Vineyard Haven Webcam – Five Corners on Martha’s Vineyard

The Vineyard Haven Webcam looks down on Five Corners, the junction two blocks from the ferry terminal where five streets meet in Vineyard Haven, the harbor village of Martha’s Vineyard. A two-story blue clapboard building with a half-round window in its gable stands in the middle of the frame, a white shop with a Bike Rentals sign holds the right-hand corner, and on the left a street lined with parked cars runs down toward the harbor, where a strip of water and the tall masts of moored boats show between the rooftops. Go Martha’s Vineyard runs it as a traffic camera, and traffic is what it shows best: cars, pickups, vans and school buses working through the crosswalks, with people on foot crossing between them. Overhead power lines crisscross the top of the picture.

About Vineyard Haven

Vineyard Haven is the main village of Tisbury, the town on the north shore of Martha’s Vineyard. Tisbury was settled in 1660 and incorporated on July 8, 1671, and its harbor was first known as Holmes Hole before the name changed to Vineyard Haven. The town counted 4,815 residents in the 2020 census. Of its 49.5 square kilometers (19.1 square miles), only 16.9 square kilometers (6.5 square miles) are land. Martha’s Vineyard itself covers about 250 square kilometers (96 square miles), the third-largest island on the East Coast after Long Island and Mount Desert Island.

Tisbury is the island’s primary port of entry for people and cargo, with Oak Bluffs as a seasonal second port. The Steamship Authority sails here from Woods Hole all year and runs the only ferry that carries vehicles to and from the island. Water Street, one of the five streets at the junction, leads to its terminal; the others are Beach Street, Beach Street Extension, Beach Road and Lagoon Pond Road. MassDOT’s Beach Road study counted 82 crashes in the area between 2018 and 2022 and named Water Street northbound toward the ferry terminal as one of three crash clusters downtown.

Five Corners sits on low ground, about 0.8 meters (2.5 feet) above sea level, and it floods regularly. Beach Road is also the route ambulances take to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and part of the island’s evacuation route. The state study, presented in 2025, recommends raising the whole intersection and possibly rebuilding it as a roundabout.

Weather and Climate in Vineyard Haven

The island’s climate normals come from the weather station at Edgartown, on its eastern side. January averages a high of about 4.5°C (40°F) and a low near -4°C (26°F), and an average year brings around 64 centimeters (25 inches) of snow, enough for the odd morning of plowed curbs and slush at the crosswalks. April warms to highs around 13°C (55°F) with lows near 4°C (40°F). In early November the sun sets at about 4:30 pm local time, so winter evenings at the junction play out under the street lights.

July brings highs near 27°C (80°F) and lows around 18°C (64°F). October stays mild, with highs around 18°C (64°F) and lows near 9°C (48°F), and in late autumn the trees around the junction turn orange and red before they drop their leaves. The island gets about 1,200 millimeters (47 inches) of precipitation a year. Heavy rain and nor’easters are when Five Corners is most likely to show standing water, since the junction can flood even in minor storms.

Things to Do Near Vineyard Haven

The Black Dog Tavern stands on the harbor beach at 20 Beach Street Extension, a short walk down one of the five streets that meet at the junction. Captain Robert Douglas opened it in 1971, after sailing his schooner Shenandoah into the harbor and finding no full-service restaurant open. On Lagoon Pond Road, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum is at number 151, about a 6-minute walk from Five Corners and 10 minutes on foot from the Steamship Authority terminal, so it fits into a wait for the boat.

West Chop, the northernmost point on the Vineyard, is tipped by the West Chop Light, and Lake Tashmoo lies just south of the tip, both within Tisbury. Beach Road leaves Five Corners for Oak Bluffs, and from there the island’s roads continue to Edgartown’s harbor and, at the far western end, the cliffs and lighthouse at Aquinnah.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Three more views of Martha’s Vineyard, from a downtown street to the island’s western end.

• Oak Bluffs Webcam
• Edgartown Webcam
• Gay Head Lighthouse Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Vineyard Haven located?

Vineyard Haven is the main village of Tisbury, on the north shore of Martha’s Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts. Tisbury’s western shore is 5.3 kilometers (3.3 miles) across Vineyard Sound from Nobska Point at Woods Hole on Cape Cod, and the Steamship Authority ferry from Woods Hole docks here all year.

What can you see on the Vineyard Haven Webcam?

From above street level, the camera looks across Five Corners: the road and its crosswalks in the foreground, a blue two-story building in the middle, a bike rental shop on the right-hand corner and village rooftops behind. Down the street on the left, a strip of Vineyard Haven Harbor and the masts of moored boats show between the buildings. Cars, trucks, school buses and pedestrians cross the junction through the day.

Does the Vineyard Haven Webcam show the ferry or the harbor?

Not really. This is Go Martha’s Vineyard’s traffic camera for Five Corners, two blocks from the Steamship Authority terminal. The harbor appears only as a strip of water and a few masts down the street on the left, and the ferries are out of the picture. The operator streams its ferry dock and ocean views from separate cameras.

Why does Five Corners in Vineyard Haven flood?

The junction sits in a shallow, funnel-shaped low spot about 0.8 meters (2.5 feet) above sea level, and the storm drain under Beach Street Extension is often blocked by debris or the incoming tide. Water can pool across it after as little as 13 millimeters (half an inch) of rain. Projections cited in the state’s Beach Road study suggest Five Corners could flood almost daily by 2050.

What is the weather like in Vineyard Haven?

Vineyard Haven has cold winters and warm summers. At the island’s Edgartown station, January averages about 4.5°C (40°F) by day and -4°C (26°F) at night, and July about 27°C (80°F) and 18°C (64°F). Around 64 centimeters (25 inches) of snow falls in an average year. The live picture shows whether the roads at Five Corners are dry, wet or under water right now.

Can you see Five Corners on camera at night?

Yes. The camera keeps streaming after dark, and street lights and the lit ground floor of the blue building pick out the crosswalks and corners, while the harbor beyond fades to black.

How do you get from Vineyard Haven to Oak Bluffs?

Beach Road, one of the five streets that meet at Five Corners, links Vineyard Haven with Oak Bluffs, the island’s seasonal second ferry port. The state’s Beach Road study proposes a two-way shared-use path along the south side of Beach Street and Beach Road between the two towns.

Source: Go Martha’s Vineyard