Weather Basics is the topic of Sail MV's next Zoom talk, March 10, with Brian Whitely of Weather Routing Inc.
Tides will run higher and lower than normal this weekend and well into next week and it is tied mostly to two astronomical events. The moon is full on Monday, and it will be especially close, in perigee, on Sunday.
The gravitational pull of both the moon and sun create our tides. When the moon is particularly close, tidal pull is more extreme so tides run higher and lower than normal.
We had the same thing happen only a month ago, but slightly more extreme. Last month full moon and perigee were on the same day.
Friday, July 12: Gray and muggy morning. Temperature rises to the 70s. Threat of rain but none arrives. Little sailboats decorate the waters near the Edgartown Lighthouse. A fleet of sailing dinghies zigzag in the outer Edgartown Harbor, passing around bright floating orange buoys. Farland Square in Oak Bluffs is bustling with pedestrian traffic in the late afternoon.
Friday, July 5:
Hot and sunny. Strong southwest wind. Large and small sailboats handle the winds by reefing their sails. Competitive sailing in the outer waters of Edgartown Harbor. Spinnakers come out in afternoon. Pretty evening. Starry night.
A thin crescent moon next to the bright planet Venus will appear above the horizon right after sunset on Wednesday. If the weather is fair, one of the best spots on the Vineyard will likely be Menemsha after the sunset.
Menemsha is the ideal spot to watch as it offers an unencumbered view of the western horizon. There are other places around the Vineyard, such as West Chop, Cape Pogue lighthouse and even the Gay Head light.
Friday, June 28: Heavy shower in the morning. Dark skies. Foggy. Low altitude clouds overhead. A damp afternoon. Light rain on Main street in Vineyard Haven doesn’t stop shoppers from filling the sidewalks and coming out of the stores. Stores are busy. Ferryboat horn. Skies lighten in the late afternoon.
While many people out on the Fourth of July will be waiting for the first rocket and loud boom that makes up the fireworks display, it might also be a time to look to the west for a brilliant planet, Venus, the brightest planet in our west northwest evening sky.
Venus will be hugging close to the western sky right after sunset, at about the same place as the sun has set. The planet is tough to spot for many. If the sky is clear, those with a view of the western sky will see it.
