Changes

2007-08-23 23:56:40.000 – Zach Allen,  Meteorologist

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Hard for me to believe that a couple weeks ago I found myself in central Florida. It is quite the change from the comforts of this mountaintop to the land of gators and citrus. The immediate item I noticed was of course the weather as I walked out of the Orlando airport. Temperatures were in the mid 90s each day setting up for heat indices well into the 100s. Also my journey didn’t entail any strong thunderstorms which I was really looking forward too. The people there are used to the stifling hot weather (many of them were wearing pants). I kept thinking to myself how much cooler it was back at the office as I strived to keep hydrated. Rarely do I travel to the southern United States but now I remember why.

My return to Mount Washington was more then welcome. As the Floridians have adapted to their climate, I have adapted to mine. There is northing better then a late summer’s day with breezy winds, cool temperatures and the occasional fog. Going out every hour to do observations in shorts, hiking shoes, and of course a L.L. Bean jacket is something that doesn’t faze me at all. Yes, I consider temperatures in the 50s shorts weather.

Recently the staff on the summit has been getting prepared for autumn. Some of our fall interns have just begun their stint at the Observatory such as Linnea Koons. In the valleys there is a small hint of the changing of the leaves and the days are getting rapidly shorter. This has really struck me lately how fast things will change within a few more weeks. Autumn is truly a beautiful prelude to winter.

Zach Allen,  Meteorologist