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

My First Turn 2013-10-24 17:55:18.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist My First Turn Well it happened, my first ski turn of the season! With the weather depositing rime and a slight coating of snow, there was just enough to cover a small path. It may not have been technical, but gravity pulled me down the slope and that is what counts. Today's turn marks the second turn of the season, as Kevin from State Park made first tracks yesterday. If this isn't impressive for the sake of skiing, it should be a reminder that the weather on the summit

Change Of Season 2013-10-23 21:22:53.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Summit Crew Putting On Chains Today marked yet another checkpoint on our way to winter - putting chains on the tires. While I am an over the top advocate of winter weather, I hate putting on chains! First, there is nothing more annoying than getting my clothing dirty before I ever reach the summit. Putting on chains requires one to lie on the ground to wrestle dirty hooks and clasps into place. Second, it seems that no matter how neatly the chains are put away into their bin, they

Downbursts on the Summit 2013-10-22 18:33:15.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer (Left) Wind Speed Spike (Right) Pressure Spike Have you ever been in a thunderstorm and, right before it starts raining, a very strong gust of wind blows through, thrashing trees and quite possibly breaking branches? These events, called downbursts, are often the most damaging part of a thunderstorm, forming in front of a thunderstorm by a column of rapidly descending air. These can also occur on the summit however they, along with the rest of the weather above tree line, are much more extreme compared to their counterparts at

The Early Climatology of The Summit 2013-10-21 16:36:25.000 - Samuel Hewitt,  Summit Intern Observations from February 10, 1944 Since 1932 here on the summit, an observer has gone outside once an hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year to take a weather observation. In that time, we have collected nearly 81 years of data; one of the longest, continuously running climate records in the nation. This data is very important to us, as it can be used for research. Currently, intern Tom Padham is using the summits wind data to evaluate its gustiness, so that one day we