Change 2013-04-25 17:24:48.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Change Over a Week What a difference a week can make on the summit. When I arrived yesterday, the summit was a whole new world. The snow pack had dramatically decreased and the temperatures had risen into the forties. Winds were calm and visibility was ninety miles proving to be a beautiful day. As I have been saying in my past comments, I am excited to have spring on the way. The early summer hiking season will soon be upon us and it will be important to be prepared. As temperatures

"Perfect" Weather Day 2013-04-24 23:43:36.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist A view from today. Everybody has their own opinion as to what it means to have "perfect" weather. To a farmer dependent on rain, a rainy day may be perfect. For fans of the beach, it might be a sunny day with temperatures in the 90's. For an ice climber, cold and icy is what they would find ideal. For a sailor, an ideal day would have stiff enough winds to move their boat at a good pace with minimal choppiness. And for some, like myself, today could be classified

Wild Week of Weather 2013-04-23 11:26:09.000 - Tom Padham,  Summit Intern Clouds building in this morning It certainly has been an interesting and busy week on the summit for my first shift, with plenty of weather to go around. Out of the past 6 days we've spent on the summit, only a single day (Monday) saw no fog or precipitation. Measurable precipitation fell on 4 out of the past 6 days, with 3 out of those 4 days containing freezing rain or snow. Winds were also gusty almost all week, with only Monday not seeing a gust above hurricane force

Back-and-Forth Weather 2013-04-22 10:10:30.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL This shift's weather has certainly proven to be all over the place.As if Mt. Washington would have it any differently in April, we've run the gamut in the type of things we've experienced this week.Upon arrival on Wednesday, the summit was socked in the fog, with gusty northwest winds, and temperatures in the 20s. Later in the day, fog cleared, revealing mostly sunny skies with slackening winds.On Thursday, winds shifted around to the southwest as a warm front approached, which sent temperatures soaring into the 30s. Overnight, the mercury continued

Night Observing 2013-04-21 22:04:58.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer Filling Out Paperwork During the Night Shift The night observer's schedule is very unique. Heading to bed at around 4 AM and waking up between 11 and 1, there's no need to set an alarm clock in the morning at the cost of having to stay awake extremely late. The sleep adjustment that the night observer goes through on a weekly basis is the equivalent to the jet lag from travelling back and forth from Western Europe, but adjusting becomes easier with practice. Just like during the day, the night observer

Spring Teaser. 2013-04-20 17:14:14.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Note the massive temperature slide after midnight! Much to the chagrin of a certain observer we've seen a dramatic shift in temperatures up here today as a very potent cold front passed through overnight. At this time yesterday we were in a thick and soupy, albeit warm, fog on our way to a 47 degree maximum temperature for the day. I was just crazy and desperate enough for warm weather that I resorted to shedding the winter EMS gear for shorts and short sleeves for our brief (two minute) observations

Arrivederci, Snow! 2013-04-19 15:00:29.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Free Flowing! The great melt-out on the summit has commenced!With temperatures soaring into the 40s today, all of the snow and ice that has built up in recent months is quickly reducing itself to lots of streams of flowing water. Quite a bit of rain, with perhaps a few thunderstorms, are expected tonight, which could exacerbate the already-building problem of: where will the water go? In an effort to stave off any flooding that could occur in our building, the staff has worked extra hard today to make sure that water

The Gradual Transition to Spring 2013-04-18 23:57:29.000 - Cyrena Briede,  Director of Summit Operations Cog Rail Workers Clearing the Tracks It has been far too long since I have spent a night on the summit, and I have to admit, I picked a great time to be up here. Winter has held a tight grasp on the area like it has across many parts of the country, but summer is on the horizon. We are slowly seeing the summit transform from a winter wonderland in several ways. For just over two weeks now, the Auto Road has been digging through

A New Day, Some Familiar Faces 2013-04-17 17:10:25.000 - Tom Padham,  Summit Intern NULL Shift change day today saw a few additional faces: some new, some old, and even a bit of both. Today is the beginning of my second summer internship at the summit of Mount Washington. After my internship here in the summer of 2011, I returned to school at Penn State to finish my degree in meteorology. Little did I know two years later the opportunity to return to the summit would arise, and I'm very happy to be a part of this great organization once more.

Notes From A Volunteer 2013-04-16 19:32:33.000 - Patti and Steve Chappell,  Summit Volunteers Some Rime Up Close. After numerous times volunteering in the summer, we've finally done a 'winter' week! Some aspects of this week were similar to those in the summer (same food in the pantry, same meat in the freezers, same equipment in the kitchen, same friendly crew) but there were obviously many differences (snow cat ride to the summit, colder temperatures, no people in the State Park Rotunda, and no MWO museum open to help out in). But the biggest difference this time was being able to