Friday, August 15: Hot and sunny beach day. Clouds increase in the afternoon. Thunderstorms pass to the north and south of the Island in the afternoon. Sun shines occasionally through high altitude clouds. Sunset is muted. A severe, noisy thunderstorm arrives before midnight. Rain is heavy.

Saturday, August 16: Skies clear overnight. Vineyarders awaken to sunshine and a dripping wet landscape. After a night of rain, the birdbath is full of water and beach towels hang wet on the line. Roadways are wet. The air is dry and sunny. Skies overhead are hazy, clear. Seals swim off Skiff’s Island. A large line of thunderclouds pass north of the Vineyard along Cape Cod. Pretty sunset. Boaters at Tarpaulin Cove watch a large full moon rising over Makonikey.

Sunday, August 17: Sunny, calm morning. A light breeze in Edgartown harbor picks up midmorning. Deep blue skies overhead. Sailboats speed out of the Edgartown Harbor. Hundreds of art enthusiasts arrive at the Chicken Alley thrift shop for an art show. A tent offers relief from the harsh sunlight. Nearby, tomatoes ripen on the vine.

Monday, August 18: Mostly sunny. Clouds hang low over the southwestern sky. Bustling traffic greets the ferry at the Vineyard Haven slip. A sunken bay scallop skiff sits half underwater at West Basin in Vineyard Haven. Gulls drift along nearby. An osprey flies circles over Hines Point. A mostly sunny afternoon. Traffic jam in Vineyard Haven.

Tuesday, August 19: Threatening clouds hang over the eastern sky early in the morning as a storm passes out to sea. Visitors pickup their papers at Alley’s General Store. Grass is tall in a West Tisbury farmer’s field. Bittersweet hanging from a tall tree is lifted by a warm morning breeze. White-hulled boats glow in the afternoon sun as viewed from Owen Park.

Wednesday, August 20: Sunny. Deep blue skies overhead. Light breeze. Brass band music of John Philip Sousa can be heard on the Camp Ground. Illumination Night in Oak Bluffs is tonight. Lanterns stand still in the cool night. Light breeze. Quiet on the Edgartown waterfront.

Thursday, August 21: The morning is still. Lagoon Pond is a mirror of the sky overhead. A perfect day for the fair, light north wind. The air is dry. Temperature starts out in the 70s.

M.A.L.