First sign of fall

Twilight through Pines - UMass Amherst facing west, 2015
Photo by S. Vardatira

A line from this afternoon's Southern New England SKYWARN email (National Weather Service) definitely caught my attention: "A cold front will move through Southern New England overnight into early Monday Morning and will bring the first fall-like temperatures of the late summer for a couple of days to start the new work week."

And just like that the season begins to change. ‪#‎Winteriscoming‬

Amherst Institutes Mandatory Water Restrictions

MANDATORY WATER RESTRICTIONS AS OF MIDNIGHT.

Those of you who were alarmed by our 8/14 photo of Atkins Reservoir (namely the low water level) were not alone. The Reservoir is at 50%, and use spikes around the corner when the students return. In a move designed to be proactive, on Monday the Amherst Select Board voted to institute mandatory residential water restrictions starting at midnight tonight. The following activities will be prohibited: watering lawns, washing vehicles at non-commercial locations, washing building, sidewalks, and patios, and filling swimming pools. Residents are also encouraged to conserve water in other ways.

If only there were a way to distribute some of the 30" of rain that inundated Louisiana to other parts of the country that are dry and scorched.

Statement from the Town, as well as related resources follow below.

2016 Mandatory Water Restrictions

The Select Board, acting in its capacity as Water Commissioners, has authorized David Ziomek, Temporary Town Manager to implement Mandatory Water Restrictions for the Town of Amherst effective at 12:01 AM on Friday August 19th. Theses restrictions will stay in place until further notice. These restrictions are the result of a continued period of low precipitation and recent downgrade of the Connecticut River Region from drought advisory to drought watch status by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The Town of Amherst asks residents to comply with these restrictions to help address the impacts of drought conditions. This is an urgent situation- water conservation steps taken now will preserve water supplies in coming months should drought conditions continue. The Town has been working closely in partnership with the major institutional users in the community- the University of Massachusetts, Amherst College, and Hampshire College- to reduce overall water consumption. The community is very grateful for this collaborative effort as we enter a new academic year and as our population increases. Temporary Town Manager David Ziomek emphasized, "I'm asking all residents to work together to help the community thorough this difficult period. We all need to do as much as we can to conserver water now, so we have adequate supplies in September and October."

Mandatory water restrictions apply to all residential customers of the Amherst public water system and include the following prohibitions:

1. Watering lawns by any method.

2. Washing cars or trucks at non-commercial vehicle washes.
3. Washing of buildings, sidewalks or patios.
4. Filling of swimming pools.

The following water uses are allowed under these mandatory restrictions:

1. For the production of food and fiber for personal use or commercial sale.
2. For the maintenance of livestock.
3. To meet the core functions of a business (for example, irrigation by plant nurseries as
necessary to maintain stock).
4. For health and safety reasons.

The Town is also asking residents to conserve water in a variety of ways, including taking
briefer showers, avoiding letting the tap run while brushing teeth or washing dishes, and 
other simple behavioral changes.

Resources

• Please follow these tips to save water
• Commonwealth of MA's guidance on municipal water restrictions
• Commonwealth of MA's drought declaration, July 6, 2016
• Amherst 2016 Water Usage Compared to 10-Year Average
• Amherst 2016 Rainfall Summary Compared to 10-Year Average

Witchy wonderful moon

It's cooler out there than it's been, but still short sleeve warm, with a witchy wonderful moon above. Lunar corona (rainbow halo around the moon) caused by tiny ice crystals in the drifting high, thin cirrus clouds. The August full moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon, as well as the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon. But go ahead and make up your own name - dare to be different!

Full "Strugeon" Moon with corona through clouds, Amherst MA - 8/17/2016
Photo by S. Vardatira

Lightning over Lake Wyola

Incredible photo of lightning over Lake Wyola last night - taken by friend of Head in the Clouds Amherst, Susan Adams Panlilio. Thanks so much for sharing, Susan!

Lightning over Lake Wyola, Shutesbury MA - 8/13/2016
Photo by Susan Adams Panlilio

Seeking Photos for the 2017 Head in the Clouds Amherst Calendar!

Your photo could be featured (kind of like this) in our upcoming 2017 calendar!

CALLING ALL AMHERST-AREA (and AMHERST VISITING) PHOTOGRAPHERS:

Head in the Clouds Amherst is seeking photo submissions for our 2017 calendar. Back by popular demand, this year's calendar will once again feature monthly photos taken by 12 different photographers. You can see last year’s calendar, here. 

The deadline to submit is September 1, 2016. Submissions can be emailed or uploaded via Google Drive to CloudsAmherst@gmail.com. Please enter "HITC 2017 Calendar Photo Submissions" in the subject line.

Along with your photo(s), please include: a caption or title; who is in the photo (unless it's a crowd scene or taken from a distance), where it was taken, the photographer's name, and your contact information.

All submissions must have been taken in Amherst or feature a scenic view of Amherst. And photos must also depict scenes that evoke the seasons and the intersection of life and weather. In addition to those qualities, if your photo also captures one or more of these themes it will get special consideration:

• Amherst landmarks (popular gathering sites, university/colleges, museums, etc.)
• Amherst annual events and happenings 
• Clouds formations and weather phenomena (over or around Amherst)

Click on this link for additional tips on submitting winning Head in the Clouds Amherst photos. And keep in mind that we will not consider photos that are low resolution, low quality, or that contain inappropriate material. 

We welcome photos by professionals and amateurs, in color or black and white. And we’re also counting on friends of Head in the Clouds re-submitting photos you’ve already sent to us over the year. You can submit as many photos as you like.

If your photo is selected for the 2017 calendar, you will receive a free calendar and reduced rates on any additional calendars you opt to purchase. 

So what are you waiting for??? Start flipping through your photo collection – or grab your camera and make some new memories. We can’t wait to see what you’ve got!