Equinox

2012-09-22 17:08:47.000 – Steve Welsh,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist

My first observation this morning saw the station enveloped in thick fog with enough drizzle falling to soak you through in no time at all. You could hardly see the far end of the deck and it looked like we were heading for another dull foggy Mount Washington day. However, within a few hours the sky above was completely clear with the only clouds located well below us as they blanketed the surrounding valleys and lower peaks. Now the clouds are starting to roll in again as a cold front approaches from the west. The current balmy 50 degree temperatures will soon be plummeting and by this time tomorrow we could be flirting with the freezing mark – time to get my EMS jacket out.

Today is also the equinox, it’s that special event that occurs twice a year (around March 20th and September 22nd) when the Earth’s axis is inclined neither towards nor away from the sun. From today the northern hemisphere will start to tilt away from the sun as our fall season officially begins. Much to the delight of the night observers, but not many others, our days will now be shorter than our nights. In the southern hemisphere the opposite is happening and the length of their days will increase as their spring season gets under way.

Steve Welsh,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist