Weekly Weather Summary Nov. 13 - 19 2011-11-21 08:45:45.000 - Rick Giard,  Weather Observer / Education Specialist NULL WEEKLY WEATHER SUMMARYNovember 13th - 19thThis week began with fair conditions and seasonal temperatures under the influence of high pressure. As the ridge moved off to the east, the corresponding southwesterly flow moderated temperatures to above-normal levels. With mild air in place, the frontal system moving in from the west on Monday produced light rain and fog. Behind the front on Tuesday, cooler air imported on the westerly flow prompted the mercury to slip below freezing by late morning. Consequently, the fog

Precipitation Formation - Part 2 2011-11-20 14:44:53.000 - Rick Giard,  Weather Observer / Education Specialist NULL On Wednesday we began the theme of precipitation formation. You now appreciate the fundamental roles of water vapor content, temperature and air capacity in cloud formation and eventual precipitation. Today, we continue our discussion by delving into the conditions and processes within clouds that determine the amount and type of precipitation that will occur. Recall that visible cloud droplets are the condensed liquid form of the invisible water vapor always present in the air. These are exceedingly small, and to precipitate they must grow

Jeff DeRosa on Martha's Vineyard! 2011-11-19 12:09:14.000 - Rick Giard,  Weather Observer / Education Specialist Jeff DeRosa For those of you who missed Jeff's talk in Maine last night, here is one more chance to see his presentation next week. What a great idea to have this on Martha's Vineyard! "On Saturday, November 26th at 7 p.m., Outreach Coordinator Jeff DeRosa will be giving a program on beautiful Martha's Vineyard. In connection with Mass Audubon Felix Neck. Jeff will give a program titled 'From Summit to Sea Level' where he ties the extremes of Northern New England (the mountains) together

Jeff Derosa at Lakes Environmental Tonight! 2011-11-18 11:47:01.000 - Rick Giard,  Weather Observer / Education Specialist Jeff Derosa This evening you can enjoy a great local talk by our own Jeff Derosa. Jeff is very knowledgeable about all aspects of Mount Washington, having worked atop the summit for several years. Currently Outreach Coordinator at MWOBS, his duties include leading the popular overnight summit Winter EduTrips. He has also experienced weather in Antarctica almost as severe as the summit of Mount Washington - spending nearly two years conducting surface and upper atmospheric observations at the South Pole where he endured a

A Legacy 80 Years in the Making 2011-11-17 02:48:16.000 - Scot Henley,  Executive Director A legacy 80 years in the making In just a little more than a month, the Observatory will celebrate its 80th year on Mount Washington.That's eight decades of weather observation, research, and public outreach-an impressive milestone, made even more impressive by the fact that it was funded by individual members, donors and fans.If you are reading this blog, you obviously appreciate the work that we do. Well, consider this: This blog, this website, and this entire organization are funded primarily by private donations. Donations given by

Precipitation Formation: Part One 2011-11-16 17:06:58.000 - Rick Giard,  Weather Observer / Education Specialist NULL Last week the general theme for these remarks was cloud types. This week we shall focus on the most important element of weather produced by clouds, namely precipitation. This element puts the 'meteor' in meteorology. The technical term given to precipitation is the 'hydrometeor' - particles of water in various forms that fall from the sky. If you have visited Mount Washington at any time of year, you know that the summit receives a great deal of precipitation in every conceivable variety. Have you contemplated

Busted Snow Light 2011-11-15 20:58:50.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Rime on the Snow Light when it's working. Outside our northern set of windows, we have a light attached to a post which we refer to as 'the snow light'. What this simplistic 'instrument' does is helps us determine is whether or not we have falling or blowing snow outside. If the snow is parallel with the ground, likely it is blowing, if falling from above or at a high enough angle, likely it is falling. It is not our only method of determining blowing vs. falling snow, but it

...back down to the valley, valley so low... 2011-11-14 17:28:39.000 - Judy Heininger,  Weather Discovery Center Attendant NULL ...back down to the valley, valley so low... I have the privilege ofworking at the Weather Discovery Center for the Mount WashingtonObservatory, at the Observatory's valley headquarters in North Conway. With that position came the opportunity to participate in this year'sfirst winter overnight EduTrip: Studying Stars from the Summit. Aspromised, Dave McDonald, Director of Education at the McAuliffe-ShepardDiscovery Center, provided an overview of basic observational astronomy. We learned about 'star hopping' as a way to remember constellations, wegot to check out refractive,

Warming Up 2011-11-13 17:37:55.000 - Brian Clark,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Marty, taking in the view from the Weather Room As Roger mentioned yesterday, we had our first EduTrip of the season up with us through this afternoon. The participants were treated to some fog-free weather late last night, and then a very nice sunrise this morning. I was especially glad that it cleared out for a time last night, considering the top of this particular trip was astronomy.The fog-free conditions continued through out today, but as is always the case, the fog will be returning very soon. Also, after a

The first Edu-Trip of the season has arrived 2011-11-12 18:25:58.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist The first EduTrippers of the season The EduTrippers made it to the Summit around 11:30 this morning after several stops along the Auto Road to do a little sightseeing and picture taking for an overnight at the Observatory with Trip Leader Dave McDonald who's the Directory of Education at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH. The topic of this EduTrip is Studying Stars from the Summit. One of the comments I heard was "We went from late fall to early winter on the