The Start Of Ski Season 2014-11-14 05:41:13.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   With winter slowly but steadily tightening its grip over the summit, we are already entering the heart of our snow season. As of this writing, light snow if falling on the summit, with a few inches possible through Friday morning. Another more significant storm system could affect the higher summits and much of New England Monday into Tuesday. November sees a pretty dramatic increase in average snowfall on the summit from October, with 37.8 inches averaged for November and only 17.6 inches for October. With this increase

Volunteering on the Summit 2014-11-11 08:06:16.000 - Jacqueline Richard, Summit Volunteer   Mount Washington is an awe-inspiring place to be! I first came to the summit with my boyfriend, Billy Gorman, on labor day when he came up to perform some preventative maintenance on the windows in the tower. Billy and I will be working here on the summit during the construction of the bedrooms in the living quarters. As a volunteer, it is important to be flexible and willing to "get your hands dirty". When not cooking, I was trying to keep the living quarters clean and tidy. Cooking for large

Time to say goodbye. 2014-11-10 18:20:46.000 - Arielle Ahrens, Summit Intern   I can’t believe this is my last week on the mountain! My internship started in May and here we are now in November, six months later. So much has happened in those six months! I’ve met many fantastic people, made awesome friends, and experienced many of the extremes of Mount Washington. There are many things I will miss about the summit. Of course, I’ll miss the weather. My favorite events were thunderstorms and rime ice. We would actually be inside the thunderstorm. INSIDE THE THUNDERSTORM. How cool is

Video Blog from the Summit! 2014-11-09 23:19:57.000 - Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   One of the new features that our website offers is the ability to embed video into a comment!  Please enjoy this brief tour of the Observatory!   Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist

The White Mountains Today 2014-11-08 20:00:47.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Meteorologist     It might still technically be fall but for the higher summits of New Hampshire and most of New England, it certainly feels and looks like winter. The White Mountains of New Hampshire were certainly living up to their name today as snow and rime coated them from top to bottom (at least the ones in our immediate vicinity and to our north). But we don’t need to see these snow covered summits to know it’s winter, as the summit of Mount Washington certainly feels like winter even

Cold and Snowy at the Mount Washington Observatory! 2014-11-07 18:13:16.000 - Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Winter is definitely here on the summit. During my last few observations yesterday, I was amazed at how peacefully the snow was falling on the observation deck. With increasing winds today, the fallen snow has begun to whip into the air, making travel above treeline difficult, and impossible without goggles. Between consistent snowfall and no above-freezing temperatures on the summit for the near future, it looks like a winter wonderland up here! There’s a room halfway up our tower, aptly named the “cold

Splints, Cravats, and Gauze: Oh My! 2014-11-06 21:37:35.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   Our crew came up a day earlier than usual this week to participate in Wilderness First Aid (WFA) training sponsored by SOLO. Every two years, our staff undergoes this training to ensure that we are WFA certified and prepared for the many types of medical emergencies we may encounter. By staging several different emergency scenarios, we were able to simulate what a real-life rescue would be like, particularly in the backcountry where resources are limited. Having some previous EMT experience under my belt, I've certainly

The Winds of Winter 2014-11-03 18:00:19.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   The winds of winter are certainly back across the higher peaks of New England, with the powerful Nor'easter yesterday causing winds to gust over 100 mph for much of the night, with a peak gust of 112 mph for November 2nd. This morning a second even higher gust of 116 mph was recorded, with winds remaining sustained above hurricane force for much of the day. Working nights alone during these conditions can be both exhilarating and a little scary, with de-icing atop the weather tower and taking the

A great last week atop the rockpile! 2014-11-02 20:29:00.000 - Christine Welsh, Summit Museum Attendant   My boyfriend called me a weather geek. He was teasing because he knows how happy I am to say, I'm back! I just could not stay away. The MWObs living quarters are undergoing a much needed remodel and the kitchen was short a cook, so guess who's wearing her best Gortex chef's hat this week? Your friendly museum attendant, that's who, and what a fun week it has been! Between having a ball in the kitchen creating yummy meals for the masses, aliens from

Bring on the Winds Nor'easter 2014-11-01 17:49:00.000 - Caleb Meute, Summit Intern   When I was in elementary school, my dad used to bring enormous rolls of paper to our house for my siblings and I to draw on. I took advantage of this, by drawing massive tornadoes that would wrap around entire rooms. I would draw the tornadoes, put a couple of upside down cows around them and maybe a car or two, then I would bring them into my classrooms and ask my teachers to hang them on the wall.I was horrible with art and drawing pictures, so