A great week on the Rockpile! 2014-09-03 22:34:58.000 - Bruce Caplain,  Summit Volunteer NULL A week spent volunteering on the summit of Mount Washington was awesome. There is no other place in the world where you can spend a week like this. I was able to experience amazing sunsets and beautiful star-lit nights lying on the observatory deck. The weather allowed for a few fantastic hikes on trails that you otherwise would not choose to hike, and we even were able to see a bear! Of course, we also enjoyed the great comradery and learning experience of spending a week

My Last Shift 2014-09-02 12:49:27.000 - AJ Grimes,  Summit Museum Attendant NULL Today is one of my last days working at the Observatory this summer. It's been great being part of the inaugural run of Extreme Mount Washington, which has been exceptionally well-received. I've gotten the chance to meet so many of our visitors and supporters, each with their own unique experiences and memories of the mountain. Living on the summit has left me with plenty of my own as well - from playing in 80 mph winds to laying on the observation deck on a clear night and gazing

Happy Fall! 2014-09-01 18:39:44.000 - Arielle Ahrens,  Summit Intern NULL Today is the first day of meteorological fall!Why does meteorological fall begin on the first of September and not on the equinox, like astronomical fall? That's because the meteorological and astronomical seasons are based on different things. The astronomical calendar is dependent on Earth's position in relation to the sun, and the meteorological calendar is based on the annual temperature cycle. Meteorological summer encompasses the warmest months in the year (June, July, August), while meteorological winter encompasses the coldest months (December, January, February). Meteorological spring is defined as March, April,

Sunrise Drive on the Summit 2014-08-31 19:44:56.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist Star Trails and 'Headlight Trails' Before Sunrise This morning was the third and final sunrise drive of the summer! For those of you unfamiliar, these drives, hosted by the Mount Washington Auto Road, allow visitors to drive to the summit in the early morning and watch the sunrise from the summit. In typical Mount Washington fashion however, clouds enveloped the summit a few short hours before sunrise this morning, giving the visitors on the summit a view of many shades of lightening gray fog but not too

Fall means Football! 2014-08-30 20:44:10.000 - Kaitlyn O`Brien,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Boomer Sooner! As Ryan mentioned yesterday, fall is certainly right around the corner! In addition to the weather-related changes like falling temperatures, accumulating snow, and the daylight hours growing increasingly shorter, some other things to look forward to include navigating intricately designed corn mazes, picking apples for pies and cider, carving pumpkins, and football! Thursday marked the opening day of college football, and since Arielle and I both graduated from the University of Oklahoma, we're cheering on the Sooners from the highest point in the Northeast as they face

Goodbye To Summer, Hello To Fall 2014-08-29 22:03:15.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Northern Presidentials at Sunset. Labor Day Weekend usually signifies the 'end' of summer for many people since kids head back to school and fall is right around the corner. Labor Day also marks several changes for the summit as well. The first change of note is the weather, especially if you are considering a hike to the summit. September is the month when the summit will typically see the first inch (or more) of snowfall. It also the time of year when rime and glaze ice start

Temperatures are Cooling and Winds are Whistling 2014-08-28 19:40:57.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist NULL Winds are ramping up and temperatures are falling! Winds on the summit are currently gusting 50-60 mph and as a Canadian high pressure builds in overnight, temperatures are expected to sink into the mid 30s. This will make for chilly conditions atop the summit with wind chills making it feel like it is 15-25F on exposed skin. A coating of glaze ice is even possible if the fog sticks around and the temperatures manage to make it to the freezing mark.Now is the time

Back to Work 2014-08-27 22:09:58.000 - Kaitlyn O`Brien,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Halfway to the summit of Mount Chocorua! It sure was a great off-week! On Monday, my friends Arielle, Andrew, Mercedes, and I were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather and hike Mount Chocorua. We had a great time and enjoyed the clear 360 degree views from the summit. Mount Washington stood tall to the north, and we could distantly see the familiar puffs of smoke from the Cog Railway as it chugged along, bringing eager visitors to the 6,288 foot summit. Now we are back to work

While In The Fog... 2014-08-26 13:40:01.000 - Michael Kyle,  Weather Observer Short Range Visibility Markers While most people want to come to the summit of Mount Washington on days where the visibility stretches on for 100 plus miles, those days can be pretty rare. Even during the summer when the weather is much mellower, phenomena like haze, smoke from distant forest fires, and low level clouds can dramatically limit visibility on the summit. The most drastic and common phenomena that obscures the visibility on the summit is fog. On average the summit of Mount Washington is in the fog for

Rises and Sets 2014-08-25 07:32:02.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist A Kitty's Silhouette In a location with a reputation for extreme weather, specifically blustery winds, this shift-week has proven decidedly tame on the summit of Mount Washington.Since our shift arrived last Wednesday, we've maxed out at a scant 34 mph, which occurred during Friday's wee hours. To add to the unusually-calm conditions, our average wind direction for the week is oddly-noteworthy as well, with most of our winds this week coming from the east-northeast. These are, generally speaking, the most uncommon wind directions at our weather station, meaning four