The Ups and Downs of January 2013-02-04 21:33:29.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist January 2013 Hourly Temperature Chart This past January saw a temperature spread of 83F degrees here on the summit; with the coldest day being on the 23rd, with a low of 35F degrees below zero, and the warmest being 48F degrees above zero on the 13th.During the month, the previous monthly record high of 47F degrees above zero was broken on the 13th, with a temperature of 48F degrees above zero. Three new daily records were also set, and two daily records were equaled. The records

Dear NFL The Lights Are Still On At The Mount Washington Observatory 2013-02-03 20:56:30.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer / Education Specialist NULL Dear NFL,In light (punt intended) of your recent loss of power, we would like to offer the summit of Mount Washington's Sherman Adams building as a location for next year's Super Bowl XLVIII. Here on the summit, we not only receive grid power from the valley but can switch to generator backup with almost a seamless delay. With two large generators running on kerosene, the summit of Mount Washington rarely loses power. Not to mention that the

Volunteer Comment 2013-02-02 15:38:33.000 - Gail Langer,  Summit Volunteer NULL 'I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.' - Andy RooneyI would like folks to know that although I am writing this from the summit of Mount Washington, I did not climb it; but traveled in the warm comfort of the Observatory's snow cat. And, although I have climbed this mountain many times, I must say that I find complete happiness by both climbing this mountain and being chauffeured here in the comfort of a

Up, Up, Down, Down... 2013-02-01 21:01:45.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL Growing up, every car I rode in had a crank on the door that was used to roll the window up or down. However, as I got older, friends started to get cars with power windows, where, with the flick of a switch or button, the window went up or down. As a kid, I was fascinated with this and when I rode in a vehicle equipped with this feature for the first time, I would 'experiment'. I would push the button down, and the window would go

Thundersnow 2013-01-31 19:42:37.000 - Michael Kyle,  Summit Intern Over the past few days many of the interior states from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio River Valley have seen unusual severe weather. According to the Storm Prediction Center's website there have been 736 storm reports from January 29th through January 30th. Of these reports 30 have been tornados, 643 of strong winds, and 13 of hail. The occurrence of thunderstorms in these areas of the country is not abnormal however, it is unusual to see severe thunderstorms in January. So it got me wondering; has Mount Washington ever seen thunderstorms

Volunteer Week Thoughts 2013-01-30 22:40:45.000 - Hilary Clark,  Summit Volunteer Our smallest "Observer" taking a cat nap. This past week was my second winter volunteer week. This shift has been all about the wind. Previously I had experienced high winds for one day but this shift saw five days of winds hitting 60-100 mph. Add that to the frigid temperatures and our choices of activities were limited.Over the last five days I have loved the energy of the high winds and cold temperatures. No matter where I was in the observatory, I could hear the wind. When there was a

Observations/Notes From Betty Olivolo, First-Time Winter Volunteer! 2013-01-29 12:52:48.000 - Betty Olivolo,  Summit Volunteer Day 1-- Most amazing for me on my first day were the temps and wind-- 35 below, 70 mph wind, wind chill 86 below!! We had lots of TV/radio stations calling us, and got on Channel 5 Boston. Day 2-- There were even higher winds today with even more amazing visibility! Staff were very busy with media--we were live on CNN and Channel 7 in Boston! Hilary (my friend and cookmate) and I tried going up into the tower to see out, but only managed to

Warm Up Ahead 2013-01-27 23:34:44.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL It's hard to believe what's in the forecast.When we arrived on the summit nearly four-and-a-half days ago, the thermometer read a frosty 35 degrees below zero F. Wind chills were somewhere around 85 below F, and exposed skin while outdoors was absolutely forbidden.Now, an inexplicable warming trend is in the cards, with temperatures expected to rise above freezing on Tuesday, and readings approaching 40 degrees F possible on Wednesday!The recent stretch of relatively precipitation-free weather, which often comes with such an arctic cold snap due to the lack of

Temperature Swings 2013-01-26 17:29:00.000 - Steve Welsh,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist NULL After a dusting of snow last night the morning started out very pleasant with temperatures between 5 and 10 below zero and just a light 20 mph breeze from the NW. The views were very pleasant although it's a shock to see how little snow is left around the higher peaks with lots of rocks and sedge showing along with large patches of ice. Looking at the extended forecast it looks like we'll be well above the freezing mark on Wednesday with rain likely too. January has certainly been

Media Frenzy 2013-01-25 18:14:04.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Weather Observer/Movie Star during an interview. Every shift up here on the rockpile is unique, and this week is no exception. Likely by the time things are all said and done and we're on our way down the mountain for our week off next Wednesday we'll be sure to dub this 'the week of the media storm.'Being the small, member-driven non-profit we are it can seem pretty daunting when organizations like CNN, The Boston Globe, WHDH Boston, WBZ Boston, WMUR, HLN TV, Inside Edition, The Conway Daily Sun and WCVB