Un-bad weather

2010-11-14 23:37:38.000 – Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist

It’s a pretty well known fact that Mount Washington is famous for how bad the weather can be. Typically that’s what we end up talking about a lot in the Observer Comments and to be honest, that’s why this organization exists. However, occasionally the highlights come from how remarkably un-bad the weather is (yes, I know that’s not a real word).

Since I’m a ‘numbers guy’, let’s look at some stats for the weather since my shift’s arrival last Wednesday morning.

Fog cleared off the mountain at 3:35 a.m. on Wednesday, so when we arrived visibility was quite good. Between that arrival and Sunday afternoon, we did not see a single bit of fog. That’s nearly five, full, fog-free days! We saw visibility stretch to our maximum of 130 miles for better part of three of those days and skies were completely or nearly clear from Wednesday night to Sunday morning. All the while, temperatures have warmed into the 40’s at times, and winds have been completely calm at times as well.

Of course, this is not how it’s supposed to be in the middle of November. Average daily temperatures this time of year run in the low 20’s, and by the end of an average November, we should see just over 40 inches of snow.

There’s still time for a recovery during the latter half of the month, and as I mentioned in my comment last week, that change looks to be coming by the end of this week. As much as I do enjoy the sunny skies, great visibility, and being able to go outside in just a fleece, that change cannot come soon enough for this winter lover!

Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist