Mount Washington Observatory Observer Blog
Extreme Commuting on Mount Washington
Extreme Commuting on Mount Washington By Lauren Clem | Winter 2024/2025 This article was originally published in the Winter 2024/25 edition of Mt Washington Valley Vibe, a unique, outdoor-focused, seasonally-printed publication in the Mt. Washington Valley of New Hampshire. WiseguyCreative.com photo In his 19 years serving as a weather observer for the Mount Washington Observatory, Ryan Knapp has seen it all. He’s seen 10-foot snow drifts piled against the walls of the Sherman Adams Building. He’s experienced minus-40-degree temperatures with a wind chill of 101 below. He’s seen clear days with a view 130 miles in every direction,
The 2025 Gulf Coast Blizzard: History, Science, and Perspectives from a Floridian Turned New Englander
The 2025 Gulf Coast Blizzard: History, Science, and Perspectives from a Floridian Turned New Englander By Alex Branton As a Florida native and a life-long weather enthusiast, I was always left wondering what it would be like to experience snow. Don’t get me wrong, hurricanes, thunderstorms, and tornadoes would never fail to excite me, but snow was a meteorological phenomenon that sadly seemed out of the realm of possibility in Gulf Breeze, FL. Having since moved to New England, the allure of snow has only grown stronger. Growing up in northwest Florida, cold temperatures were not uncommon in the
2024 By The Numbers
2024 By The Numbers By Ryan Knapp Blowing snow highlighted at sunset with some undercast on Feb. 1, 2025. Having just wrapped up the monthly review for January 2025, it appears that 2025 is off to a cold start. While reviewing last month's data, it reminded me that I should probably put together a blog post summarizing some of the weather stats that formed 2024. Looking back at weather stats, if I had to choose four words to summarize 2024 weather conditions on the summit, they would be - warm, wet, snowy, and foggy. To find out
Where Weather Meets Wonder
Where Weather Meets Wonder By Peter Edwards Hello everyone! My name is Peter Edwards, one of the interns for the Mount Washington Observatory this winter and I’m psyched to be here! I’ve had a fascination with the weather extremes and especially winter weather phenomenon for as long as I can remember. In fact while I sit here writing this I can’t think of something that exhilarates me more. Growing up in the Worcester Hills of northern Massachusetts I realized at a young age that during nor’easters we’d almost always be colder and get more snow than surrounding areas. These
From Colorado to Mount Washington: My First Days as a Climate Data Intern
From Colorado to Mount Washington: My First Days as a Climate Data Intern By Frank Vazzano Hello MWOBS community! My name is Frank Vazzano (he/him), and I am the winter 2025 climate data analysis intern. This is an all-new joint internship giving me the opportunity to work with scientists and science communicators at the Mount Washington Observatory, Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), and Hubbard Brook Research Foundation (HBRF). I’m excited to tell you all about how my first shift has gone and what research I’ll be working on in the coming months as I brave the perilous weather conditions that relentlessly batter the
Living the High Life on Mount Washington
Living the High Life on Mount Washington By Mees Franssen Hello, my name is Mees Franssen and I am one of the new MWOBS summit interns! I’m a recent graduate from McGill University, where I got a BSc in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. I’ve been wanting to come down to the White Mountains for the longest time, and I am super excited to finally be here. I was lucky enough to grow up all over the world. Finding homes along the Gulf of Mexico, Egypt, the tropics of South East Asia and the Middle East. This has given me
In the Snow Globe: Dispatches from Mount Washington
In the Snow Globe: Dispatches from Mount Washington By Marin MacDonald Hey MWOBS community, my name is Marin MacDonald (she/her), and I am the Mount Washington Observatory/Mount Washington Avalanche Center intern this winter! Growing up in New England, I spent countless hours exploring the White Mountains- from skiing, to camping, to overnight trips up to the AMC huts. On these trips up north, I dragged my parents to the Obs museum in North Conway more times than I can count, with my favorite exhibits being the live summit conditions board and the 3D interactive map. Drawn to mountain living,
100 FAQs About Being a Weather Observer on Mount Washington
100 FAQs About Being a Weather Observer on Mount Washington By Alex Branton I recently collaborated with the Education team to compile and answer the most frequently asked questions during our programs. From daily living, to instrumentation, to Nimbus the summit cat, we hope these answers help illustrate what work and life are like on the rockpile! 1. Do weather observers get paid? Yes, we are full-time hourly employees who earn pay and benefits. 2. Do observers ever get stuck on Mount Washington in bad weather? Yes. Often times during the winter, the weather is too bad for our
Just Another Fall Foliage Season at the Cog Railway
Just another Fall Foliage Season at the Cog Railway By Randall Armor| December 9, 2024 Each year, from late September thru mid-October, Mount Washington presents her best, most colorful face to the world. The onset of Autumn is always spectacularly beautiful up here, bringing with it an equally spectacular part-time migration of admirateurs du feuillage (as our friends across the northern border might politely say). The first six weeks of Fall ’24 saw an unusually dense influx of leaf-seeking out-of-towners converging on our rocky little chunk of paradise. Now, don’t get us wrong– tourism is the lifeblood of our
November 2024 by the Numbers
November 2024 by the Numbers By Ryan Knapp Nov. 2, 2024 (top) and Nov. 25, 2024 (bottom). As we head into December, it is a perfect time to look back and summarize November. If I were to use adjectives to summarize November 2024's weather conditions on the summit, they would be - warm, wet, foggy, windy, and snowy. To find out why these words were chosen, let's look back at some of the stats for November 2024: Our average temperature for November 2024 was 25.9°F (-3.4°C), which is 5.1°F above the 1991-2020 30-year normal for our station.
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