Night Lights 2012-09-19 23:06:14.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL The summit at night is a completely different experience than the daytime scene.Having been a summit employee for over four years, I've seen my fair share of fascinating phenomena. But I can say, without hesitation, that the vast majority and the most notable of these experiences have come during the nighttime hours. As ironic as it may sound, most of these experiences have to do with the concept of light during these dark hours. Because of the dark setting, different forms of observable nighttime lights take on a whole new

Thoughts From Our Volunteers 2012-09-18 17:38:51.000 - Patty and Wendy,  Summit Volunteers NULL As first time volunteers at the Mount Washington Observatory we quickly learned to be flexible... from using available food supplies, getting used to our inexperience with high altitude cooking, learning how to host guests, using 'summit time' (EST), and of course, the weather. By the end of our first full day, we had become fairly well oriented to supplies on hand and conquered a full course turkey dinner that was served to fifteen: eight summit staff and seven guests from the first Cog Summit Adventure group who

The Feeling of Fall 2012-09-17 19:57:16.000 - Brian Clark,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Although Fall is not my favorite season, or even perhaps my second favorite season, I do enjoy it quite a bit. Days on the summit like the last couple epitomize the reasons that I enjoy the season.Early Sunday morning we saw our first measurable snowfall of the meteorological year (July to June for us) and a decent accumulation of glaze ice as well (at least for this time of year). By mid morning on Sunday, fog cleared off to reveal an icy and slightly snowy summit of Mount

We need your vote in the Chase Community Giving Program!!! 2012-09-16 20:55:53.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist Your vote counts and can help put us over the top If you can give Mount Washington Observatory just 30 seconds of your valuable time you can help us secure a grant from the Chase Community Giving Program. Here's how this program works: Chase has five million dollars they want to give as grants to 196 non-profit organizations that serve their communities in a number of different categories from Education, Animals & Environment, Health, The Arts, Military & Veterans and several more.

The Seasons, They Are a-Changin' 2012-09-15 16:26:11.000 - Stephen Lanciani,  Summit Intern A warning sign of the One of the most common topics of discussion regarding the weather on Mt. Washington is how quickly things can change. The reason the "Rockpile" is home to the "World's Worst Weather" is not only because of the severity of storms, but also because of the rapid deterioration of conditions. The transition from yesterday to today was a prime example of this. High pressure had been providing pleasant weather for the region with clear, sun-filled skies and unseasonably mild temperatures due to a warm

Why Are We Hounding You? 2012-09-14 17:17:02.000 - Cara Rudio,  Marketing and Communications Manager We need your help! As you know from our website, emails, and Facebook posts, the Observatory is currently competing in the 2012 Chase Community Giving contest.What you might not know is why an institution like ours has decided to participate in a national contest of this scale. Indeed, the reaction I've heard from many acquaintances is "why the heck are you even bothering with this? Isn't it a shot in the dark?"In a word, no.Let me explain. As a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit institution, our funding is

What Is METAR? And Does That Mean We Can Fly a Kite Today? 2012-09-13 16:47:00.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist A Perfect Day for Flying a Kite It's 60 degrees, the winds are low and visibility is over 100 miles in every direction. It's days like these that make it easy to forget about the dead of winter and the frozen insides of turbulent clouds. It may not be the most extreme weather day up here on Mount Washington, but as I train and study for my METAR certification, it begs the question: Why do we take weather observations?First,

What a Difference a Day Makes 2012-09-12 23:17:28.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist A haze-free sunset this afternoon. When we arrived on the summit today for shift change, the horizon was muddled with a milky white haze to the east and a brownish-red haze in all our other quadrants. For those who have worked here a while, this haze looked a bit familiar, but I didn't want to just make assumptions as to what we were seeing. And I know, saying I don't work off assumptions is a funny thing to say since I'm a meteorologist and I work off

Volunteer Thoughts 2012-09-11 23:10:09.000 - Sharon Camp & Sandy Fisher,  Summit Volunteers "Variety is the spice of life." Volunteering for the OBS on the summit of Mt Washington, we have experienced a variety of weather conditions this week from being "in the clouds" to 120 mile visibility with a magnificent sunrise through the rime ice, to winds gusting to 80 mph, as well as our first thunder and lightning storm on the summit.Thursday, we were blessed to witness the first ever Naturalization Ceremony on the summit as 20 men and women from 14 countries took the Oath to become US

Dreaming of Convective Clouds 2012-09-10 15:14:36.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Summit Intern A diagram of thunderstorm formation As summer slowly fades to winter, I am reminded of summer days full of warmth, travel and, best of all, thunderstorms. Although my parents' dog doesn't like it too much, whenever I see the little red line of severe weather barreling towards me on the radar I can't help but get excited.There are a few ways these severe storms can form. Most common on hot and humid days, the ground soaks up the sun throughout the day, quickly warming the air next to the