The Things We Do For Summer

2016-04-23 13:09:19.000 – Mike Carmon, Meteorologist

Today is April 23rd, meaning the calendar is inching ever closer to those months we call the summer season.

This also means our snowpack is dwindling, and doing so in quite an expedient manner now. The sun rises higher into the sky now that the summer solstice is approaching, which means we’re receiving more direct solar radiation. This is the result of the angle of the sun’s rays with Earth’s atmosphere in the northern hemisphere; these rays must travel through less of the atmosphere, leaving them with more intensity as they reach the Earth’s surface. This speeds up the process of snow-melt, in addition to the fact that the days are growing longer, meaning there is increasingly more sunshine received with each passing day.

Although fans of the winter season are now gearing up for dormancy, summer brings with it plenty of excitement on the summit of Mount Washington. With the imminent opening of the Cog Railway and Mount Washington Auto Road, it won’t be long before visitors from all over the world begin to ascend the summit of Mount Washington. The Sherman Adams State Park summit building will open to the public, meaning the generally-quiet rotunda area will be full to the brim with people. The hustle and bustle of summer is quite different from the quieter winter days, but before long we’ll be turning the calendar to October and discussing our wintertime preparations.

Mike Carmon, Meteorologist