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Cape Ann Current: Keeping Cape Ann current

Free daily news for Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea

Harbor and Environment

Sunny and cool on Cape Ann this weekend, with showers possible Sunday night

Highs near 61 Saturday and 59 Sunday under mostly clear skies. A milder Monday follows, and afternoon high tides run close to 10 feet.

Good Harbor Beach at low tide with Salt Island offshore under a blue sky with thin high clouds
Sun and thin high clouds over Good Harbor Beach and Salt Island this week. File photo: Cape Ann Current
GloucesterRockportEssexManchester-by-the-Sea

Cape Ann Current Staff · Saturday, October 3How we work

Cape Ann gets a classic early October weekend: sunny, cool and mostly dry. The National Weather Service expects highs around 60 both days, with a chance of showers holding off until Sunday night.

The forecast

The National Weather Service in Norton expects the following in Gloucester:

  • Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 61 and a northeast wind of 6 to 9 mph.
  • Saturday night: Clear, with a low around 52.
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59 and an east wind around 8 mph.
  • Sunday night: A 40% chance of showers after 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
  • Monday: A 30% chance of showers before 8 a.m., then mostly sunny and milder, with a high near 66.
  • Tuesday: Sunny and cooler, with a high near 58 and a northwest wind of 9 to 14 mph. Lows Monday and Tuesday nights fall to around 46.

That makes for good weather at Saturday's dahlia sale on Stacy Boulevard and the rest of the weekend's outdoor events. See what's happening this weekend.

On the water

The marine forecast for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay calls for north winds of 5 to 10 knots Saturday, turning northeast in the afternoon, with seas around 2 feet. Sunday brings east winds of 5 to 10 knots and 2 foot seas, with a chance of showers Sunday night. Winds turn west Monday afternoon at 10 to 15 knots with gusts to 20, then northwest at 15 to 20 knots Monday night, with seas of 2 to 3 feet.

Tides

High tides in Gloucester Harbor, according to NOAA predictions:

  • Saturday: 4:51 a.m. (8.5 feet) and 5:09 p.m. (9.9 feet). Low tides at 10:48 a.m. and 11:40 p.m.
  • Sunday: 5:58 a.m. (8.3 feet) and 6:18 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tide at 11:55 a.m.
  • Monday: 7:08 a.m. (8.4 feet) and 7:29 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tides at 12:47 a.m. and 1:05 p.m.

Rockport's high tides come one to four minutes earlier than Gloucester Harbor's. In the Essex River, they come about four to 14 minutes later.

Still a mild drought

The state's most recent drought declaration, from Sept. 10, keeps the Northeast region, which includes Cape Ann, at Level 1, a mild drought. The state's drought task force meets next on Oct. 8. Rockport's ban on all outdoor water use remains the most recent notice from the town. Read the rules for each town. (Why Rockport banned outdoor watering as the drought eased.)

Sources

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