A cold and snowy weekend ahead! 2013-12-12 22:11:39.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL As Tom mentioned in his comment yesterday, very cold temperatures have gripped the summit! This morning, we dropped to a frigid low of 20 degrees F below zero, which combined with strong winds to produce wind chills as low as 63 degrees F below zero. It's hard to believe that only weeks ago, I was on vacation halfway across the country, experiencing temperatures some 85 degrees warmer!There's not much relief from the cold in sight, though. Temperatures on Friday are expected to plummet to even chillier

Bring on Winter! 2013-12-11 20:42:33.000 - Tom Padham,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL This week looks to be a cold and snowy one on the Rockpile, with temperatures falling well below zero and wind chills approaching 60 degrees below at times this week. Temperatures in the surrounding valleys will also be quite frigid Thursday and Friday, with overnight lows falling below zero and highs only in the low to mid teens. If you think this is cold, it was just announced that a new world record low was set back in August of 2010 in Antarctica. The temperature fell to an incredibly

Our Volunteer Week on the Summit 2013-12-10 18:21:07.000 - Mike & Sue Zlogar,  Summit Volunteers Mike Dorfman Decorating the Tree Back again on the Summit enjoying the company of Ryan, Becca, Mike and Pratik, "Er...uh..." as the paw slides out from below..."Didn't you forget someone?" Oh yes...and Marty! (Who I might add is presently zipping around the newly decorated Christmas tree.)This week we have enjoyed scenic vistas as far away as the end of our noses for most of our time (one exception being the ride up which was beautifully clear with distant views), and winds sustained in the 50-75mph

Snowflakes on the Summit 2013-12-09 19:12:30.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer Paper Snowflakes on the Summit Working week-long shifts every other week, the Rockpile is manned continuously, even on holidays. To make this holiday season more enjoyable for us, our wonderful volunteers this week have generously donated a Christmas tree to the observatory for the second year in a row! To celebrate the snow falling both on and around the mountain, we have made paper snowflakes to put on the tree! Yes, these snowflakes aren't the anatomically correct 6-branched flakes that fall out of the sky, but they're still one

Brushing Up On Looking Down 2013-12-08 17:59:57.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist What it looks like up here to look up and down. When flying home this past Thanksgiving, I picked up a book called "Small as an Elephant" by Jennifer Richard Jacobson. It was a quick read since it was meant more for kids, but it was still enjoyable for two reasons - it takes place along the Maine coastline (so it was very relatable with those, "Oh, I've been there" moments) and it had a poem I really liked. The poem read:We all wear bifocalsSome invisibleWhen looking down,

A New Prespective 2013-12-07 13:50:14.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL I have returned from vacation and am feeling quite refreshed. Sometimes it helps to get away for a while to appreciate the everyday tasks that we complete here on the summit. I would also be remiss not to mention how awesome it is to be asked, 'Who do you work for?', and be able to answer the Mount Washington Observatory. I always find it humbling to see just how many people have heard of the mountain and it's unmistakable reputation as being 'Home Of The World's Worst Weather'.While

Icing on the Summit 2013-12-06 17:24:32.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer Glaze Ice Covering the Deck Icing events can occur at any time of the year-if you have read the book "Not Without Peril," you are familiar with one of the stories in which a mid-summer icing event allowed glaze ice to coat the entire range many inches thick. More commonly, however, are shoulder-season icing events, like the one that occurred last night and this morning. The thin coating the summit received, combined with winds that made it feel like gravity had switched directions, was enough to make observations interesting

Winter Is Here! 2013-12-05 17:25:37.000 - Pratik Patel,  Summit Intern NULL The snowcat is officially operational and was put into use for the first time this winter season during our shift change yesterday. During winter trip season, we use the snowcat to transport people up and down the mountain safely. Since the facility is closed for the winter to the general public, the Mount Washington Observatory offers winter trips, which is a unique opportunity for folks who want to experience the extreme winter conditions up on the summit. You can enjoy an in-depth guided tour of the summit area and

Winter Trip Preparation 2013-12-04 14:41:01.000 - Krissy Fraser,  Events and Marketing Manager Summit View The Obs staff is busy ramping up for a great line up of winter trips to the summit. As part of the preparation several of the Obs staff who generally work out of the Weather Discovery Center offices in North Conway, took a trip to the summit on Tuesday. The day could not have been more pristine with sunshine, over 70 miles of visibility and incredibly calm winds - it made it hard to imagine that we were at the Home of the World's Worst Weather!

Another week unlike any other. 2013-12-02 16:46:35.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Our 16 pound bird! Today, Monday, marks day number seven for our shift, after coming up a day early last week due to weather concerns. While no two shifts are typically alike, this week will certainly remain memorable. For starters, our shift leader and staff Meteorologist Mike is on vacation for the week, reducing our staff number to just 2 observers and one intern for the week. Secondly, during November we typically do not have volunteers up with us being that November is usually pretty quiet to