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

Beautiful Day 2013-04-15 17:17:12.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Looking to Wildcat It is a spectacular day on the summit! The sun is shining, winds are calm, and visibility is at it's peak. On days like today being outside for observations is a welcomed part of the job. Although the summit is still snow covered and has wintery touches left by Mother Nature yesterday, Spring is in the air! Today's temperature has inched as high as 28 degrees and the rime is slowing sublimating. If this were the weekend I can only imagine the number of people that would

Vasque Overnight 2013-04-14 16:34:50.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Vasque Group On The Summit Saturday marked the last scheduled overnight trip of the winter season here on Mount Washington. The participants of this trip consisted of representatives from Vasque, our official footwear sponsor. Friday morning, the nine precipitants made the arduous journey up the Mount Washington Auto Road. With spring conditions at the base and winter conditions at the top, the trip up saw a mix of precipitation which lengthened their journey.Once they arrived however, they quickly settled in. While they were here they had the opportunity to tour

An Aurora Borealis for the U.S. But Not Us 2013-04-13 23:43:20.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Let me start by reminding everyone that I am a meteorologist which means I study weather, not space or meteors and I work and the Mount Washington Observatory which observers the weather and not space or meteors. I just want to make that clear because I am about to talk about space and I don't want there to be any confusion as to my profession and about where I work. So with that being said, let get to tonight's Observer Comment. Working nights up

Happy Big Wind Day 2013-04-12 18:35:42.000 - Michael Kyle,  Summit Intern Happy Big Wind Day Everyone! For those of you who aren't familiar with Big Wind Day, Big Wind Day is a day in honor of one of our most notable weather events. It was on this day 79 years ago, that the observers at the newly founded Mount Washington Observatory recorded a wind speed of 231 MPH . Observers Salvatore Pagliuca, Alex McKenzie, Wendell Stephenson, along with several feline observers and two guests, had front row seats to the abnormally strong, late winter storm. In the 48 hours leading