Wintry Weather on the Summit 2013-09-23 21:34:29.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer Intern Tom Padham After De-Icing Today was by far the most wintry day of my shift since late last spring. In addition to hourly observations from 5 PM to 5 AM, I also must make my way to the top of the tower every hour to make sure our instruments are ice-free. Each trip to the top of the tower results in jackets and rain pants becoming stiff with rime and subsequently melting, however my wonderful EMS gear kept me warm and dry through it all. Even while

Preparing for Winter 2013-09-22 18:01:32.000 - Tom Padham,  Summit Intern Sunrise Friday Morning With winter quickly approaching up here on the summit, I've been busy the past few days making sure everything is ready for the winter season. Yesterday I helped the observers put in our outer layer of storm windows around the weather room. The outer layer of windows helps to keep a little bit of the draftiness out of our workplace and also is some added protection during the winter season when winds are typically much higher. I also helped to bring in our EMF reader, which is

Danger in the Mountains 2013-09-21 17:39:46.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist One of the Author's favorite views in the Whites. Believe it or not, working and living on the summit of Mount Washington can easily numb one's senses of the real dangers that we face here in the mountains. Beautifully sunny skies, above average temperatures and light winds have dominated our weather since the beginning of our shift this past Wednesday, allowing for placid trips outdoors during hourly observations. Since the average observation lasts somewhere between 2-10 minutes (depending on conditions), it's easy enough for observers to put on

Transitioning Seasons 2013-09-20 07:56:18.000 - Samuel Hewitt,  Summit Intern A passing helicopter on a beautiful day It may only be the start of my second week on the summit, but I am already knee deep in fulfilling my responsibilities as an intern and I love every moment! Clear skies and light winds across New England over the past few days have made the summit a very popular place. On top of giving numerous tours of the Observatory, I am preparing and broadcasting 36-hour forecasts for a local radio station. Today in fact, I will begin my intern project which involves

Shift Change Day 2013-09-18 17:04:24.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL Wednesday is traditionally shift change day for summit staff.Unfortunately, some car trouble kicked things off this morning, giving us all a little bit of a later start to the day.After getting to the summit, our shift change meetings ensued, which encompassed most of the day. The weather was very pleasant today, with relatively light winds, sunny skies, and temperatures breaking into the 50s. Visibility also maxed out at 130 miles today, our station maximum.Well, it's 5 PM now, and time to unwind a bit before our volunteers dish out

Reflections From Volunteers 2013-09-17 22:22:46.000 - Sandra Fisher & Sharon Camp,  Summit Volunteers Sunrise w/ rime. Observer Note: We are currently experiencing issues with data flow to our website. This is affecting (but isn't limited to) current conditions and mesonet data. Please be patient as we work towards repairing this issue as quickly as possible. We have once again been blessed with the opportunity to live on the Rockpile while cooking for the Observatory crew. No two trips are ever the same, so we will share some of our unique adventures from this past week; our fifth time here. Wednesday

Cold, Times, and Closing 2013-09-16 23:49:37.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Lakes of the Clouds Hut and Mt. Monroe yesterday. As the transition from summer to fall continues, there are a few things that visitors should be aware of if climbing, driving, etc to the summits of New Hampshire. First is the weather and daylight hours. While we may still get some fair weather days ahead, in general things will continue to get colder and more winter like on the higher summits. Hikers to the 4000+ footers of New Hampshire should look at a forecast prior to heading out. It

Fall In Summer 2013-09-15 23:44:16.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Northern fall color starting behind Mt. Jefferson. When we came up on Wednesday, it felt like summer. It was hot, humid, hazy, and the threat of thunderstorms was off the charts. Technically, it was and is still summer, at least until next Sunday, September 22, 2013 when the Autumnal Equinox occurs. However, Wednesday's weather was the exception and not the norm as this time of year just starts to feel more like fall than summer here in New England, regardless of what the calendar says. Pumpkin Spice starts showing up

Field Trip Field Report 2013-09-14 18:42:02.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Field Trip to NWS, Gray, ME A common misconception people have of the Mount Washington Observatory is that we're funded purely from the National Weather Service (NWS). This is not the case though; the Mount Washington Observatory is a private, non-profit, membership based organization. However, we do maintain a yearly contract with the NWS to provide them with our hourly weather observations and weather documents for a minimum amount of compensation. The weather data provided to them is then fed into the NWS regional and national forecasting models (GFS,

Educational Opportunity To Increase Safe Recreational Use of Mount Washington 2013-09-13 17:51:10.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Putting my weather & avalanche knowledge to use. Being the Educational Specialist, I am always excited when I can promote educational material. Three years ago, the White Mountain Avalanche Education Fund was established by the White Mountain National Forest's Mount Washington Avalanche Center to educate kids in the Northeast about avalanches. Focusing on students who look to take their sport into avalanche terrain, this year's Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop (ESAW) on November 9th has the opportunity for 15 scholarships. For the