Bland Today But Going 'Batty' Wednesday 2013-08-19 23:33:49.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Tonights view. The weather today was kind of bland with nothing to really talk about. Don't get me wrong, I like the bland weather days just as much as the extreme weather days, just for different reasons. While I dig extreme weather days for the stories they generate I also dig the bland weather days since it allows me to focus on my various other projects without worrying about a rogue thunderstorm for example. The only down side about bland days are the lack of stories I

My Last Comment 2013-08-18 17:56:15.000 - Kaitlyn O`Brien,  Summit Intern NULL Well, I knew this day would eventually creep up on me. This is my last shift on the summit as a summer intern and I'm happy to report I've enjoyed it all. Working up here as an intern requires you to handle several different job titles: tour guide, gift shop cashier, meteorologist, observer assistant, researcher, merchandiser, janitor, and the list goes on. I have never served in such a diverse position, and I quickly learned that I love the variety of jobs that present themselves each day. In addition

My Perfect Day 2013-08-17 18:13:31.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Some of todays visitors on the summit. Everyone has their version of what a 'perfect weather day' is. To some, it may be 100F with ample sunshine. To others, it might be 20F below zero with howling winds and snow. For me, well, that's a sliding definition depending on the season. For summer, today would be my very definition of 'perfect.' Temperatures were seasonable as they crested in the upper 40s. While this may seem cool or cold to many, when you get acclimated to it like us, it is

Busy Happenings! 2013-08-16 19:23:32.000 - Kaitlyn O`Brien,  Summit Intern NULL This weekend sure is a busy one, and with the forecast looking to improve over the next two days, it will only get busier! Tonight we have a Summit Adventure group spending the night with us. They are getting a chance to experience what it's like to stay overnight atop the Northeast's highest peak. Tomorrow morning, the Auto Road has the annual August Bicycle Hillclimb. Good luck to everyone racing! Then, tomorrow afternoon, the Observatory is hosting a Club Level membership event at the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway.

Sharing The Summit With Family 2013-08-15 17:04:36.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL Every once in awhile something special happens on the summit that brightens my day. Recently my Cousin and his best friend started out on the Appalachian Trail headed southbound. With no real way to communicate I told them to stop into the summit on their way through hoping I might get to say hello. Luckily I happened to be on the summit starting my shift and was able to host them on the summit for the night. Not only did they appreciate the use of my

It Was A Cold And Windy Night... 2013-08-14 23:19:19.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist The Rock Pile is experiencing a cold and windy night with temperatures currently at 37F and winds currently averaging 60mph with gusts past 70mph (and since everyone always asks, the wind chill currently feels like 20F on exposed skin). Temperatures are expected to nudge a bit further south overnight, possibly putting us near freezing by morning with winds climbing a bit more. Earlier in the day, forecast models were even hinting at possible snow flurries, but as of now, Doppler radar is pretty bare, with nothing

My Volunteer Week on the Summit 2013-08-12 19:13:07.000 - Julie Beal,  Summit Volunteer A View of the Summit from Jefferson Greetings from the Rock Pile!(I've really wanted to say that!) If you've been following along reading the observer comments, you know that it has been quite the exciting weather week here up on the summit. This is my first time volunteering for the Observatory Crew, and hopefully it will not be my last; it has been a truly remarkable experience. It took me long enough to get around to it, but I will not wait too long to do it

A Summer on the Rockpile 2013-08-11 21:52:05.000 - Luke Davis,  Summit Intern On Top of the World It's amazing how fast time has passed up here; this will be my last shift of the summer. With my research wrapping up and my internship coming to an end, it was great to not only see one of the biggest rainfall events in the summit's recent history, but also enjoy another breathtaking cloudscape on the very same day. On top of that, I experienced one of the summit's most impressive wind events since the winter; I even had the chance to brave

Soaking Friday, Gusty Saturday. 2013-08-10 15:55:05.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist One active Hays Chart! The final totals are in, and yesterday on the Rockpile we recorded 4.15 inches of rain over a twenty-four hour period. This total represents the most rainfall we've recorded in that time span since Hurricane Irene dropped an estimated 6.66 inches back in 2011. With relatively light winds yesterday, no estimation was needed to capture all four plus inches, with our average wind speed at 24 miles per hour (so far we're averaging 59mph for today). Today, Saturday, was a much different story wind-wise,

Not all rainy days are boring! 2013-08-09 16:42:36.000 - Tom Padham,  Summit Intern Flooding on a mountain peak? Today is a very rainy day on the summit. In fact it's probably the rainiest day so far this summer, with over 3.43 inches of rain falling so far today and still more falling as I write this. Rainy days in most locations mean time spent indoors watching movies, but up here on the summit there's still plenty of work to be done rain or shine, and our observers still need to go outside to do hourly weather observations. Although today has