My Fear of Weather Became a Love of Meteorology

By Kaitlin Farrell

Hello! My name is Kaitlin Farrell. I am one of the fall summit interns here at Mount Washington Observatory. I recently graduated from the State University of New York at Oswego with my BS in Meteorology and a minor in Mathematics. I was born in Canadaigua, NY, but have lived in North Syracuse, NY, my whole life.

Hiking at Cathedral Ledge State Park on Sept. 11, 2026.

Growing up, I was terrified of tornadoes and such storms reaching New York State. Any gust of wind would send me running inside, even on a sunny, clear day. Eventually, with my mom’s help, that fear turned into a very strong passion. From then on, I knew that I wanted to study the weather. From hundreds of presentations on weather from elementary to high school, to presenting professionally on lake-effect lightning at the American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, and finally to facing my fear and going storm chasing, I grew to love meteorology.

During the summer of 2026, I was hired as a storm-chasing instructor. Here, my students and I watch the base of a supercell lowering in Belle Fourche, SD.

Snow is not something out of the ordinary. Being in Upstate NY and on the coast of Lake Ontario, lake-effect snow and gusty winds were pretty much a normal Tuesday. Some days, I walked to class in waist-high snow! I thought I had some sort of baseline with it, but coming up to Mount Washington? Oh man, was I wrong! The summit truly does deserve the title, “Home of the Worst Weather!”

I was initially exposed to the mountain’s force back in the summer of 2024, when my family and I first came to the observatory. We attended the 3 pm tour, and I instantly fell in love with the idea of working up here! I knew that after I graduated from college, this was the perfect internship for me! And the mountain expressed it to me as well! My very first week here, back in mid-August, we had clear, sunny weather, to the point where I could see out 80 miles!

Standing by the MWOBS instrument ring in August 2024.

I am currently on my third shift, and every day is a new experience! I forecast for both the entire states of Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as write forecast discussions for the higher summits of New Hampshire! When not forecasting, I also work on a research project where I use specific synoptic-scale patterns to forecast days out for when the next rime icing event will take place, in regard to public safety and aviation! I am also learning how to take hourly observations and precipitation measurements. I am extremely excited to continue working with the observatory here, and am looking forward to seeing what the summit has in store!

Sunrise from Mount Washington on Sept. 19, 2026.