A Week of Variable Weather 2013-11-04 17:19:58.000 - Samuel Hewitt,  Summit Intern It was a beautiful day today! When our shift began last Wednesday, the summit was blanketed in 2" of snow and rime. Snow showers fell during the morning hours and temperatures remained steady in the mid-teens. On Thursday, a warm front crossed the region, allowing temperatures to soar well above the freezing mark for the first time since October 22nd. In the 24 hours from 11:00 pm on Wednesday to 11:00 pm on Thursday, the temperature rose from 19 to 42 degrees. Rain showers, accompanied by the much

Pickup Soccer at 6,288' 2013-11-03 17:02:42.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist A shot and a kick save! It's been a tough week trying to get outside and exercise, between the high winds (gusts to 130mph don't help), driving rain and bitter cold that we've experienced so far(temperature outside is about 8.5 degrees as I write this at 3pm). After a while there are only so many excuses you can make to not go outside, so today the crew decided to brave the cold and launch into an impromptu soccer match on the observation deck. Using buckets weighed down with

The Highest Wind Gust in 304 Days 2013-11-02 22:33:19.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Nov 1st Hays Chart During the night shift on Thursday night-Friday morning, southwest winds began to gradually increase after midnight. Winds were gusting in excess of hurricane force by the 2-3AM hour, but of course, we were all still waiting for much higher numbers than 74 mph! As 4AM approached, the needle on our Hays Wind Chart began to move back and forth more liberally, as winds neared 90 mph. The sound on the deck grew louder with every hourly observation, and more and more of

100 MPH and More! 2013-10-31 23:04:39.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL The wind is a-howlin'!Just before I sat down to write these thoughts out, I ascended to our deck to take an hourly weather observation, and was met with a tremendous roar as I stepped outside. It's a sound that I have become quite familiar with over my time here, but one that is generally absent for a large portion of the generally-calmer summer months.The rush of adrenaline when one opens the deck door and steps into the darkness, with the deafening roar of the wind immediately taking hold,

The MWO-PSU Partnership improving student education 2013-10-30 13:23:24.000 - Eric Kelsey,  Director of Research PSU Students Ready to Release Weather Balloon My job is two-fold: Director of Research at the Observatory and Research Assistant Professor in New Hampshire's only meteorology program at Plymouth State University (PSU). My job embodies the new joint partnership between MWO and PSU and allows me to leverage resources of both institutions. I am always thinking of ways to integrate scientific research with student learning to advance our understanding of weather and climate while providing real research experiences that will help nurture the next generation of

Demolition Complete; Extreme Mount Washington Takes Shape 2013-10-29 10:37:59.000 - Will Broussard,  Outreach Coordinator NULL When I last updated you on the progress of Extreme Mount Washington, the Appalachian Mountain Club's Construction Crew had just arrived and completed their first week of demolition on the site of the former Mount Washington Observatory Summit Museum. The space is now transformed and bears little resemblance to its former self.Outside, winter is tightening its grip on the higher summits of Northern New England, and the Observatory and AMC staff have begun utilizing chains to assist their travels up and down the Mount Washington

Rotating Multi Cylinder 2013-10-28 18:16:35.000 - Pratik Patel,  Summit Intern Rotating Multi Cylinder Today was a very interesting and exciting day on the summit. With the winds picking up to category 1 hurricane speeds and leading to extremely favorable conditions for rime ice, the Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) team (Kathy, Kerry and Sandra) worked around the clock to get as many measurements as possible. They were even kind enough to let me help on the project and teach me the mechanics of the Rotating Multi Cylinder. The Rotating Multi Cylinder project currently being conducted by the

Research on the Rockpile 2013-10-27 19:03:34.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist Sandra setting up for another run As most of you probably already know our mission here at the MWObs is to 'Advance understanding of the natural systems that create the Earth's weather and climate, by maintaining its mountaintop weather station, conducting research and educational programs and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region'. This week we've had the pleasure of hosting Researchers Kathy, Kerry and Sandra from the Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, NH.While the picture that's included in this post may

Winter Wonderland 2013-10-26 17:40:58.000 - Pratik Patel,  Summit Intern Mt. Clay, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison Having the summits engulfed in fog for several hours this morning, we finally caught a lucky break and got an opportunity to see the presidentials with snow and rime on them. However, as the Alberta Clipper to the north of our location passes by, a cold front will move through the region bringing foggy conditions, bitter cold winds and snow showers back to the summits. Still, we did get a chance to enjoy this unmistakable view of the mountains and admire the beauty

Goodbye Summer, Hello Winter 2013-10-25 19:47:39.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Our wintry drive up Wednesday. I always say the summit has two seasons - summer and winter; and our past two shifts are a perfect example of this. Our last shift (9 October through 16 October), temperatures were running some 10 to 15 degrees above normal. This meant that daytime highs were running in the 40s and 50s (Fahrenheit) with the overnight lows remaining in the upper 30s to mid-40s. Additionally, winds remained low (less than 20 mph the entire time we were here) and we were more clear