Severe Weather 2013-11-18 17:34:29.000 - Samuel Hewitt,  Summit Intern 11-17-13 Storm Reports courtesy NWS SPC Yesterday's severe weather outbreak across the Midwest/Ohio River Valley will go down as one of worst in recorded history for the month of November. Preliminary reports from the National Weather Service indicate that more than 70 tornadoes touched down across six states, the majority of which occurred in Illinois and Indiana. The most prominent tornado was a violent EF-4 (winds 166-200 mph) that passed through the town of Washington in Tazewell County, IL. Records show that this is the first EF-4 to strike Tazewell County

Sunday: Food and Tornadoes 2013-11-17 12:28:09.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Tornado Probability: National Weather Service SPC As the calendar closes in on Thanksgiving Day, our shift is beginning the planning phases for our Turkey Day menu just like countless cooks across America. As you may be well aware, our facility here on the Rockpile operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, which means that ultimately one of our shifts will be at work for the holiday, meaning without friends and family we will be sure to put an absurd amount of focus into what we will

Extreme Mount Washington at 7 weeks 2013-11-14 16:48:31.000 - Will Broussard,  Outreach Coordinator NULL Winter is certainly taking hold at the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, where we are now 7 weeks into the demolition of the space that will become Extreme Mount Washington in the spring of 2014, some 6 months away.Last week, 4 members of the Appalachian Mountain Club's Construction Crew spent 4 days at the summit. Their work focused on taping, mudding, and sanding drywall, continued painting of walls and ceilings, and the installation of flatwall within the new gift shop area.This week, the AMC crew

Not-So-Routine 2013-11-14 08:38:22.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist MWO Truck The time of year for shift changes we would consider 'routine' has come to an end. Ascending and descending the mountain will become a lot more complicated during the winter; and yesterday's shift change served as an excellent example of foreshadowing. Our crew left the base of the Auto Road just before 9 AM, with chains fixed to the tires of both our truck and van. The truck led the way with the plow, hoping to cut through any snow drifts that may impede our progress to the summit. With

Vacation 2013-11-12 17:46:03.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL Once a year, a very special thing happens for each of the Observers on the summit. Vacation! Tomorrow when I get off the summit, my vacation will begin and I will not return to the summit until December 4th. With our schedule, normally we work eight days then get six days off, so with my 'week' off, I will end up with 20 days off for adventure. This year I am off to explore the weather of the US Virgin Islands. With an average daily temperature in the 80s (Fahrenheit),

Kitty Got a New Spot! 2013-11-11 21:01:23.000 - Pratik Patel,  Summit Intern Marty The weather on the summits for the next 36 hours will be very active and extreme. As the cold front passes through tonight into tomorrow, temperature will plummet to below zero as cold Arctic air settles over the region from the North. In addition, winds will reach cat. 1 hurricane speeds and heavy riming can occur as the summit will be in the fog. Seeing as how the weather outside is getting colder by the day. Marty decided to pick a new spot and get really cozy

Windex vs WINDEX 2013-11-10 18:32:09.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Yesterday - a few inches of snow, Tomorrow - feet? Windex, to most people, is a blue colored window cleaner. In meteorology, "WINDEX" stands for wintertime instability index and is used to assess the potential for snow squalls to form along frontal boundaries, mainly in New England. To assess this potential, forecasters use modeling software called BUFKIT, which is a profile visualization and analysis tool kit. In this modeling software, WINDEX is found by examining the parameters of relative humidity, differences in temperature, low level instability, and forcing at different

Another Beautiful Day on the Summit 2013-11-09 18:14:29.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer Pile D'Assiettes (Pile of Plates) Cloud to the NE Another beautiful day has come and gone on the summit. Although the fog only cleared out late in the afternoon, foggy days are almost as exciting and fun as clear days. At every observation, I could see the feathers of rime ice outside grow several inches, until they were 2-foot-long daggers protruding at an angle from the deck. As many of you know, it is challenging to keep up with the rime ice growth here on the summit.

Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop 2013-11-08 21:03:00.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL This year's Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop (ESAW) is being held tomorrow, Saturday, at John Fuller Elementary. There are still seats available for those who wish to attend. Registration will open at 7:30 am and presentations will begin at 8:00 am and run through 5:00 pm. Speakers will include the Observatory's own Rebecca Scholand and Cyrena Briede. For more information please visit the ESAW webpage.   Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Spring Peepers Surviving on the Summit? 2013-11-07 13:20:52.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer Pools of Water at the Base of Ball Crag Despite the severe weather, many animals both live on and frequently visit the summit, including foxes, squirrels, mice, and even the occasional bobcat. As rain showers turn to snow showers, and the summit dons its winter coat of rime, ice and snow, many animals either head to milder locations or burrow deep between the rocks. Last spring for several weeks while taking sunset weather observations, there was even the familiar sound of suspiciously like Spring Peepers coming from