EPSCoR Meeting 2011-09-24 10:35:54.000 - Steve Welsh,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist NULL Yesterday was very different for me as I managed to escape the summit for a few hours to attend a meeting in our valley office. It was certainly a strange feeling heading down the mountain on a non-shift day - it was also a surprise to see how far the fall foliage has progressed since Wednesday. It's still far from peak but there certainly is some color now, especially higher up where the birch is mostly yellow.The meeting was to review the progress of an EPSCoR sponsored project the

Off Week Fun! 2011-09-22 23:34:46.000 - Erin Diveny,  Summit Museum Supervisor Being lowered back down while Kevin belays As most of you know, here at the observatory, we work Wednesday-Wednesday shifts. Well, this past off week, Kevin the fall intern and I had a ton of fun helping out our sponsor Eastern Mountain Sports film a rock-climbing video shoot. This video will be shown throughout their stores and on their website as a way for customers to view what a rock-climbing class of all levels is like through EMS. Kevin and I got to learn a lot of new things

A look through the fog at the fog 2011-09-21 18:22:18.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist A Cool View A discussion in our weekly staff meeting earlier today, along with a drive this morning to the base of the mountain through thick and soupy fog in the valleys of central and eastern Vermont, have prompted my thoughts to follow: What, exactly, is fog?For a basic definition, the average person in the era we find ourselves in would turn to Wikipedia. What would you find? The description is quite lengthy, but the basic definition according to Wikipedia is 'a collection of water

Slinky, Slinky, Everone Loves a Slinky... 2011-09-20 19:20:12.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Temperatures oscillating like a slinky. One thing that I remember all my college science classes (chemistry, biology, physics, and of course meteorology) having in common was a slinky. This isn't some fancy science term; this is the metal helical spring toy that you probably remember having or seeing at some point in your life (but just in case, you can check out this Wikipedia page for more information). The reason why it was commonly used was it was good visual example of one or more topics in

Last Day For a Third Time 2011-09-19 22:28:42.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Summit Museum Supervisor Enjoying My Last days on the Summit. As I have written twice before this is my last week in my current position here on the summit. Not to worry, I am not leaving the organization I am moving to a new position. Starting Monday I will be assuming the role of Outreach Assistant in the Weather Discovery Center's valley offices. Although this will be my first time in the valley offices and off the summit, I will be embarking on my second year of work for

A little about the Sling Psychrometer 2011-09-18 18:24:01.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist Sling Psychrometer Invented in the late 1700s by James Hutton the Sling Psychrometer is used to measure the amount of water vapor or humidity in the air. The Sling Psychrometer has two thermometers. One thermometer is kept dry and is used to measure the ambient air temperature while the other thermometer is covered with a cotton wick which is wet with distilled water.The instrument is "slung" in the air for several minutes so that air moves quickly over both thermometers causing the water to evaporate from

More About Our First Taste of Winter 2011-09-17 17:40:32.000 - Brian Clark,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Contrasting colors Lots has been said over the last couple of days about the recent wintry weather and, well, I'm going to say even more.Fog cleared off shortly after sunrise this morning, and revealed some very nice scenery. Although there weren't a lot of clouds above us, the deep blue skies contrasted against the bright white rime ice and snow made for some very nice pictures. Also, the contrast between the whitewashed higher summits and the early fall colors in the valley below is one

I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more... 2011-09-16 18:06:40.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Gooooooaaaallllll! Stepping outside this afternoon, it feels like a whole different world. The skies are gray and the summit is coated in rime ice, glaze ice, sleet, and snow making it feel less like the summit of Mount Washington and more like the ice planet Hoth from Star Wars (minus the three moons, the Rebel Alliance, Vader's Death Squadron, extreme cold, etc). And while snow and cold in the middle of September may seem unusual to most, by Mount Washington standards, it really isn't

Freezing Temperatures and Rime Ice 2011-09-15 17:23:34.000 - David Narkewicz,  Summit Intern NULL Tonight is a very exciting night here at the Mount Washington Observatory. This evening temperatures are forecasted to drop below freezing. This will give a solid chance for objects on the summit to experience some rime ice buildup. There are two main characteristics that are needed for rime ice to occur, freezing temperatures and fog. When temperatures are below freezing, water droplets in fog rapidly freeze to the outer surface of objects. This build up usually take place on the side of the object facing the wind.

Comments from Summit Volunteers 2011-09-14 00:58:08.000 - Sandy Fisher & Sharon Camp,  Summit Volunteers Sunrise On New Hampshire's highest peak, clouds come and go as do the view, hikers, tourists and even us as volunteers. This was our third year volunteering as cooks; each week spent on the summit is unique so we want to share a few highlights for 2011. Saturday afternoon there was a wedding on the Observatory Deck overlooking the clear mountain view.At Saturday evening's Sunset Soiree, over 160 people came to celebrate the sunset with a champagne toast and they were blessed with perfect weather, 120