Roller Coaster Weather Week 2021-03-31 09:20:05.000 - David DeCou, Night Observer   There is never a dull day on the summit of Mount Washington and so far this shift has certainly kept the excitement going. We have had rain, snow, ice pellets, fog, sunshine, high winds, low winds, rime ice, glaze ice, thunderstorms and everything in between! Just after experiencing record low temperatures and wind chills below -70°F during my previous shift, we started the week off to some of the warmest summit temperatures in months. We arrived on Wednesday with temperatures above the freezing mark, which then soared to

Intern to Weather Observer 2021-03-22 15:00:59.000 - Jackie Bellefontaine, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   Hello from the summit of Mount Washington! My name is Jackie Bellefontaine, you may remember me from the previous blogs I wrote this winter as a summit intern. Well, as I am writing now, I have officially risen through the ranks and am about to finish my first shift as the newest Weather Observer and Education Specialist at the Mount Washington Observatory! I’m incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue contributing to the work happening at the Observatory as well as continuing to enjoy summit

Reflections on a Late-February Summit Trip 2021-03-17 06:34:30.000 - Charlie Buterbaugh, Development Coordinator   Approaching tree line, the landscape is stunning. High above the White Mountain National Forest floor, protected in the snowcat as we gain elevation along the auto road in late February, the sight of clouds shrouding nearby peaks opens a vast field of vision. Closer at hand, dwarf balsam and black spruce trees known as Krummholz, covered with ice, offer signs of an extreme, inhospitable place.  Krummholz can be seen lining the Auto Road while approaching tree line.  As we reach the alpine zone, make our final

Fifteen Years of Observing Mount Washington's Weather 2021-03-08 20:17:38.000 - Ryan Knapp, Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Just over fifteen years ago (December 28, 2005), I started working at the Mount Washington Observatory. I started as an intern but in February 2006, I was hired on as a "temporary-full time" observer. What this title meant was I was hired as an Observer but I had until what would have been the end of my internship (May 2006) for the Observatory and I to decide whether or not I should continue as a full time observer. Well, since I am writing this comment

Behind the Scientist 2021-02-22 12:07:42.000 - Nicole Tallman, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   Through outreach programs and talking to family and friends I realize there is a stigma behind being a scientist, that we are solely dedicated to our work and are somehow different from the general public. However, this is not true! Part of my job as an Education Specialist is not only to teach about the science, but to break down this barrier and make becoming a scientist a more approachable idea. In this Observer Comment I would like to showcase myself and my fellow shift mates with a

On the Etymology of Cloud Names 2021-02-16 07:16:46.000 - Nate Iannuccillo, Weather Observer/Education Specialist    This past weekend we got to observe an abundance of high clouds in the sky, with a thin layer of cirrostratus lingering for much of the weekend. This cloud layer helped produce a halo around the sun during the daytime hours on both Saturday and Sunday. While this appears to the observer as a thin veil that lingers high in the atmosphere, cirrostratus can be cherished for the array of optical effects it may produce, some examples including sun dogs and the aforementioned halo.  Halo viewed

Winter's Comeback 2021-02-09 14:13:00.000 - Sam Robinson, Weather Observer/Engineer   Just a few weeks back at the beginning of January, the ground was mostly bare at the base of the mountain and at our North Conway weather station, the monthly average temperature was 7 degrees warmer than normal. The warm start to winter was also felt at the summit, where temperatures had steadily run 5 to almost 20 degrees above normal for the first half of the month, and only 5 days below normal occurred during the latter half. Cold, winter air was nowhere to be found. It seemed to

Nights on the Summit 2021-02-01 22:13:58.000 - David DeCou, Night Observer   Good evening from the summit of Mount Washington! This is David DeCou, writing to you live as we approach the end of another exciting shift on the Rockpile. After a really mild start to January, this last week we experienced the coldest temperatures of the season so far, with a nor’easter on the way. I had almost forgotten what a wind chill of 50 degrees below zero feels like! However, with tonight’s storm I am glad to have the cold air around. During a snow storm earlier this

An Intern in the Wind 2021-01-25 14:16:48.000 - Jackie Bellefontaine, Summit Intern   Growing up, I had a Guinness World Record book that featured Mount Washington’s record for fastest wind recorded by man — an astonishing 231 mph gust which occurred on April 12th, 1934. I could not wrap my head around what such an extreme wind could possibly feel like, I had never felt a gust stronger than 50 mph. Well now as a summit intern at Mount Washington, I was finally able to get a taste of the powerful winds I had heard so much about!   This

Preparing for Winter Conditions 2021-01-20 09:11:35.000 - Jay Broccolo, Weather Observer and Meteorologist   Preparing for any kind of outdoor activity involves forethought and research, and that is especially true in the winter. In this piece, we are going to discuss why it is imperative to be prepared, how to prepare for time spent outdoors in the winter elements, and a little bit on what we do to prepare. The Mount Washington Observatory (MWObs) is supported by not only our wonderful members, but also by our partners over at Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS), and Oboz Footwear. They supply us with