Gray days of summer give way to a rosy forecast
T his summer began with an interminable funk. A rain-soaked, spirit-sapping blah, with the sun blotted out by more overcast skies than any month of June since 1903.
Now, as school restarts and psyches prepare for football and falling leaves, the weather may be coming full circle. The long-term forecast boasts something not yet seen this summer: up to eight straight days with more sunshine than clouds.
“A darn good stretch to end the summer,’’ said Alan Dunham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton. “This is going to be a perfect weekend for a last go-round at the beach.’’
The gloom that began in June gradually dissipated as the summer wore on, according to data from the Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center in Milton. Despite a rainy start, July saw slightly more sun than clouds. The trend continued in August, which was 10 percent sunnier than average and included a steamy, nearly seven-day stretch without clouds in the middle of the month.
But the best seems to have been saved for September. The sunshine began Monday and could last well into next week.
“The only possible fly in the ointment,’’ Dunham said. “And this is a real teeny, tiny chance. Friday there might be a chance of a sprinkle.’’
