It is not uncommon for July to be the hottest, most humid month of the year in New England and 2023 was no exception. According to the weather station at my house, as of the day this image was taken, at my home in New Hampshire we had received nearly thirty inches of rainfall since January 1st. A good percentage of that rain fell during the months of June and July with (depending on the location) anywhere from three to seven inches of rain falling on the weekend of July 15. Several roads were washed out including some major truck routes where landslides made passage impossible.

Said rains caused a delay in our departure for the Atlantic coast for a few days. But we finally made it down to Salisbury Beach State Reservation located where the Merrimack River empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Constant 99% humidity throughout our stay created dense fog banks offshore that, when mixed with the atmospheric smoke from Canadian wildfires prevented viewing the sun as it rose over the horizon shortly after 5 am each day. What we did experience each morning, was a blazing orange sun rising from the fog and smoke some twenty minutes after sunrise, casting an orange glow on the shoreline before clearing the atmospheric haze.

This image was taken from the northern shore of the Merrimack River looking east over the jetty toward the Atlantic Ocean at low tide. I was pleased to have a seagull cooperate and fly through at just the right moment.