It's Quiet at the Top 2011-11-04 19:41:09.000 - Kevin Cronin,  Summit Intern Dreary Friday It's eerily quiet on the summit since shift change this past Wednesday. Currently there are only six people on the summit which includes two state employees and four observatory staff. The weather today restricted the cog train from coming to the summit as winds gusted up to the lower 70s and and wind chills ran below zero. It's an odd feeling to have so few people on the summit but it is quite normal this time a year as winter approaches (winter's here on the summit).

Following the cloud theme from yesterday, I was able to take a good photograph of altostratus clouds 2011-11-03 19:55:35.000 - Kevin Cronin,  Summit Intern Following the cloud theme from yesterday, I was ab Following the cloud theme from yesterday, I was able to take a good photograph of altostratus clouds and cirrostratus clouds. The photograph I uploaded is taken from the observatory deck directed towards the north during sunrise. Within this photograph you can see (in the center of the picture starting from the right) the major peaks of Madison, Adams, and part of Jefferson. If you look on the

Cirrus Clouds 2011-11-02 20:01:54.000 - Kevin Cronin,  Summit Intern Cirrus Clouds As I headed out to the observatory deck two hours before sunset, I noticed the sky was full of cirrus clouds. The picture below provides a great representation of what cirrus clouds look like. You can usually identify them from the wispy, hair-like signatures they make in the sky. They are not formed from a collection of water droplets such as fair weather cumulus clouds or stratus clouds. They are actually a collection of ice crystals. The ice crystals form from deposition, which is a transition of a substance

Volunteer Notes 2011-11-01 23:05:39.000 - Judy Richardi,  Summit Volunteer NULL It is great to be back on the mountain of mountains! I haven't been here for 5 yrs. and boy have things changed. You can actually flush the toilet every time you use it and you can take a shower everyday! (Enough of the stuff for giving you a reason to live.) We got to see the Atlantic Ocean one morning and actually saw 2 ships sailing on it. We also saw plenty of hikers on Saturday and the Cog made 4 runs that day. Then came the news that

Calmer Weather 2011-10-31 17:52:47.000 - David Narkewicz,  Summit Intern Today has been a relatively quiet day around here. As the early season Nor'easter has come and gone, it has allowed for some calmer weather to follow. Temperatures have been on the rise and will stay in the 20's for an extended period. With the temperatures rising, winds have been decreasing and are forecasted to stay light. To make the weather even better some clearing has even started this evening and will continue through the day tomorrow. This weather has given us some time to do a little work outside. I

A Trick or Treat of a Storm 2011-10-30 18:54:40.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Snowfall map of the October storm. When you're a kid, tomorrow (Halloween) was kind of a big deal 'cause it meant you got to dress up as your favorite character, persona, or hero and go door to door to collect free candy. You'd map out where you think you'd get the best and most candy then plead with your parents to take you there. You'd collect your booty then head home to bask in the piles of candy you just collected. Sometimes there'd be an apple

A Double Edged Sword 2011-10-29 19:44:15.000 - Brian Clark,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL Getting excited about extreme weather events is sometimes a doubleedged sword, of sorts. By that, I mean that often the most interesting and most extreme weather events cause considerable damage and, unfortunately, sometimes considerable loss of human life. Because of that, it can often look to some people as though getting excited about these sorts of events shows a lack of consideration for others. I can tell you that, from my perspective as a 'weather enthusiast', that is not the case at all. I get excited about

Another day in the office with the best views in the Northeast 2011-10-28 18:00:25.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist View of the Northern Presidentials from the office A few inches of snow and rime ice are now covering the Summit and the Northern Presidentials making for spectacular views now that the clouds have lifted. As I write this its six degrees outside with the winds blowing from the West at 44 miles per hour making for some subzero Wind Chills. The air is clear with 100 miles of visibility and the sun is starting to set low in the

Single Digits 2011-10-27 18:39:33.000 - David Narkewicz,  Summit Intern NULL This week is the first shift of the season that I did not pack my shorts. There is a good reason for that. Temperatures have been and are going to continue to be well below freezing. That being said, it is time for us on the summit to bundle up whenever we go outside. With these constant cold temperatures it is essential to wear many layers when working outside for our health and safety. This includes a hat, goggles, facemask, coat, gloves, winter pants, and warm boots. Even if the

Undulatus asperatus 2011-10-26 23:48:47.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Mt Adams and Madison on the ride up today. Today, being a Wednesday, meant it was shift change day. The ride up was a typical ride up for this time of year: four wheel drive truck and/or van with chains on from the half-way point and up. Gear was exchanged, meetings were had, we talked with our counterparts about key points, everyone grabbed a bite to eat, then we parted ways until the following Wednesday. Outside, the cogs and hikers came and went, the clouds thickened and eventually the sun set.