Two Extremes 2013-03-20 21:41:29.000 - Ed O'Malley,  Summit Volunteer NULL In preparing for this Mt. Washington volunteer week, I effectively went from one extreme of 'the world's worst weather' to another. My small, coastal hometown in New Jersey was one of the areas hardest hit by Superstorm (Hurricane) Sandy in late October. Since then, with the exception of a few short trips, I have been dealing with the aftermath of that storm, both personally, professionally, and as an emergency management volunteer in my town.It all started on October 29th, 2012, when I first saw ocean water breach the dunes, and

An Ode to Marty, the Mount Washington Feline Sage 2013-03-19 22:58:18.000 - John Bauhs,  Summit Volunteer Marty the Feline Sage. It was a gusty Tuesday morning when I looked out the window through the icy glass and discovered 3 inches of snow had fallen. Overnight, the glistening powder kicked up a blizzard that slammed the summit leaving heavy drifts. The microwave towers and out-buildings were painted with a delicate white veil. Weather like today interrupts normal thought and manipulates your senses.Marty walked into the weather room. He's a fine cat and a confident master of this place in the clouds.

Supporting Us Through Pictures 2013-03-18 18:27:25.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist A preview of our new picture site. It is often said that a picture is worth 1000 words. And that is why, whenever possible, we try to snap a photo of interesting or unique things we see up here. We then post these images in our Observer Comments or on our Facebook page for people to enjoy. Over the years, we would post an image on our pages and then receive an email or Facebook comment asking if we were selling the image. So, with these requests in mind,

Something Spectacular 2013-03-17 17:19:42.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Aurora As Viewed From The Summit As mentioned in last night's Observer Comment we had the potential to see an Aurora Borealis (aka, the Northern Lights). And what an Aurora we saw! At around 12:28AM EDT, the ACE Spacecraft detected the Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) from the solar flare earlier in the week and soon after, the CME reached earth. By 01:01AM EDT, Auroral activity could be viewed but it was not until later that the summit would clear from the fog for a spectacular viewing. The colors were amazing

Mother Nature May Bring Us a Green Sky for St. Patrick's Day 2013-03-16 18:53:00.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist NULL According to NOAA-NWS's Space Weather Prediction Center, a moderate to possibly strong geomagnetic storm is expected Saturday night into Monday morning - possibly allowing for green skies on St Patrick's Day. This means that the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights to some, may be visible in parts of New England this weekend. Best viewing will be in areas with views that stretch well north, away from cities, with the better chances the further north you are located. However, you

Clear Day 2013-03-15 17:04:59.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Marty Taking In The View Today has shaped up to be a beautiful day on the summit with views reaching 100 miles. In the distance, lenticular clouds build and dissipate seamlessly, yielding perfectly stationary clouds. Blowing snow whips off neighboring peaks and the sun shines bright, increasing temperatures. Winters slow demise will soon be changing the landscape.Although winter is the season I look forward to the most, I also enjoy the transitional seasons. Within the coming weeks, the valley will undergo a transition from snow covered ground to budding greenery

Winter Does Not Want To End 2013-03-14 18:57:09.000 - Michael Kyle,  Summit Intern NULL After last weekend's beautiful weather condition many of us in the White Mountain region are looking forward to the spring season. Unfortunately the weather models are showing Old Man Winter doesn't want winter to end. With astronomical spring starting on March 20th, weather models are showing the next winter storm potentially impacting the region on March 19th. Yes, the last official day of winter, the northeast could potentially see the next significant winter storm. While the storm is still six days out and a lot could

Summit Side-Wheeler 2013-03-13 23:16:49.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Some waterlogged snow ahead of us this morning. Earlier today, we got to take a paddle steamer to the summit. Alright, not literally, but it certainly felt that way. The warm temperatures from the past few days along with yesterday's fog and rain allowed a lot of water to start running down the mountain. Some of this runoff was visible on top of the snow pack but a bulk of it was running off underneath making for some supersaturated snow packs; especially in areas where ice jams were allowing the runoff

Follow the Maze of Precip 2013-03-12 22:45:06.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL What an entertaining Tuesday it's been!While forecasting this morning, computer models were advertising temperatures hovering right around the freezing point today on the summit. These temperatures are particularly difficult to forecast for, especially when precipitation is involved. The progression of events was anything but boring. See if you can keep up with this:At 6:45 AM, with temperatures still in the upper 20s, the first band of precip came through, resulting in freezing rain on the summit.At 7:40 AM, despite temperatures warming slightly, freezing rain changed over to

Mount Washington Tanning Salon? 2013-03-11 16:48:51.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Summit Intern Rime Covers the Stage Office on the Summit Although this week's weather started off under the influence of a coastal storm that dropped over 2 feet of snow in the Boston area, it seemed as if finicky Mother Nature decided to spare outdoor enthusiasts this weekend. The summit cleared for the first time in 5 days on Friday, revealing thick rime ice covering everything on the summit. With a building ridge of high pressure, skies cleared, temperatures warmed, and winds dropped off allowing the Rockpile to look more like