Enjoy Summer While it Lasts!

2013-07-26 17:07:48.000 – Tom Padham,  Summit Intern

Sunset and Undercast on Wednesday

After two relatively nice days, (and two beautiful sunsets in a row) we’ve returned back to foggy conditions on the summit. A coastal system is passing by to our east, which is unusual for summer. Storms similar to this one are much more common in the winter, when they are called ‘Nor’easters’, a familiar term to most people in New England, which often bring heavy snow and gusty winds from the northeast. This past winter in particular saw plenty of strong Nor’easters for New England, with winter storm ‘Nemo’ dropping a single storm record of 31.9 inches in Portland, and 317.5 inches of snow falling for our seasonal total for the summit. That’s 36.3 inches above average up here, or 3 feet!

With the passing of this storm I’m reminded that in only a few short weeks summer will be coming to an end and before long snow and ice will be returning to the summit once again. Typically our first snowstorm of the season starts in September, but snow is possible at any time of year on the summit and has been recorded every month of the year. I still personally have plenty of hiking I’d like to get done before the warm weather ends, and hopefully the weather will cooperate with that in the next few weeks. So if you still haven’t had a chance to visit the summit yet this summer, be sure to come up in the next few weeks while the weather is still warm!

Tom Padham,  Summit Intern