April Fools Day! 2012-04-01 18:35:32.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Operations Assistant Discovery in the Snow Last shift I wrote about the strange warm weather that broke daily records for five days strait. This week, although it is not the temperatures that are strange there has been something else. On most calm evenings here on the summit it is not uncommon to see the fox wondering the summit looking for dropped food by hikers. But the past two evenings there has been something besides the fox lingering around the summit. I was convinced it was a late hiker summiting, but the lack

Light Pillars Over Berlin Last Night 2012-03-31 19:33:58.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Light Pillars over Berlin, NH last night. Working nights up here, I'm not usually easily scared...Nope, that's not right...Working nights up here, I am perpetually in a state of fear. I may put on a brave face on the outside, but inside, I'm more like the Cowardly Lion from 'The Wizard of Oz'. Some nights are better than others, but most, somewhere in the back of my mind, I am constantly being nagged by the 'What ifs...?' What if I slip and hurt myself? What if a

Spring is just over the Horizon 2012-03-30 19:55:01.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist Looking North Through Rime Covered Windows For anyone that's been following the Observer Comments the past few days you'll know that the Summit has returned to a more wintery look after the early Spring thaw that we saw a week ago. At this point we're reporting five inches of snow on the Summit so just a thin coating of white is covering everything.We spent most of the day in the fog with light snow falling and blowing around. Come late afternoon the fog became intermittent and

Snow and Cold Temperatures Return to the Summit 2012-03-29 17:41:17.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Operations Assistant Deck View of the Snow Yesterday Morning It is good to be back on the summit for yet another week. Last week I left the summit in a less than enthusiastic mood as all the snow was melting away. Fearing it might be the end to winter I pulled out all my summer attire in the valley. Returning to the summit I didn't need a single stitch of it as I put on my warm Eastern Mountain Sports gear for a cold start to the

Spring Shift Change Shuffle 2012-03-28 23:55:42.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Cow Pasture Lenticulars. This past week off in the valley was pretty bizarre weather-wise, going from record heat in the 70s and 80s when we first got down on the 21st to temperatures in 20s and nearly 2 inches of new snow on the ground as I left my house this morning to come back up. This mix of weather also made for an interesting shift change as every vehicle in our fleet was utilized to get up. We started with our 4x4 van with chains on from the

Comments from Volunteers 2012-03-27 16:32:05.000 - Connie & Werner Griesshammer,  Summit Volunteers NULL This was our second time as volunteers. What a week it was up here! The weather put on quite an elaborate show for us. We came up last Wednesday to temperatures of 54 F, sunshine and low winds. Not what you would expect in late March. The next day was still a record breaker but the wind had picked up. Friday was around freezing for the whole day. The next day brought freezing rain, and rain later on. Sunday surprised us with light snowfall, fog and rime

Marty's Thoughts 2012-03-26 17:11:59.000 - Marty,  Summit Cat Purrfect Pillow Meow from the summit of Mount Washington!At 5PM on Monday, March, 26th, the summit was in the fog, and I still didn't care, because you all should be focused on the pretty kitty that resides inside the walls of the Observatory.That's right, folks. It's me, Marty the summit cat, interrupting the long string of comments by the humans to let you in on my perspective, from a foot or two off the ground.I was one happy kitty last week when it got very warm outside. I ordered the observers to

Weekly Weather Summary March 18-24 2012-03-25 13:46:36.000 - Rick Giard,  Weather Observer / Education Specialist Weather Mar. 18-24 WEEKLY WEATHER SUMMARYMarch 18-24, 2012The big weather story this week was five days of record-setting high temperatures. Records were set for daily maximum temperature each day Sunday through Thursday, and Wednesday equaled the all-time monthly high for March. In fact, the mercury did not dip below the freezing point until early Friday morning. The weekly statistics stacked up as follows: Average daily maximum temperature 46.6, average daily minimum 35.1, and weekly average temperature 41.0. Daily peak winds averaged at 58.1 MPH with

Saturday 2012-03-24 17:31:01.000 - Steve Welsh,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist NULL Today has been another pleasant day on the top of the Rockpile with temperatures in the mid 30s, light winds, overcast skies and panoramic views to well over 100 miles. Tonight, however, should see the weather deteriorate as we return to the fog with showers of sleet and rain. Tomorrow doesn't look much better either with more rain and fog likely then it's going to get really cold and windy, that will certainly be a shock to the system, after all we've only really see see warm fog free days

Toasty Times 2012-03-23 20:37:44.000 - Rick Giard,  Weather Observer / Education Specialist NULL Although it was pleasant to experience another unusually toasty March (April? May?) early spring (summer?) day yesterday, during these past several days it felt rather odd to be removing the multiple protective layers that protect us from the typical extremes as we go about our labors on the Rock Pile. Those summer boots felt strangely light and nimble, and when was the last time I left the goggles off and slipped the shades on. No hat? Good grief, let's check the calendar - could that have possibly