A Touch of Winter

2015-10-11 17:22:19.000 – Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist

Mount Washington received its first snowfall of the season on Saturday! The summit was coated in half an inch of the white stuff overnight. Combined with a beautiful backdrop of changing leaves in the valley, the summit has been very photogenic recently. While this is exciting for us on the summit, we can and have seen snow in every month of the year. Our average October snowfall is 17.6 inches, so we have a ways to go!

Rime Ice and Snow on the Summit!

We’re seeing more evidence of winter’s onset in the form of strong winds. We peaked at 99 miles per hour Friday night. The summit receives stronger winds in the wintertime thanks to a tighter temperature gradient, and in turn, a tighter pressure gradient. We see hurricane force winds every other day and 100 mile per hour wind gusts about every 4 days here on the summit in the winter, so I’m looking forward to more exciting weather!

A Lenticular Cloud Forming over the Carter-Moriah Range. These clouds formed due to strong winds today.

As we head deeper into winter, be careful when heading into the higher summits! Hikers often underestimate the weather when they feel the tee-shirt weather in the valley. Be sure to check out our Higher Summits 48 Hour Forecast, updated at 6 PM and 6 AM every day before heading above tree line.

Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist