From Weather Observer to Intern, to Observer Again

By Madelynn Smith

As I rode in the backseat of our Obs van up the Auto Road for the first time as a full-time employee at Mount Washington Observatory, I found myself sitting in the same spot as I did three months prior as a summer intern, taking in vastly different views. The beginning of June was full of green mountainsides and alpine flowers in bloom, marked by the occasional patches of snow from the late-season storm two weeks prior. I sat in awe at the amazing views that the drive towards the summit provided, in disbelief that this landscape would become a regular view from the Observatory windows. This time, in late September, the Northern Presidentials were in the season of transitions, with vibrant orange and red deciduous tree leaves peeking through the fog, lightly fluttering in the breeze as a welcome back to the Rockpile.

My name is Madelynn Smith, and I’m the newest member of the summit team as a Weather Observer and Educational Specialist. I have always been captivated by meteorology, and growing up in rural eastern North Carolina provided me with a vast variety of atmospheric phenomena to experience. From tornadic supercells to landfalling tropical systems like Hurricane Florence and Matthew, extreme weather found its way to me. As I grew older, I started to follow it back: chasing after severe storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes across the Southeast anytime my schedule allowed. Capturing the raw power of the atmosphere on my camera made me realize that I wanted to experience that as much as I could – not just in my free time, but as a career.

My journey here began as I worked at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport as a Weather Observer while finishing up my senior year of college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. From there, I applied and was accepted for a summer internship here at the Observatory this past summer. I had never heard of Mount Washington before I found out about the internship program, and never even visited New England before moving here. But it was an exhilarating summer where I got to experience major hurricane-force winds, hike the scenic trails around Mount Washington, and engage in research, all while living and working for a week at a time on the summit with the weather observers. I couldn’t help but see myself working here full-time in such a beautiful but extreme environment.

When the opportunity came after my internship ended to come back in a permanent role as a weather observer, I happily accepted. My first two shifts have been quite different in comparison to taking weather observations back in North Carolina. Suiting up with ski goggles (which I had never owned before) and multiple layers of warm clothing to venture outside in order to observe freezing rain with ice forming on the observation deck was unlike anything I ever did before. Being able to see out up to 130 miles and use different mountain landmarks amongst the beautiful landscape surrounding the summit as visibility markers is a really cool change, instead of using runways and the city skyline to determine how far out I could see from the airport sidewalk.

Some data collection at the airport was automated with the ASOS weather station on-site, such as temperature, dewpoint, and precipitation totals, and were things I seldom had to collect myself. But the opportunity to be hands-on with all weather data here and be more actively involved in maintaining a long-standing climate record has been incredibly fulfilling.

While I have thankfully gotten to experience a wide variety of extreme weather phenomena through my previous storm-chasing adventures, Mount Washington is in another league of its own. You don’t get the title of “The Home of the World’s Worst Weather” for no reason. My past few days on the summit have included high winds over 70mph, rime icing, and wintry precipitation like sleet and freezing rain, while dealing with classic summit fog that restricts your visibility down to under a couple of hundred feet. But in between the chaotic weather we get here, there are peaceful and beautiful moments. When conditions allow, we all go outside and enjoy watching the sunset over the Green Mountains to our west, which I can safely say are some of the best sunset views you’ll find anywhere.

Photo of me looking at Milky Way through a telescope this past July.

I’m really excited to experience all of the winter weather Mount Washington has in store this coming season. The fall foliage around the valley was beautiful to explore when I moved back up here, even though it was not as vibrant as usual due to drought conditions. My research this past summer was focused on how different weather variables played a role in the timing and vibrance of autumn senescence, so it was really interesting to see and compare my research findings in person with what was happening locally.

Overall, I’m really happy to be back with the Observatory, and I can’t wait to see what extremes that the mountain has in store for me!