Happy Halloween Everyone! 2014-10-31 20:01:00.000 - Michael Kyle, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   At around 10:50 this morning the Mount Washington Observatory deck camera caught a glimpse of an extraterrestrial and he was wasn't alone. Shortly after that, the two extraterrestrials ran into weather observer and education specialist Mike Carmon who was outside taking an observation. Mike explained to the two extraterrestrials that he was outside performing an hourly weather observation that collects a variety of weather variables used in a METAR report. These reports are just one of thousands of reports that are made simultaneously across the country. The METAR

First 100 mph Wind of the Season Looming? 2014-10-30 18:35:00.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   So far this week much of our attention is focused on the potential for a powerful Nor'easter to slide just east of New England this weekend, with the first 100 mph winds of the season looking like a distinct possibility. The storm will begin to develop off the Carolina coastline tomorrow, with rapid strengthening as it moves northeast towards the Gulf of Maine Saturday. At this point in time, models are keeping the system too far east for a direct hit on the summit

Bring It! 2014-10-29 16:54:00.000 - Mike Carmon, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   Another Wednesday, another return trip to the summit of Mount Washington. Our shift is back on top, and we left things quite an icy mess last Wednesday when we departed. However, we returned to find that most of the snow and ice that had accumulated over the last week is now a distant memory, thanks to temperatures in the 40s along with rain and fog. Will this glimpse of more summer-like conditions last long? Not at all. As I compose these thoughts, temperatures are swiftly falling through the 30s,

I love winter 2014-10-27 20:23:00.000 - Arielle Ahrens, Summit Intern   This past week has been AWESOME. We've had varying forms of frozen precipitation throughout the week. Today was definitely the best day though. We had rime and glaze ice forming throughout the day which required us to go up to the top of the tower at least once an hour to de-ice the instruments. It was a lot of fun going outside in the winds and the fog. I would only be outside for a few minutes, but I would come back with ice accumulated on my jacket. It

Snowy Sunday 2014-10-26 19:18:00.000 - Kaitlyn O`Brien, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   This area of low pressure has brought some snow accumulation to the summit! Since yesterday, we've received just over an inch of snow, as well as plenty of rime ice. It certainly feels like a winter wonderland at 6,288 feet. In addition to the snow, there are other happenings on the summit that indicate we are heading into the winter season. The Mt. Washington Auto Road has closed for the season, and the Cog Railway has adjusted their schedule. Furthermore, the Mt. Washington New Hampshire State Park buildings are

Exciting Times on the Summit 2014-10-25 18:40:00.000 - Mike Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   The last few days have been exciting!When we arrived at the summit on Wednesday, it was a winter wonderland!We received over an inch of liquid equivalent Wednesday through Thursday.With temperatures hovering right around freezing, everything on the summit was covered in a thick coat of several inches of glaze ice!The grip of my Vasque boots paired with traction spikes made for safe travel during observations, but ice skates would have been more exciting (and dangerous). In other news, we're in the process of putting the finishing

Ice, Ice, Baby 2014-10-24 19:16:00.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   The coastal low that brought rain to most (if not all of) New England the past few days was originally projected to bring mostly rain to the summit as well.However, a full on rain event on the summit of Mount Washington never really came.Instead, we saw temperatures hovering right around freezing for pretty much the past three days. This resulted in a mix of rain and freezing rain that has coated everything with a wet glaze ice.Deicing this glaze ice has been tough because it clings to surfaces almost

Volunteer Notes 2014-10-23 19:47:00.000 - Don Hayes & Mike Ward, Summit Volunteers   Our week atop the rock pile has come to an end.This was my third time volunteering at the Observatory and I was happy to bring a longtime friend with me to experience a week of cooking for the crew and getting out and around the mountain experiencing all kinds of weather.He found the time at 6288 feet fun and very informative.The crew was a fun, hardworking group who were very happy to share their interest in meteorology with two novices. Each time I have been on the

Wicked Winds from the East 2014-10-23 00:17:00.000 - Kaitlyn O`Brien, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   The big discussion tonight is wind! It has certainly ramped up throughout the day and we previously observed a sustained easterly wind speed of 68mph, with gusts reaching 76mph earlier this evening. Since this time, winds have subsided a bit to 56mph sustained with gusts up to 65mph. Perhaps you are wondering how frequently this occurs. After some quick number crunching of our records over the past 80+ years, it was calculated that for observed hourly average wind direction, we've seen easterly winds in excess of

Extreme Mountain 2014-10-21 12:19:00.000 - Christine Welsh, Summit Museum Attendant   Here, on top of the tallest terra firma in the northeast United States, dedicated weather observers, who were thought at the time to be stark raving mad, measured a wind speed of an astonishing 231 miles per hour. That was in 1934. Today, while most folks work Monday through Friday 9-5, our weather observers work around the clock for a week at a time continuing the Mount Washington Observatory's mission of recording hourly weather data, and eagerly awaiting the next great meteorological phenomenon. Mount Washington is proud to call