Nature & Science
With much of the nation suffering from drought or drought-like conditions — it’s the hottest year on record so far, according to the National Weather Service — the Vineyard is going through its own oppressively hot and dry season. But this still may be one of the most comfortable places to be on the East Coast this summer.
Rainfall, which was above normal last year, has slipped well below normal so far this year.
Temperatures are unseasonably hot, though the highs abated yesterday.
Atlantic bonito are here.
A thin crescent moon will appear low in the southwestern sky tomorrow night. More Vineyarders will see the moon on Sunday night, when it is higher in the west.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
July 13 83 64 .00
July 14 84 66 Trace
July 15 88 69 .00
July 16 88 71 .28
July 17 88 70 .00
July 18 91 73 Trace
July 19 91 69 .01
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 78º F.
Friday, July 13: Bright sunny. Hot. The brown grass on a lawn in downtown Oak Bluffs crunches underfoot. Surrounded by big and little boats, the ferry Island Queen arrives in the late afternoon and slips in and out of a bustling harbor, Sunset silhouettes masts, flag poles and the steeple atop the Tabernacle.
The four pairs of black skimmers on Norton Point are causing great excitement. Two families have four chicks, one family has three chicks and a fourth is on eggs. That brings the total to 11 black skimmer chicks. This is dynamite as the Vineyard has never produced a single black skimmer in the past! Questions about skimmer nesting behavior have been pouring in, so here goes.
Almanac
A comprehensive guide to weather and tides on the Island.
Vineyard Gardener
I guess this past week weather-wise is called a January thaw. We did not really experience it the last several years as December was unseasonably warm.
Farm & Field
Beige and brown and tan and black, with horns spiraled or semicircular or in undulating waves, a legion of goats marched up the hill toward us, bleating in anticipation of fresh grass and leaves.