NULL 2011-01-04 18:05:26.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL Warning: This comment is a lengthy, but interesting account of our recent wind measurement woes.Yesterday it was cold and windy. We knew it was windy because we could hear it and we could feel it. However, we cannot currently measure it. Last week, the main pitot tube anemometer kicked the bucket, bit the dust, went belly up, croaked. Though it had some problems, it did pretty well for nearly ten years. On Thursday and Friday, Steve spent most of his time trying to heat the back-up Pitot tube. Thursday evening,

NULL 2011-01-03 12:25:47.000 - Scot Henley,  Executive Director The arrival of 2011 has brought with it a very important and exciting change here at the Observatory. I'm proud to announce that Eastern Mountain Sports has become Mount Washington Observatory's new "official outfitter." In this new multi-year partnership, Eastern Mountain Sports is now the exclusive provider of outdoor gear to the Observatory. We are very fortunate to have previously enjoyed an eight-year relationship with L.L.Bean, and we thank our friends over in Freeport, Maine for their support through the years. Early last year, as it became apparent that 2010 would be

Warm 2011-01-02 15:44:54.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist The Fog Cleared! Today is January 2nd, but it feels more like April 2nd.Yesterday, we here at the summit experienced the warmest New Year's Day temperatures since 1945. The previous record high was 40 degrees, and we managed to top out at a sweltering 42 degrees just after 10 p.m. last night. As a result, our snowpack that was estimated at about 20 inches on the morning of New Year's Eve has since dwindled to about 5 inches by this morning, revealing our bare deck, lots of icy rocks, and even sedge!I

New Year 2011-01-01 08:19:45.000 - Steve Welsh,  IT Observer NULL Happy New Year!Just a very quick comment to update everyone with the latest happenings from the summit. Firstly our radio link to the valley is back after we finally managed to dislodge the glaze ice from our microwave dish. Yesterday we also installed our backup Pitot complete with a heated tube, heat tapes and insulation. So far it is performing well and matching our RM Young anemometer - we are all crossing our fingers and hoping that it carries on working when the temperature falls below the freezing mark sometime

NULL 2010-12-30 17:14:29.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist hazy valley Finally, it's not Sunday and we have Sun! Having spent my holiday in Ohio, I missed the whopper of a storm that hit my home state (NJ) and apparently, the entire New England coast. I may have obsessively watched The Weather Channel for hours on Sunday night and Monday morning. That storm system moved out and allowed for fairly favorable shift change weather. Oftentimes after a big storm, temperatures will plunge into chilling depths. This happens when high pressure advances from Canada, pulling cold, continental air down from the

Volunteer Comments 2010-12-29 22:24:50.000 - John & Susan Van Slooten,  Summit Volunteers Observer Note: You may have noticed a lack of wind speed data on our home page and on our current summit conditions page. Due to the failure of our wind speed devices capable of withstanding icing conditions, the wind data we are currently collecting, when in freezing fog conditions, is erroneous. When we are in the clear and no icing is taking place we will publish wind speed data from a secondary working anemometer. In addition, as an FYI, much of the wind data that is recorded on

5 years and counting... 2010-12-28 22:07:09.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Todays sunset as seen through rime on window. Five years ago to this day, (December 28, 2005) I started working at the Mount Washington Observatory. I started as an intern the same season as Brian but a month or so after arriving as an intern; 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 the end of my internship for the Observatory and I to decide whether or not I should continue as a

Another Quiet Night 2010-12-27 16:19:02.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer NULL Well, it is going to be another quiet night here on the summit. Not unexpected, but not necessary planned either. We were supposed to have our first overnight climbing trip of the season led by EMS, but the mountain seems to have had other thoughts. Snow has been falling all day here on the summit, as it has in most of the northeast, and winds have been moderately strong in the 50-80 mph range. This is a perfect speed to lift this newly fallen snow and deposit it in

A Christmas Miracle 2010-12-26 16:15:26.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL It's a Christmas miracle! The storm that just a few days ago looked as though it was going to harmlessly turn out to sea and have little impact on our weather is now taking dead aim at New England. The worst of the storm in terms of snow accumulations will be closer to the coast than we are. In fact, Boston will likely see accumulations of 12-18 inches with the possibility for as much as two feet.Here on the summit, we will also see a nice amount of

Christmas Comment 2010-12-25 20:00:45.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Merry Christmas from the summit crew! Today was a beautiful day on the summit. The winds were low and the temperatures were cold but tolerable where you could go out without goggles and face masks. The three of us spent the afternoon outside playing in the snow (Mike and Brian played while I snapped photos) while our volunteers for the week went for a quick hike around the summit. A few hikers were spotted out and about but for the most part, it was only us. The day drew to a