Frozen Bubbles! 2011-01-24 18:42:08.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Summit Intern Blowing soap bubbles and watching them freeze. Last night I experienced my personal lowest temperature of -34 degrees Fahrenheit. Since it was the first time I had experienced such temperatures I wanted to venture outside and throw boiling water and watch it turn to snow. I will admit I did have lots of fun. After about 30 minutes I had had my fill of throwing cups of water and watching a white cloud of snow form. Ryan and I decided to see if we could freeze soap bubbles. Boy were we

C-c-c-cold!!! 2011-01-23 20:46:52.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer It's c-c-c-cold!!! It is cold, no matter how you look at it. As of now, the thermograph is reading -31.7F and winds are gusting into the 70 mph range and the temperature continues to fall. Every step outside is accompanied by the telltale squeak of arctic cold snow and every breath freezes the hairs inside one's nose (unless of course you are breathing through your mouth). It's temperatures like these where boiling water can turn to snow and stars shine brilliantly in the cold, dry air. Smiles for cameras turn to stiff,

Here comes the cold! 2011-01-22 23:10:02.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL Over New Year's, I went out to southern California to visit my dad and step Mom. My step mom teaches fifth grade and just started teaching about weather after the holiday break. So, one day I went into her classroom with my dad (who is also a meteorologist) to talk to them about Mount Washington and meteorology. During my presentation, I asked the students: What temperatures do you consider 'cold'? I got a variety of answers, but as you might expect from children that live in southern

PSU interns parting comment 2011-01-21 18:21:58.000 - Michael Pirhalla,  Plymouth State Intern Halo around last nights moon. An interesting optical effect of the moon occurred last night. Around 9PM, I decided to take a walk around the observatory deck for some fresh air and to check out the lights of the surrounding towns. The full moon brightly illuminated the summit. As I stepped outside, I immediately noticed there was a large halo encompassing the moon. This ring around the moon is caused by the refraction of moonlight from ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. The shape of the ice crystals

Pitot Anemometer 2011-01-20 17:22:32.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Summit Intern My internship this winter is much different than this past summer. Where I spent most of my time giving tours, working in the museum, and stripping paint off the tower ladders, I am now reading papers and working on my intern project. Different from this past summers multiple projects I have turned in my tool belt for my computer. I am working on the intricate detail that is the pitot-static anemometer and recording devices. On the exterior anyone can see our unique pitot tube mounted to a vane at the top

A Dense Shift Change 2011-01-19 22:49:12.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Not much but enough to slow us down. Wednesday shift changes in the winter are always interesting because you never know what to expect heading up or down the mountain. Will the road have barely a trace of snow on it or several feet? Will ice bars greet us in the upper elevations? Are the drifts between the 4 and 6 mile markers small and made up mostly of light snow or are they deep and dense? Will visibility be infinite or barely beyond the blade requiring assistance from

NULL 2011-01-18 19:08:51.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist looming Whiteface and Camel's Hump Many strange sights have been seen on the summit. From fleeting flashes of green to, sun dogs, to sun pillars, halos, rainbows and winter snows, it's a wonder that we're not completely jaded when it comes to optical phenomena, wild weather, and fantastic views. With four sunrises and three sunsets to boast this week, we were still scrambling to dress for sunset last night.It was one of the most interesting sunsets I've ever seen from the summit! From the cozy weather room, I was trying to

NULL 2011-01-17 23:45:26.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist NULL It's been about 24 hours since we last spoke, and I figured I'd update everyone on the topic of discussion I chose, considering it's something that will directly affect you valley-dwellers as well.The topic? The latest in what is shaping up to be a seemingly endless parade of coastal storm systems charging their way up the eastern seaboard. It appeared yesterday that this storm would be warmer than that of last Wednesday, producing a sloppy icy mess of precipitation across the whole of New England. What I can tell you as

NULL 2011-01-16 22:23:27.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist The next contestant Nor'easter number three is coming!I can't guarantee this of course (allow me to use the often circuitous reasoning of a meteorologist for a few moments when I say computer models are by no means perfect, and we can't put any warranty on forecasts longer than 2-3 days, etc., etc., etc.). However, the scenario has been shaping up nicely for the past couple of days, and it's looking more and more like a significant event.The catch is the odd approach this system will take in making its presence known across

NULL 2011-01-15 14:11:03.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist another sunrise! As I mentioned in yesterday's comment, we in fact, did get a sunrise this morning! Many of you know to get two sunrises and two sunsets in a row is quite the treat! One of the coolest things about working/living on a mountain is that oftentimes, you can see the weather coming at you. Sometimes it happens quickly - You see a cloud one minute and you're in the fog the next. Other times, the weather will slowly approach from the west (or sometimes the southeast).Something I almost always