When they say ain’t no mountain high enough, I’m not sure if they’ve been here and seen what weather the prominence of Mount Washington can help produce. Though to be fair, I haven’t experienced the extremes yet either and am not entirely sure what this mountain is capable of. And if I’m being honest, that’s probably why I love it.

 

Hey, my name is Anna Smith and I’m one of the new summer interns here at the Mount Washington Observatory. Born in Jersey, raised partially in Maine, and taking Atmospheric and Oceanic Science courses at Stony Brook University on Long Island, I’m mostly familiar with the weather in the Northeast. I say mostly because I’ve never experienced anything quite like this. I’ve also had limited Great Lakes experience but that’s beside the point. So far, I’ve only experienced “mild” gusts (50 mph?) but was still amazed by the sheer force hitting my side. Though always interested in weather, knowing Mount Washington was out there accelerated that interest immensely and actually drove me to pursue a career related to atmospheric science – one picture of rime ice and a few fast facts was all it took. To say the least, I’m wicked (yes, wicked) excited to finally get a taste for the weather and climate here myself.

 

These mountains have a lot to offer outside the weather, and I plan to take advantage of all the hiking, exploring, and photographing opportunities I can. Hiking is one of my favorite pastimes as I feel at home in the mountains, and I hope to complete all of New Hampshire’s 4,000 footers before I turn 30. I also love a good book, and maybe I’ll finally finish Lord of the Rings this summer when I’m not working on bettering my forecasts, grabbing the precipitation can, or working on my research project.

 

Speaking of my project, my partner John and I are currently checking out the new pitot tube and determining whether it is ready to start taking the observatory’s wind and pressure measurements. It’s amazing to see and work with the instruments that gave me my datasets for a research project I worked on last summer. Many of them are unique and designed specifically for the Observatory, and to see them hold up against these conditions… almost like they’re telling you that if they can, you better be able to as well!

 

It’s good to be back in the mountains, great to be with amazing people while I’m here, and man, there’s no place like home.