About 9 inches of snow fell in parts of the Island yesterday, matching the National Weather Service's prediction of 4 and 9 inches of snow, before tapering off in the evening.

The National Weather Service Monday issued a winter storm warning for the Island and much of eastern Massachusetts, prompting the Vineyard public schools and the charter school to cancel classes Tuesday. 

The state Department of Environmental Protection Monday granted Edgartown emergency authorization to dredge Katama Bay, clearing the way for a project intended to help restore the storm-battered South Beach.

Climatologists say the prevalence of strong southerly storms that have battered the Vineyard’s south shore this winter are due, in part, to the first El Niño winter in five years.

Declaring a state of emergency expedites the permitting process to dredge and restore sand in the area and opens the town to additional sources of funding and reimbursement from the Massachusetts emergency management agency (MEMA).

After drying out from a storm earlier this week, another gale hit the Island Saturday, canceling ferries and causing continued flooding. 

A strong storm with winds of 50 miles per hour hit the Vineyard Tuesday night, causing erosion, destructive washovers and scattered power outages throughout the Island. 

Although initial cleanup efforts of the Dec. 18 storm have been completed, towns still face hard decisions as erosion continues to eat away at the edges of the Island.

A short deep freeze hit the Island Saturday, part of the arctic blast that caused freezing temperatures across the northeast.

The weekend's cold has caused mechanical problems in three ferries.