Summer, Then Back to Winter 2015-04-02 16:59:51.000 - Mike Carmon, Interim Director of Summit Operations   With the spring season in full swing, those infamous April showers are to be expected, and the next few days will be no exception to that. However, glimpses of winter will continue to nose their way into the forecast from time to time. A strong warm front will approach the region tonight, ushering in some of the mildest air the region has experienced since the turn of the new year! High temperatures soaring into the upper 50s are likely as far north as the

A Brief Clipper Brings a Round of Fresh Powder! 2015-03-30 20:26:03.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   A brief Clipper is swinging through the Northeast, yielding scattered snow showers across the state. While the first round of precipitation moved in early this morning, additional snow will continue this afternoon and evening before tapering off early on Tuesday morning. Because this is a fast-moving system, significant snowfall amounts are not likely. Totals in the northern half of the state will be around 1-3 inches with higher localized amounts possible above 4,000’. The southern half of the state will see trace

Examining Strong Winter Winds 2015-03-29 19:49:53.000 - Nate Iannuccillo, Summit Intern   I was reflecting on this winter's weather, and I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of our stronger wind events and the conditions that led to them.   High wind events in the winter tend to have some similar features, and much of this can be explained by a little bit of physics.   First let's take a look at some surface maps.   We'll start off with our 2nd highest daily peak gust.  This map show the surface weather analysis for January

I Will If You Will (#IWIYW) 2015-03-28 17:21:51.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Weather Observer/Education Specialist & Earth lover   Do you know what day it is?   It’s March 28, 2015. Today marks a special day of global proportions. Today, people all over the world are embracing this wonderful planet we live on. Today, we celebrate Earth Hour.   Originally launched 8 years ago in Australia by the World Wide Fund for Nature, or the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour has grown significantly. Last year over 7,000 cities participated in 154 countries across all 7 continents.   This evening, from

Cold Hope 2015-03-27 20:30:29.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   We live and work on the summit fog eight days at a time. This means we have to pack eight days’ worth of clothing to wear in that time span. In the heart of winter, packing is easy - pack anything and everything to keep me warm. In the heart of summer, it is just as easy as it means I will be packing warm weather clothes (shorts, t-shirts) and a mix of light jackets, rain pants, etc to keep me dry and warm if/when needed. In the transitional

Spring (Skiing) is in the Air! 2015-03-26 16:58:12.000 - Mike Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   While this winter was slow to start, it seems to be the gift that doesn't stop giving. The higher summits have seen an impressively long span of below-freezing temperatures, allowing for minimal melting in our snow pack as well as plenty of snowfall! Coverage at resorts across the state is doing quite well with the deepest base depths reaching over 5 feet! Taking a look at the natural snow across the state, it’s no wonder the base depths are so deep! Natural snow depths are

A Variable Volunteer Week 2015-03-25 19:07:48.000 - Bill Ofsiany and Barbara Althen, Summit Volunteers   It’s said that March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb. You could probably say the same thing about our week of summit volunteering. Last week’s shift change was switched to Thursday because the wind on the summit was blowing at 120 mph, and the windchill was 65 below. The first five days we were here, the wind didn’t drop below hurricane force, and rarely below the century mark. We hosted a group of climbers from the EMS Climbing School and

March 2015: The lion never left! 2015-03-24 17:23:08.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   After a very cold and windy winter across the higher summits, March appears to have continued the trend. A typical March on the summit of Mount Washington sees average temperatures rise from only 9 degrees on the first to the seemingly balmy upper teens (18) by the end of the month. After having our second coldest February on record just this past month, March has continued that trend. So far this month we have seen 14 days with readings below zero, with the lowest reading of

Exploring the Alpine Zone In Winter 2015-03-23 20:01:55.000 - Adam Freierman, Summit Intern   Occasionally a break in my work schedule affords me the opportunity to get outside and explore the summit. This is one of the great pleasures of living on top of Mt. Washington, being able to leave the observatory and immediately be in the middle of a spectacular alpine environment. For the most part, the weather this winter has limited my excursions to quick loops around the summit cone, ducking behind rocks to get out of the wind and peeking through holes in the fog to try

...And Down the (Home)Stretch They Come! 2015-03-21 08:55:46.000 - Mike Carmon, Interim Director of Summit Operations   With the summit back in the fog today, the view outside is nothin’ to write home about. Unless you’re a fan of the color gray, that is. The scenery on the Rockpile was more dramatic yesterday, including a view that I personally had never witnessed before. The scene began with a radio call from State Park, alerting us to the fact that a dog sled would be within sight, charging up the homestretch section of the Mount Washington Auto Road in a matter