Storm Chasing 2014-01-24 17:36:10.000 - Samuel Hewitt,  Summit Intern May 28th, 2013 Bennington, KS Tornado The opportunity to live and work at the summit for a week at time has allowed me to experience weather conditions that I will likely never see at sea level. Since September, I have witnessed 130 mph winds, bitterly cold temperatures, and wind chills as low as -70 degrees Fahrenheit. Last summer, my passion for extreme weather brought me to the heart of Tornado Alley, where I chased thunderstorms for two weeks as part of a storm chasing and observation program offered by the State

A Chill In The Air 2014-01-23 21:35:14.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL The bitter cold of winter has its grip on us, and doesn't look to let go anytime soon! We've hit a low temperature of -24F three times this month already, and there looks to be colder times to come on the summit.Our shift isn't expecting to get above zero degrees nearly at all through next Wednesday (with the only possible exception to this coming on Saturday, where we have a chance of hitting a high temperature of +3F). Otherwise, we'll be well into the negative numbers,

AMS Presentation Coming Soon 2014-01-22 18:08:02.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL In ten days, I'll be taking a trip down to Atlanta, GA. The reason? To give an oral presentation, which takes place the evening of February 3rd, at the American Meteorological Society's (AMS) 94th Annual Meeting.I was selected by AMS to present on 'The Complexity of Weather Forecasting in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, NH.' During this presentation, I'll be discussing the unusually extreme weather that our mountain range faces, and the long list of difficulties in forecasting atop Mount Washington.The extreme Alpine environment that

Nine Days On The Summit 2014-01-21 23:13:46.000 - Jules Rainka,  Summit Volunteer Stage office at sunrise. The favorite things for volunteers on Mt Washington, at least for these two volunteers, are simple and varied; hiking, sunrises/sunsets, rooting for extreme weather, meeting all the guests and documenting the experience with photos. No, believe it or not, it is not cooking. Cooking for 17 can be challenging but luckily, I enjoy cooking. However, it does provide its own joys because of the wonderful people you meet. You do know that hikers and the folks that enjoy this kind of experience are just

Volunteer Comment 2014-01-20 19:21:13.000 - Neil Lovett,  Summit Volunteer Sunrise color on the Northern Presidential's This is the third time I have volunteered a week at the Mt Washington Observatory. I've seen the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets imaginable, I've stood in the winds gusting in excess of 100 mph, I've hiked to what I consider some of the most beautiful places in the world, and I've listened to the people who live here tell incredible tales. I've cooked for up to 17 people, improvising what to prepare based on the ingredients available to me at the time (here, there

Is It Snowing? 2014-01-19 17:34:47.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Snowflake caught on our snow board. When I am off the summit and in the valley, I determine it is snowing like almost everyone else - I look out the window and see it falling from the sky or look at recently shoveled areas to see if anything has accumulated. On the summit of Mount Washington, this method rarely works. Why? Well, we are usually in the fog and there is some amount of blowing snow/ice/rime that is being whipped up with the newly fallen snow. So, my valley method

The Role Of An Observatory Leader 2014-01-18 23:09:00.000 - Will Broussard,  Outreach Coordinator Each winter, Mount Washington Observatory leads several overnight EduTrips to the summit of Mount Washington. With topics ranging from mountaineering essentials to weather basics, every trip has a theme and is led by an experienced educator in the field. As Outreach Coordinator for the Obsevatory, it is one of my primary responsibilities to accompany these winter trips to the summit as the "Observatory Leader." In this position, I serve as the link between the trip participants and the weather observers and volunteers living and working at the

The Only Constant is Change 2014-01-17 18:18:56.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer Lenticular Cloud Over Jefferson It is quite amazing how quickly the weather can change up here. As I drove up to the base, valley fog was beginning to dissipate, revealing nearly bluebird skies. After reaching the summit under sunny skies, I went to bring my bags down to my room. By the time I got back up to look out the window, we were in the fog. If you want to get a better idea of how quickly we can go from in the clear to in the

Education Specialst 2014-01-16 17:06:54.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL My job title on the summit is Weather Observer and Education Specialist. While I am most known for my work as a Weather Observer, acting as a Education Specialist is just as important. In this roll I am able to connect with students from around the country and teach them about Mount Washington's unique weather. For many schools, traveling to the summit is out of the question, but with Distance Learning programs I can bring the summit to them. Using video conferencing technology, remote locations are no longer out

Volunteer Comments 2014-01-15 18:29:13.000 - Charlie and Jeanine Kinney,  Summit Volunteers NULL The summit of Mount Washington is another year older and my wife and I are here to celebrate that. After twelve years and even more trips, it is difficult to find a new topic to write about; but not unlike the mountain, this comment appeared from the fog. As directed, we arrived at the base on January 7th at 7:30 AM. Slim, our Snow Cat operator, and Craig, his co-operator, were there readying things for the ride up. Soon after, the rest of the up-going shift arrived only