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Mount Washington Observatory

Citizen Science Puts Weather Reporting in Your Hands

A distant shower falls over Mount Martha, NH (aka, Cherry Mountain). 
If you’re anything like me, you probably have an app or two dedicated to weather on your phone. Maybe you have a preferred app for weather forecasts, another for radar data, and yet another for satellite data. Or maybe instead of apps, you have several go-to websites bookmarked for various weather data.
Weather information keeps us informed so that we can prepare appropriately for the weather ahead, short-term or long-term. With colder weather in the forecast, we might pack a few extra layers or pull in a few more logs for the stove. Or, we might receive a warning about a severe storm heading your direction, and so we pack up, head indoors, and keep an eye on its progress.
While your favorite apps or websites might be providing you with weather data, did you know there are a few apps/sites that you can utilize and provide current weather data to aid in research as a citizen scientist?
Here are some apps that I have on my phone and might be of interest to you:
Mountain Rain or Snow
Remote sensing is improving and aiding in filling weather data gaps. However, precipitation phase changes can be difficult over mountainous terrain, and weather stations only provide information at a static location. That is where human observations aid in detailing how precipitation phase changes vary in time and space. Using these apps, with a few taps you can send observations of precipitation during storms at your location.
Forecasting
NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory is collecting weather reports through the free app mPING. What’s “mPING?” It is an acronym for Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground. The data in turn help define the precipitation that is falling at your location and improve forecasts and radar techniques. That in turn filters down to improve those various other weather apps you might be using for forecasts and radar data.
Cloud Types and Sky Conditions 
GLOBE Observer Clouds can be used to observe clouds, mosquito habitats, land cover, and trees. With the cloud observation aspect, you can help document cloud cover, cloud types, cloud opacity, sky conditions, visibilities, and surface conditions along with photographic examples. It is a bit more involved than the prior reporting apps, but with a few taps and snaps, you can contribute your real-world observations for better understanding and interpretation of satellite data vs surface data.

Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer & Meteorologist

2305, 2014

New Faces In New Spaces!

May 23rd, 2014|Categories: Historical Posts|

New Faces In New Spaces! 2014-05-23 17:26:29.000 - Kaitlyn O`Brien,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist New summer interns Caleb and Arielle We have some new faces on our Summit crew! In addition to hiring two museum attendants, Andrew and AJ, we've also collected our interns for the summer, Arielle

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2205, 2014

Hackademy and Exciting Upcoming Events

May 22nd, 2014|Categories: Historical Posts|

Hackademy and Exciting Upcoming Events 2014-05-22 22:00:54.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer Our Hackademy app team. The Mount Washington Observatory had been selected for an annual marathon-app-coding event called 'Hackademy.' In this event, computer science majors split into several groups of 3-4 students, attending a few crash-courses

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2205, 2014

Volunteer Comment

May 22nd, 2014|Categories: Historical Posts|

Volunteer Comment 2014-05-22 00:02:51.000 - Brenda Lind,  Summit Volunteer Mid-May snow. May 20: Wind and snow pellets pummeled the building yesterday and last night. Even so, who would have thought that May 20 would dawn with inches of snow and rime ice? Even though I know this

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Extreme Mount Washington Project Update

January 30th, 2014|Comments Off on Extreme Mount Washington Project Update

Extreme Mount Washington Project Update 2014-01-30 22:42:02.000 - Will Broussard,  Outreach Coordinator NULL It has been a while since my last update on the Extreme Mount Washington project. At this point, the museum space lies

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January 29th, 2014|Comments Off on Summit Job Opening

Summit Job Opening 2014-01-29 10:46:18.000 - Cyrena Briede,  Director of Summit Operations NULL Have you ever dreamt about working on the summit of Mount Washington? Do you love extreme weather and enjoy teaching people about

The Wind Howls as We Stir the Pot

January 28th, 2014|Comments Off on The Wind Howls as We Stir the Pot

The Wind Howls as We Stir the Pot 2014-01-28 12:06:00.000 - Dianne Fallon & Hilary Clark,  Summit Volunteers NULL As I write at the kitchen table, a pulled pork lunch for 17 simmers in the

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Mount Washington Observatory is a private, nonprofit, member-supported institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. It serves this mission by maintaining a weather station on the summit of Mount Washington, performing weather and climate research, conducting innovative science education programs, and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region. Our weather station is located  on the summit of Mount Washington  in New Hampshire, at Mount Washington State Park.

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Alternatively, you can enable our Historical Weather Alexa Skill, or our Alexa Flash Briefing Audio forecast.

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