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2006-03-25 13:35:39.000 – Tim Markle,  Chief Observer

Bowing Rime

A promising post-sunrise break in the fog turned out to be a major letdown. Around 8am this morning the fog, which has hung tough over the summit for the past two days, vanished, revealing a gray on gray world with clouds below and above the summit. An hour later the layer of altostratus clouds, around 5,000 feet above the summit, drifted west, leaving blue sky and a few wisps of high cirrus clouds in its wake. The sun was out, although filtered by the high clouds, warming the summit to a balmy 20 degrees. With winds around 5 mph, you can see how this was beginning to show signs of being a sunny and warm Saturday.

Skip to another hour later. The layer of low clouds began to rise up, and before long the summit was back in the soup. The fog was thin, but it was there. Every so often the peak of the northern Presidentials would appear. However, just as quickly as they appeared, they were hidden by another wall of fog advancing on the summit.

The fog looks like it will be a fixture on the summit for another 24 hours or so. Maybe, if we are lucky, the fog will dissipate again this evening and the crew will be treated to a colorful sunset! It may be asking a bit too much, but considering how consistently the fog as enshrouded the summit in the past week or so I think we deserve it!

The picture may not be the most exciting one posted in a while, but it is another testament to the changing of the seasons and the heat now being retained by the building. The rime ice which has built up around the outer window frames is beginning to bow outward. Even with temperatures in the upper teens and a lack of sunshine, the rime is starting to fall off the buildings and objects peppered around the summit.

Tim Markle,  Chief Observer