Cold and Windy on the Summit 2013-01-24 17:59:39.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Summit Intern The Observeratory Door in -30 Degree Temperatures When I went outside to help sling for an observation this morning, I was caught by surprise by the strong northwest winds. In order for the sling to work, which measures humidity from the difference in temperature from a dry thermometer and a wet thermometer, I must make the measurement in the shade. Unfortunately, the only significant shade nearby this morning was behind a protrusion on the other side of the deck. Taking one step out of the wind shadow

Cold Risks 2013-01-24 00:38:59.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NWS Wind Chill Chart It's no secret that today (Wednesday) was a chilly one on the summit. With a low of -35 degrees F, we experienced some of the coldest temperatures of the last few years. With arctic temperatures and high winds come a slew of dangers, many of which are commonly overlooked. So, let these comments serve as a reminder to just how perilous Mt. Washington can be in its most sinister moments.The human body is not bred for very cold temperatures, and is not designed to adapt to such

Jack Frost Is On The Way To The Area 2013-01-22 23:39:25.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist Current conditions at 9:30pm EST. As I write this, we're already at -24F and falling rapidly while winds are howling outside at 79 mph and gusting to nearly 90. I just looked at the models with fellow Observer, Ryan Knapp, and the models are predicting a range of -32F to -35F for the overnight lows and winds are expected to be in 50 to 70 mile per hour range; which they've already exceeded with higher gusts. Right now we're seeing wind chills of

Brush Up On Your Knowledge 2013-01-21 18:32:45.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist The Red Brush - My favorite new tool. This week, we got a new tool on the summit. So what is it, you might ask? A new anemometer? A new forecasting model? A new crowbar? Nope, none of these things. The new tool I am referring to is a brush. Yep, you read that correctly, a brush. A simple, run of the mill, plastic handled, bristle ended brush; the kind you can pick up at any gas station or quick-e-mart around the country. So, why am I so

Football Brings Us Together Despite The Distance 2013-01-20 21:57:09.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist My crew and I watching tonights football game. Tonight I am going to divert from talking about the weather or the mountain and touch on the human side of living on an arctic island in the clouds. Working and living on the summit for eight days at a time, we spend 209 days a year living on the summit and 156 days living in the valley. One can sometimes feel disconnected from valley life away from friends and family; and keeping in touch through social

First Days On The Summit As A Winter Intern 2013-01-19 16:20:01.000 - Michael Kyle,  Summit Intern NULL Being a new Intern at the Mount Washington Observatory and new to the state of New Hampshire, the past few days have been one new experience after another. Hailing from southern New Jersey where the highest points are casinos and lighthouses, Mount Washington's summit is a whole new world. The views from the top of the mountain are like none that I have seen before. To the west there are mountains for as far as I can see. To the east are mountains

A Note From Our Executive Director 2013-01-18 21:12:46.000 - Scot Henley,  Executive Director NULL We have received a large number of calls and inquiries about Thursday's events here on Mount Washington. Thank you to our members and fans for the concern. As you may have already heard, all involved are safe and sound. There was an avalanche in Huntington Ravine on Thursday afternoon that affected a party of twelve climbers who had made prior arrangements to stay overnight here at the Observatory. The group included the 'Ascents of Honor' team (including Former Reconnaissance Marine Keith Zeier), videographer Thom Pollard and

13 Can Sometimes Be Lucky 2013-01-16 17:48:06.000 - The Kinneys,  Summit Volunteers NULL It's January 2013 and we are finishing our week on the 'Rock Pile'. It might sound pessimistic, but the number 13 has, historically, been unlucky. My grandmother had all her family for Christmas dinner every year but never sat at the dinner table as she would have been number 13. Many buildings are missing a 13th floor. The first woman to die on Mount Washington, Lizzie Bourne, died February 13th at 23 yrs. old. Fearing there was some credence to the myths, I decided to look deeper.

January Thaw Maxes Out 2013-01-14 15:16:01.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL This year's January thaw has given Mt. Washington a new high mark.That mark is 48F--the highest temperature ever recorded in the month of January in the Mt. Washington Observatory's 80 year history. During the waning hours of my shift on Sunday morning (January 13th), all of our temperature devices were hovering right around 39F, as they had been throughout most of that night. The models were forecasting a serious jump in temperatures on that day, which looked likely to come when winds, which were blowing around 30-40 mph,

Programs Galore! 2013-01-13 16:56:05.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Brian outside during a program! It's been a busy week up on the Rockpile, and for a moment we get a bit of a breather between trips and visitors to the summit; playoff football anyone? It's been a particularly busy week for Distance Learning Programs, which as the Education Specialist, and the staffer charged with delivering programs, it's been fun and very rewarding getting to reach out to as many schools and students as possible. For those of you who don't know exactly what Distance Learning programs are all about,