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

Lightning Can Hit the Same Place Twice!! 2013-09-12 16:42:03.000 - Pratik Patel,  Summit Intern Mesoscale Activity Map After a very hot and humid afternoon, the atmosphere was perfectly set up to bring severe weather throughout last night. Isolated thunderstorms were prominent on the summits bringing some heavy rain and strong winds. The night sky was lit up so bright at times from frequent lightning, that it felt as if someone was turning the lights on and off in a pitch black room. By the morning the summits seemed quiet, but strong gusts did occur for very brief periods of time.

Field Trip 2013-09-11 22:01:39.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL Today is Wednesday, which is ordinarily shift change day for summit staff. The up-going shift meets at the base of the mountain, and ascends the Auto Road during the early morning hours, meeting the down-going shift at the front of the Sherman Adams building.Shift-change Wednesday is generally an information exchange between both shifts, through a series of meetings, which are vital to ensure a smooth transition and minimize any lapses in operation. However, today is an exception to the rule, and a very special shift-change day. Instead of the normal

Volunteer Week 2013-09-10 16:12:46.000 - Dave and Bob,  Summit Volunteers NULL What a week it's been. On a blue sky Wednesday morning we met the crew, loaded groceries, gear, and us into the van, and drove up the Auto Road with the folks who would be our companions for the following seven days. The abyss of Great Gulf and the brutes that are the northern Presidentials seemed intent on intimidating all who saw them, and in our case they succeeded. If you've been here you know that anyone who disparages these mountains because they don't reach extreme heights doesn't know

Roller Coaster Ride of Weather 2013-09-09 17:18:32.000 - Tom Padham,  Summit Intern A sleet drift late in the day Sunday This week has been a roller coaster ride of weather, with winds ranging from nearly calm to 85 miles per hour, and the summit seeing rain, sleet, freezing rain, and even small hail all in a single day (Sunday). Yesterday we were below freezing for most of the day, allowing for rime and glaze ice to coat the top 500 feet or so of the summit. This small taste of winter was short lived however, as temperatures rebounded very nicely