Another warm storm? 2012-01-26 23:39:45.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist A Typical Low Pressure System Are you a snow-lover? If so, I regret to inform you that you will most likely be disappointed with this latest round of winter weather.The jet stream continues to be positioned such that the seasonal parade of winter storms is passing directly over or just to the west of New England, instead of to our east. This is a perfect scenario for a storm producing milder conditions and a wintry mix of precipitation, rather than a colder system harboring an all-snow event. The reason for

A Week of Christmas 2012-01-25 19:41:30.000 - Kevin Talbot,  Summit Volunteer Blazing Sunset I look forward to these weeks on the summit with the same anticipation I looked forward to each Christmas as a child. As I drive north to meet the crew at the base of the Auto Road my heart quickens and I feel the same excitement a trip to see Santa would bring. As we meet and begin to load the tractor for the ride to the top I am filled with the same wonderment I felt nearly half a century ago as I rushed down the

Notes From a Volunteer 2012-01-24 23:05:52.000 - Paul Goundrey,  Summit Volunteer My previous trips up for a volunteer shift have been planned well in advance and I had a real sense of excitement and anticipation, the last 2 with my wife Althea (*miss you Al*). This time was a bit different. Early winter a call for help went out that an open shift existed and volunteers were needed. I put my name in and for some reason I was asked to go. So I started thinking about the shift and immediately had feelings of regret and guilt because Althea would

Summit Crew Celebrates National Pie Day 2012-01-23 21:57:31.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist Three Pies entered in the Summits contest For any of you who haven't heard today is National Pie Day. As it turns out there are actually two days to celebrate a National Pie/Pi day. Today is when we all celebrate National Pie Day and March 14th is when National Pi Day is celebrated.As part of the Celebration here on the Summit we had a pie back off and tasting today. There were three entrants in this year's contest, Brian Clark with a Boston Cream pie, Rebecca

Skiing the East Snowfields 2012-01-22 23:01:13.000 - Brian Clark,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL As is usually the case for me, when the weather and work load allow, I like to get outside on the mountain in the wintertime and do some backcountry skiing. The below average snowfall and relatively slow start to winter has not made for the best coverage in my favorite mid-winter destination: the East Snowfields. I actually got my first turns there at a somewhat unusual time back on Halloween day, but since then (until today) I have only been there once, back in late November. The

Let EduTrips be your Winter Wonderland 2012-01-21 18:12:18.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Operations Assistant Tonight's Winter Wonderland Today my Facebook news feed has been inundated with posts from friends about it snowing on Long Island. Although our winter here in the north could easily be better I had almost forgotten that some places still have not seen the fluffy white stuff. Growing up on Long Island we certainly did not have the same snow fall as the northeast but even this year winter has been sparse for my friends and family back home. Not anymore! However for those of you whose

The Other Side of Rime 2012-01-20 19:45:44.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Todays sunset shot through window rime. If you frequent our Observer Comments, you are probably well versed on what rime ice is. But for those who may have just started reading our blog entries or need a refresher, let me bring you up to speed. Rime ice is a white ice that forms on any exposed surface when there is freezing fog. If you live some place where it is cold, it is likely you have seen this happen on trees, cars, grass blades, etc during foggy times

Helicopter Visit 2012-01-19 19:03:21.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Operations Assistant Helicopter visiting the summit After a blustery day on the summit yesterday where our peak wind gust was 129 mph today proved to be the opposite. With winds below 20 mph when we arrived on the summit for our delayed shift change we were presently presented with 130 mile visibility and a clear sky. Although I love the days you can't see 20 feet in front of you and the winds are ramping up and gusting I do enjoy a scenic ride up the Mount Washington Auto Road in our Bombardier

No Shift Change? No Problem! 2012-01-18 23:27:42.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist 3-5 a.m. Wednesday Winds The cold front is long gone, but we remain here.In yesterday's comment, I was highlighting the fact that we may have some trouble with shift change today. My forecast turned out to be spot-on accurate, as the decision was made to not even attempt a shift change this morning. At the time the other shift would have been making their way to the summit in the Snow Cat, winds were averaging 90-100 mph, and gusting as high as 110 mph. Add on the fact

Wild Weather Wednesday 2012-01-18 01:06:54.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Some more wild weather is on the way!Sitting here staring at the computer models, we are currently anticipating a complicated shift change day tomorrow.A strong arctic cold front is going to blast its way through early tomorrow morning, and ramp up winds in excess of 100 mph sustained at times. Couple this with blowing snow and thick freezing fog, and things could get mighty tricky for the Snow Cat Operator.Generally speaking, poor visibility is what will force an operator to turn around. The Cat is mighty resilient, and can withstand