A Glimpse at METAR Reports By Alexis George, Weather Observer & Meteorologist METAR observations are submitted every hour of every day at Mount Washington Observatory. METAR is a format for reporting weather information that gets disseminated through the Aviation Weather Center. While METARs are primarily used by aircraft pilots, you can actually view METAR data for any station across the country. It might seem difficult to decipher these weather reports at first, but I’ll dive into reading the basics of METAR to help readers learn something new! On Saturday, November 4th, I submitted an hourly observation to the National Weather

Interning in the Clouds: My Mount Washington Odyssey By Jordan Frate Now that my time as the 2023 fall intern for the Mount Washington Observatory is coming to an end, I would argue that my abilities as a forecast meteorologist and research scientist have vastly improved. Coming from Maui, Hawaii, Mount Washington has provided me with many first experiences. Mount Washington has given me my first experiences with: wind chills below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, hurricane force winds, a blizzard, or even shoveling snow. Throughout my internship I have witnessed the breaking of various records. I was on shift when

A Week In the Life of a Weather Observer Thursday, October 19 For me, Thursdays are the most difficult because this is the first full day of an 8 day shift on the summit after six days off. My day began at 5:45am to get ready for my 6:30am day shift. Upon opening the Current Summit Conditions page on the Mount Washington Website when I woke up, I noticed our new website was up and running. This website was a long time coming and took a lot of work, particularly from Keith Garrett, Director of Technology. Thank you Keith!

Me on the summit of Mount Washington with my dog, Emma, in August of 2021. Hi all! I’m Amy Cotter, one of the fall summit interns, and I am thrilled to be working at Mount Washington Observatory. I was lucky enough to grow up in the Mount Washington Valley, and I spent my childhood hiking in the White Mountains. My family loves exploring the outdoors, and I will always be grateful to my parents for raising me with an appreciation and respect for wilderness and nature. Through my teenage years, I worked at Zeb’s General Store (where

Hello! My name is Charlie Peachey, and I am a new weather observer at Mount Washington Observatory. I recently graduated with my bachelor's and master's degrees in meteorology from Plymouth State University and am wicked excited for the opportunity to work and live at the Home of the World's Worst Weather. I was born and raised just outside of Boston in Concord, MA, and spent my summers either relaxing along the seacoast of New Hampshire or exploring the White Mountains. So, I was lucky enough to experience all the incredible weather that New England has to offer while growing

Meteorological Summer 2023 By The Numbers By Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist Looking at our calendar, we are only days away from autumn which will land on Saturday, 23 September 2023. This date refers to the astronomical autumn season, which is based on Earth’s tilt on its axis as it is orbiting around the sun. Therefore, the seasons of autumn and spring would land on the equinoxes (when day and night are roughly of equal length) and summer and winter would land on solstices (when day/night are of their greatest lengths, longest day in summer, longest night in winter).

Views from the Top: Summer Intern Signing Off This summer, I had an incredible opportunity to intern at Mount Washington Observatory. I learned a lot in the process. Being from Prince George’s County, MD, just 20 minutes from D.C., I wasn't very familiar with New Hampshire or the mountains before coming to the summit. Through the course of my internship, I was able to view the beautiful higher summits, all while learning a ton of meteorological knowledge.During my undergraduate years at the Pennsylvania State University, I had never taken a forecasting course. However, this summer I worked alongside Jay Broccolo

El Niño and Its Influences on Weather Francis Tarasiewicz, Weather Observer & Education Specialist As we enter the fall season, it's clear that 2023 has been a year filled with meteorological buzzwords. Phrases like "polar vortex," "heat dome," and "bomb cyclones" have inundated the public with an overwhelming amount of weather terminology. One particular term that has gained prominence this year is "El Niño." Although technically more of a climate phenomenon, "El Niño" has become a familiar figure in meteorology, akin to that eccentric uncle everyone knows. Whether you're a high-ranking expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

A Look at Record Precipitation in July and the Upcoming Seasonal Outlook With cold temperatures on the higher summits at the end of July, many people were surprised to see the change in conditions so early in the year. Statistically speaking, however, cooler temperatures to welcome the month of August are not atypical. According to our climate record, in August, average daily temperatures begin their downward tendency for the rest of the calendar year. August also marks the last month of meteorological summer, which may be disappointing to some considering this season has been characterized by excessive rainfall, high humidity,