX…..36   NORMAL…..35
MIN…..14   NORMAL…..17
MEAN….25   NORMAL…..26

DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL………………………-1
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH……………………..-31 [-8.0 DEGREES/DAY]

HEATING DEGREE DAYS (SEASON JUL TO JUN)
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY…………..40  DEPARTURE………..+1
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH………….187  DEPARTURE……….+31
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON………..3536  DEPARTURE………-151
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE……3687  DIFFERENCE……..-105

PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY………………31 S      AT  3:37 P.M.
ASOS…………………..34 S      AT  3:37 P.M.
DAVIS………………….32 S      AT  3:36 P.M. RMY 33
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY………………..24 S      AT  3:35 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE……………..24 S      AT  5:12 P.M.
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE…………….23 SSW    AT  1:48 P.M.
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION…………14.7 SSW
ASOS…………………15.0
DAVIS………………..13.8 SSW [205 degrees] * last of several occurrences…

PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M…TRACE  DEPARTURE…..-0.14
ASOS………….TRACE
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH……….1.53  DEPARTURE…..+0.99
ASOS…………..1.62
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR………..6.70  DEPARTURE…..+1.94
ASOS…………..7.08

SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M……..TRACE  DEPARTURE……-0.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH……………16.5  DEPARTURE…..+14.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON…………..70.4  DEPARTURE…..+35.3

PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOWFALL/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/RMY 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

1/1  31/18/25/-2/0.00/0.0/544/99              29 SSW RMY 30
1/2  37/26/32/+5/0.00/0.0/314/57              35 WSW RMY 38
1/3  34/21/28/+2/0.67/2.5/017/03              25 SE  RMY 26
1/4  51/33/42/+16/0.48/0.0/000/00             30 SSW RMY N/A
1/5  46/13/30/+4/0.00/0.0/542/98              48 W   RMY 54
1/6  15/10/13/-13/0.02/0.4/000/00             29 W   RMY N/A
1/7  22/01/12/-14/0.01/0.3/383/69             43 WNW RMY 47
1/8  16/-5/6/-20/0.00/0.0/539/97              39 WNW RMY N/A
1/9  27/16/22/-4/0.08/0.9/201/36              35 WSW RMY 38
1/10 22/11/17/-8/0.00/0.0/541/97              26 WNW RMY 27
1/11 31/9/20/-5/45/0.00/0.0/123/22            26 SSW RMY N/A
1/12 36/31/34/+9/0.23/T/000/00                29 NNW RMY N/A
1/13 33/11/22/-3/0.00/0.0/524/93              30 NNW RMY 29
1/14 22/11/17/-8/T/T/000/00                   18 NNW RMY 16
1/15 27/20/24/-1/0.09/0.8/000/00              20 WSW RMY 22
1/16 35/12/24/-1/T/T/341/60                   46 WSW RMY 50
1/17 21/5/13/-12/0.00/0.0/558/98              30 WNW RMY N/A
1/18 50/19/35/+10/0.16/0.0/000/00             47 SE  RMY 52
1/19 44/28/36/+11/T/0.0/304/53                33 W   RMY 36
1/20 36/23/30/+5/0.00/0.0/495/86              28 W   RMY 28
1/21 30/17/24/-1/0.00/0.0/358/62              21 WNW RMY N/A
1/22 36/25/31/+6/T/T/…/..                   20 WNW RMY 20
1/23 36/18/27/+2/0.00/0.0/…/..              25 SSW RMY 26
1/24 32/27/30/+5/0.86/5.0/000/00              24 SSW RMY N/A
1/25 34/17/26/+1/0.00/0.0/…/..              31 W   RMY 33
1/26 26/9/18/-7/0.50/5.6/…/..               45 N   RMY N/A
1/27 17/10/14/-11/1.94/25.2/000/00            51 N   RMY 52
1/28 22/8/15/-10/T/T/…/..                   30 NW  RMY N/A
1/29 33/11/22/-3/0.00/0.0/…/..              18 NW  RMY N/A
1/30 32/15/24/-2/0.13/2.2/000/00              45 NW  RMY 49
1/31 21/7/15/-11/0.00/0.0/…/../             52 NW  RMY 57

2/1  28/8/18/-8/0.00/0.0/…/../              29 WNW RMY N/A
2/2  29/8/19/-7/1.53/16.5/000/00/             44 NE  RMY 46
2/3  21/0/11/-15/0.00/0.0/…/../             31 NW  RMY N/A
2/4  36/14/25/-1/0.00/0.0/…/../             31 S   RMY 33

2/5 morning low temp: 32F since midnight, normal low is now 17

DAILY RECORDS FOR JANUARY 2015

-NEW DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL FOR 27 JANUARY 2015
SNOWFALL 25.2 INS. IN 2015 [NEW RECORD FOR THE MONTH] DAILY RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 2015

-NEW DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL FOR 2 FEBRUARY 2015
SNOWFALL 16.5 INS. IN 2014
Previos record: 5.5 ins. in 1916, 1934

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

RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 5
HIGH 65F IN 1991
LOW -14F IN 1918
PRECIP 1.55 INS. IN 2001
SNOWFALL 16.0 INS. IN 1907
PEAK GUST 67 MPH WNW IN 1969

RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 6
HIGH 54F IN 1909
LOW -10F IN 1895
PRECIP 1.88 INS. IN 1896
SNOWFALL 13.0 INS. IN 1978 [BLIZZARD OF 1978] PEAK GUST 84e MPH NE IN 1978

TODAY’S REPORT PREPARED BY: Brian Fitzgerald