Weather Basics is the topic of Sail MV's next Zoom talk, March 10, with Brian Whitely of Weather Routing Inc.
Weather
2002
August 15, 2002
A month ago, Island farmers were complaining that it was dry. Now,
halfway through August, it is even drier - so much so that
Vineyarders are looking for new superlatives to describe the arid
conditions.
The Cape and Islands led the state in rainfall earlier in the year.
But on Wednesday, the state announced that because of lack of rainfall
the region had moved from a drought advisory to a drought watch.
June 20, 2002
There is no drought on Martha's Vineyard. While dry conditions
may continue in other parts of the Northeast, the Vineyard has had
healthy rainfall thus far this year.
But despite spring rains, Vineyard ground water levels are at or
near their 25-year low. This has raised concerns that homes in outlying
areas, those with wells near the coast, may be vulnerable to saltwater
intrusion.
1898
December 1, 1898
Saturday night and most of Sunday the fiercest storm in many years prevailed over the northern and eastern part of the country.
The damage by the storm will aggregate several millions of dollars along the entire New England coast, not to mention the loss inland. Sea-faring men declare that not in the last half century has there been a gale so severe to shipping interests as this.
1896
August 22, 1896
On Wednesday, the 19th about 1 o'clock p.m., there appeared over the waters of the sound, a wonderful phenomenon, such as only occurs but once in a life time, indeed, one may cross the ocean many times and not witness anything to compare with this. We refer to three water spouts, the second and grandest of which, we shall try to describe.
1878
October 18, 1878
A storm, the like of which in this vicinity the oldest inhabitant fails to remember, visited the Island last Saturday afternoon, and raged with steadily increasing fury till far into the night. On the morning of Sunday the appearance of the town was as if a light tornado had passed over it. Large trees were uprooted, chimneys “razeed,” fences down everywhere, windows in some instances forced in, a few old buildings utterly demolished, and the streets strewn with green leaves and branches wrenched from the unyielding trees.
1869
September 17, 1869
Wednesday, September 8th, will ever be memorable from the fact of the furious gale of wind which raged in this section of the country. In fact, the newspapers all agree that it was the most fearful “blow-out” old Boreas has had since the historic September gale of 1815; and they all with one accord, express the hope that our land may never again be visited with such another powerful manifestation of strength and fury of the elements.
