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2009-10-06 08:19:28.000 – Mary Ellen Dunn,  Summit Intern

First Snowfall of the Season.

Why meteorology? I get asked that question a lot. Some people are curious, why chose to study meteorology in college? Well, for me personally, weather is such an exciting, rapidly changing science. I have always loved a good thunderstorm, the first snowfall, a beautiful sunrise, and of course, Twister but, it was in my high school Earth Science class when I first considered the idea of becoming a Meteorologist. My teacher was so enthusiastic about the weather in her teaching that I instantly became hooked. A few years later I went to SUNY Oneonta in NY for meteorology. Learning a lot, my passion for the science only increased! Late night group studying, calculus finals, and hours of drawing isobars are all over now. I have since graduated but, I have been lucky enough to continue my learning experience through this internship. Being an intern at the Observatory is such a great experience and I am very thankful for this opportunity. Weather is always changing on the summit of Mount Washington and I love it! One second it will be beautifully clear then the next a cold front approaches putting the summit back into the fog, wind blowing strong, temperatures dropping below freezing, and it precipitating every type of freezing precipitation you can think of.

My fourth week as summit intern is coming to an end and I still can’t believe I am here. As the seasons are quickly changing here on the summit, I am still eager to learn and to experience all the extreme this mountain has to offer!

Mary Ellen Dunn,  Summit Intern