A Taste of All Seasons

2019-09-24 10:07:54.000 – Laura Kee, Summit Intern

Hello everyone, my name is Laura and I’m the new fall intern up here on the summit! I am very excited to be able to live and work at the Home of the World’s Worst Weather, which has been a dream of mine for quite some time. Earlier this year, I graduated from Cornell with a degree in Atmospheric Science and a minor in Climate Change. I grew up outside of Boston which has helped fuel my love of all things meteorological, given the wide range of weather New England often receives.

The timing of my first week up here coincided nicely with an unusual stretch of sunny skies, calm winds and mild temperatures (in the upper 50s!). The clear conditions provided a great way to familiarize myself with the surrounding landmarks that are visible from the summit. On my second day here, I was amazed to be able to see the ocean from the summit, which is about 70 miles away! I found that it’s often easier to see it in the morning due to the sunlight reflecting off of the thin strip of water near the horizon. Valley fog is often visible after sunrise from the summit, and when it’s clear up here, the picturesque view makes it seem as though the surrounding mountain peaks are jutting out from a sea of clouds.

 

I have already been learning a lot during my first few days on the summit about the daily Observatory operations. In addition, I started working at the summit museum and it’s been great to get to interact with visitors who come to Mount Washington from all over the world. Diving right into forecasting has been really awesome, and it’s wonderful to be able to learn from the observers who have a lot of experience with mountain meteorology.

The views from the summit have been incredible and between daily tasks, I often find myself venturing outside to soak up the (somewhat rare) sunny and mild days up here because I know it will get much colder before too long. On Monday morning, I was very excited to be outside in sustained 65 mph winds for the first time! It was amazing to watch the clouds race by as they surrounded the summit. Every so often, the conditions would clear just enough for me to see the remnants of sunrise and patches of blue sky before getting completely enveloped in fog again.

I’ve heard that the fall is an awesome time to be up here because you truly get to experience the whole range in weather as the seasons change, and I’m looking forward to this new adventure up here on the summit of Mt. Washington!

Laura Kee, Summit Intern