Mount Washington Observatory Observer Blog
Extreme Mount Washington Campaign: Thank You!
Extreme Mount Washington Campaign: Thank You! 2014-01-09 15:41:40.000 - Scot Henley, Executive Director Extreme Mount Washington I'm writing to share some wonderful news: Thanks to the support of nearly 1,500 individual donors, we met our goals for both our 2013 year-end campaign AND our capital campaign to build Extreme Mount Washington!As we close our books on December, the year-end campaign topped out at $162,428-our most successful year-end campaign ever, providing crucial funds for our weather station on Mount Washington, our instrument sites throughout the Whites, and our Weather Discovery Center in North Conway.After several years of grant writing and fundraising,
Another Interesting Shift Change
Another Interesting Shift Change 2014-01-08 18:31:44.000 - Michael Kyle, Weather Observer Circles Shows Where Data Is Missing As normal nothing on the summit of Mount Washington goes exactly as planned. As best as we try to keep schedules on the summit the weather always has it final say on what we can and cannot do. The past 24 hours is a prime example of this. Yesterday's high winds, blowing snow , extremely cold temperatures and wind chill values all combined together making conditions unsafe for travel on Mount Washington, also the extreme weather caused some issues with our summit instrumentation.
Volunteer’s Comments
Volunteer's Comments 2014-01-07 14:28:01.000 - Betty Olivolo & Chuck Bailey, Summit Volunteers Sunset we witnessed. Just finishing up a great week on this amazing rock pile! The weather didn't disappoint us - something different every day - snow, rain, freezing rain, high winds (almost to 100 mph), no visibility, and then unlimited visibility. During those clear days, we had the good fortune to see a beautiful sunrise (just one, since I love to sleep in the morning), and comparable sunsets! Totally breathtaking! We had a fun EduTrip here over the weekend learning about mountaineering, and we got to join in
Technology Upgrades at the Obs
Technology Upgrades at the Obs 2014-01-06 22:17:49.000 - Roger Pushor, Weather Observer/IT Specialist Working in our server room. For all of you who may have wondered why you haven't seen an Observer Comment from me in quite some time, it's because I've been working on a number of Technology Upgrades both on the Summit and in our Valley Administrative Offices. I wish I could report that we're done; however, we still have a few more months of work to go.Thanks to the Philanthropic support that Microsoft provides to non-profits like the Obs through Techsoup, we've been able to upgrade both
Observing is Not Only a Job-it’s a Lifestyle
Observing is Not Only a Job-it's a Lifestyle 2014-01-05 18:53:42.000 - Mike Dorfman, Weather Observer Sunrise Yesterday Morning Every day is part of a larger rhythm here on the summit. Wake up at 0500, do morning radio shows, perform data analysis, submit observations, and so on - much of my day is very structured. Having a routine every day is comforting and, most importantly, allows me to work at a sustainable pace. It is what allows me to work 10-12 hour days for 8 days straight. But doing the same thing every day doesn't make every day the same. The
A Warm Spot But Not THE Warm Spot
A Warm Spot But Not THE Warm Spot 2014-01-04 20:03:41.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Meteorologist Sunset and a sliver of the moon this afternoon. When I looked at the various weather maps, soundings, models and current conditions on Friday afternoon, everything was pointing towards a strong inversion setting up over the state of NH for the overnight hours. For those wondering what an inversion is, let me briefly explain. Normally, as you move up in the atmosphere, the temperature will typically decrease with height. With an inversion, the temperature may start off decreasing with height but at some point, it
Cold All Over
Cold All Over 2014-01-03 23:12:14.000 - Cyrena Briede, Director of Summit Operations NULL Tonight it looks like you won't have to be on the summit of Mount Washington to experience summit-like temperatures! With the passing of the most recent low pressure system off to our east and high pressure building in behind it, wind speeds will be increasing and shifting so they are from the northwest, bringing many of us much cooler air. Most places in the region will see lows well below zero degrees Fahrenheit tonight! The New England states are not the only ones experiencing colder than average
Another Snowy Day on the Summit
Another Snowy Day on the Summit 2014-01-02 23:10:19.000 - Mike Dorfman, Weather Observer NULL So far today, the summit has received 3.7 inches of snow. Usually when precipitation is falling on the summit, we're socked in the fog, but today was different due to the drier and colder air mass moving in. That gave me a chance to get out this afternoon and enjoy the several inches of fresh snow that fell in relatively calm conditions. With more precipitation on the way, and extremely low liquid equivalent values for the predicted snow, we're sure to have whiteout conditions from blowing
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! 2014-01-02 00:25:46.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL Happy New Year from the summit of Mount Washington, NH! Hopefully all our readers had a safe/fun night last night regardless if you made it to midnight or not (and don't feel bad if you didn't, only two of our summit Observers were able to hold out until the strike of 12). Leading up to midnight, we were celebrating with our overnight VIP guests as we enjoyed their company and partook in a culinary masterpiece prepared by Chef Ken Berry of South Weymouth, MA. It was a fun and
New Years on the Summit
New Years on the Summit 2013-12-31 18:06:34.000 - Rebecca Scholand, Weather Observer/Education Specialist New Year's Day Sunrise With 2013 coming to a close we were treated to a nice sunrise this morning. As I exited the tower to do my observation the sky glowed red. By the time I ran inside to grab my camera, it had morphed into a glowing horizon of vibrant color. While it didn't last long as we eventually returned to the fog, it ended this great year nicely. Now it is time for good food with new and old friends to ring in 2014 from
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