From One Mountain to the Next

By Ellie Derry

Hi everyone! My name is Ellie Derry and I am one of the fall 2026 interns at the Observatory. I’m super excited to be here and to have the opportunity to learn about mountain meteorology in such a unique place. I grew up mostly in Upstate New York, but I’ve been living out west for the past several years. I graduated from Colorado College, where I got my first opportunity to study mountain meteorology in the Rockies and earned a degree in Environmental Science and French & Francophone Studies. I got to spend my free time hiking, climbing, and skiing in the alpine.

Hiking down to Lakes of the Clouds from the summit. 

My love for the mountains carried me to Oregon and the Mount Bachelor Observatory, the Wasatch in Utah, the Alps in Grenoble, France, and finally to Mount Washington. Returning to the East Coast is a big transition, but I’m especially excited to witness a Northeast fall for the first time in seven years.
Learning how to forecast for the higher summits has been a slightly daunting but interesting task, and I’m learning new things every day up here. I’m also using precipitation stable isotope data collected on the summit, around the region, and at other alpine sites to look at the origins and conditions of precipitation, and how they change over time and with elevation. Stable isotopes can give us important insights into the water cycle, climate forcings, air pollution, paleoclimates, and other atmospheric processes.

A sunrise during my second shift.

My time on the summit so far has been really special. Everyone has been so welcoming and willing to share their knowledge, even Nimbus. My first few shifts have been a mostly low-visibility experience, but watching the clouds move in and out from the weather room will never get old.

Nimbus giving the forecast from the weather room.

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