It’s raining here as we speak and periodic wind gusts are reaching 19 miles per hour, according to closest of the three weather stations that we monitor. Weather reports are a significant part of the lives of small coastal town people, like traffic reports and subway delay alerts for people in large cities.
Nonetheless, we do have unreported and unpredictable squalls – very localized darkenings bringing wind, rain, snow, and/or sleet to a small area for a short time, often while calmer weather is just yards away. We got caught in one Friday afternoon (October 4).
Ancient apple trees became silhouetted in skies that were half storm and half sunshine; Great Cove turned almost black with fleeting patches of gray, while the sea’s horizon remained sunny and blue. After a little rain, our sunny afternoon returned in about 10 minutes as if nothing had happened.
(Brooklin, Maine)