It’s Quiet at the Top

2011-11-04 19:41:09.000 – Kevin Cronin,  Summit Intern

Dreary Friday

It’s eerily quiet on the summit since shift change this past Wednesday. Currently there are only six people on the summit which includes two state employees and four observatory staff. The weather today restricted the cog train from coming to the summit as winds gusted up to the lower 70s and and wind chills ran below zero. It’s an odd feeling to have so few people on the summit but it is quite normal this time a year as winter approaches (winter’s here on the summit).

The gloomy picture I uploaded depicts the rough weather we been having all day. The temperatures in the teens combined with fog on the summit allowed plenty of rime ice to accumulate on the instruments at the top of the tower. It only took an hour for the rime to build up over an inch which meant that one of the observers had to carefully remove the rime from the instruments each hour. Fortunately for us, skies will clear up overnight. This will allow us once again to see a magnificent view from our office window. Temperatures are expected to rise tomorrow night as a high pressure system moves closer to the coast ushering in a milder flow off the backside of the high. This means on Saturday and especially Sunday we could be seeing some nice weather and cog patrons from the valley down below.

Kevin Cronin,  Summit Intern