Weather Basics is the topic of Sail MV's next Zoom talk, March 10, with Brian Whitely of Weather Routing Inc.
A major winter storm carrying high winds, snow and icy temperatures was expected to peak overnight, leaving between 6 and 12 inches of snow in its wake, according to the National Weather Service. Schools and government offices were ordered closed Friday in anticipation of hazardous driving conditions.
A strong winter storm is expected to begin on Thursday morning, with heavy snow and frigid temperatures. Island schools will have early dismissals on Thursday; regional high school lets out at 11 a.m., grammar schools at noon and the charter school at 12:30 p.m.
The year in weather saw average temperatures and rainfall, but heavy snowfall.
The Vineyard received a total of 36 inches of snow this year, almost a foot above average. A huge blizzard impacted most of the northeast corridor back in February. Boston received 25 inches of drifting snow, but only five inches fell in Edgartown. This remains the worst storm of the year, and on the mainland it approached the worst blizzard of the decade.
Like September, October was a dry month. Total rainfall for October was .70 inches, more than twice the rainfall of September (.31 inches), but still significantly less than what the Vineyard usually gets. Normal average rainfall for October is 3.39 inches.
It is incredibly dry. How dry? Last month was the driest September on the Vineyard in 67 years of record keeping.
Foliage is turning brown. Lawns are amber and leaves and grass crunch underfoot. Fire has become a concern.
Yesterday, while responding to a mid-day small brush fire in the woods near Sweetened Water Farm in Edgartown, fire chief Peter Shemeth called for mutual aid from West Tisbury.
“It is awfully dry and there is nothing you can do about it,” confirmed West Tisbury fire chief Manuel Estrella.
Friday, August 23: Overcast in the morning. Bicyclists speed along the bike path at the State Beach, while the first beachgoers arrive. Partly sunny. Breezy.
