A Cool Summer Day

2006-07-19 07:10:33.000 – Tim Markle,  Chief Observer

This is more like it! It was such a refreshing feeling to go outside this morning and feel the chill of the air, and the chillier bite of the 15 mph breeze. Heck, it was even nice to go outside and see more than 6 miles! Yes, the hazy, hot, and humid conditions have been replaced by a dome of cooler and drier air from Canada, and the differences in the airmass are wonderful. This is by far the best summer morning I have seen this year.

The clear and dry conditions will also allow the summit to dry out quickly from the heavy rains of yesterday’s thunderstorms. The thunderstorms were not severe by Mount Washington standards, but the summit did see 0.72″ of rain in 45 minutes, combined with wind gusts to 60 mph and pea-sized hail. There were no direct lightning strikes from the first line of storms, but the second line brought 3 direct strikes, one by the parking lots and two onto the WPKQ radio tower. Fortunately, with all of the visitors to the summit yesterday, the severity of the storms waned before passing over.

All eyes are now focused off the North Carolina/Virginia coastline as Tropical Storm Beryl has formed and begun its trek northward. This storm is a weak tropical storm, and is not forecasted to strengthen much over the 2 days. At this point, it appears that the expected cold front on Friday may pull some moisture up into New England, but the brunt of the storm will be pushed out to sea. This is good news for this Saturaday’s Seek the Peak, as conditions right now look to be sunny with summit temperatures around 50 degrees.

There is still time to register for this event. It is a great way to not only get outside and enjoy the beauty of New England’s highest, but to support the Mount Washington Observatory.

Tim Markle,  Chief Observer