Dealing with transition seasons 2010-10-29 21:38:14.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL The transition seasons, by nature, are very volatile. One day can see one extreme, while a few days later sees the opposite extreme. This is the case more so here on Mount Washington than anywhere I have ever been. Then again, this shouldn't surprise the vast majority of you reading this.The last two weeks proveide a great example. Exactly two weeks ago, my shift was experiencing the first significant snowfall of the new winter season. By the time we headed down last Wednesday, October 20, snow was

Hiking for Work 2010-10-28 22:09:25.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Hiking for Work! One of my favorite parts of this job is the fact at times I get to hike in some of the most beautiful places in the northeast. Today was one of those days and was made even more so by the fact that it looks as though we will be in the fog for a bit. Don't get me wrong, I love looking at clouds. It's just that I like looking at them from a slight distance. As a general rule, they are more impressive on the

Volunteer comment 2010-10-27 22:05:18.000 - Lyle Cunningham and Dianne Pointer,  Summit Volunteers Living in the flatlands of Illinois, the experience of coming to work on top of a 6,288 foot mountain is quite a change for us. Driving to the mountain from Portsmouth was spectacular; the trees were bursting with color.We met the observers and interns at the base and loaded the van for the trek up the mountain. We started up the winding road with the trees still colorful. As we progressed the trees started to lose their color and eventually we ran out of trees and started to

NULL 2010-10-26 23:26:02.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist The Massive Cyclone Meteorologists are known for getting excited over strange occurrences--thunderstorms, high winds, heavy snow, etc. Today is no exception. The entire meteorological community, in addition to residents of the entire eastern half of the continental US, have turned their eyes towards a mid-latitude cyclone currently barreling its way northeastward through the center of the country.At the time this comment is being written, approx. midnight EDT, the massive low pressure system is positioned over northern Minnesota. However, its effects are hardly limited to its center, as its influence is being felt

NULL 2010-10-25 14:26:09.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist shiny Everyone's a little jumpy on the summit today. It could be the fact that it is Monday, meaning we have only two more nights before heading back to the valley. It could be the practically intravenous flow of coffee. It could be the rice crispy treats (slathered in chocolate frosting), the potato chip cookies, or the brownies. Arguably, each of these could be the cause of our jumpiness, or they could be enhancing our skittishness for the day. The reason the entire crew is jumpy is because every so often,

NULL 2010-10-24 15:14:03.000 - Jennifer Finn,  Summit Intern NULL This week marks the halfway point of my fall internship, and it's amazing how much the weather has changed since when I first came up the mountain in August. This past week we've seen winds gusting over 90 mph (not quite 100...but soon hopefully!) as well as temperatures in the single digits. With conditions outside essentially winter, everything has shut down up here in the Rockpile. For us summit dwellers, it means having time to carve a pretty awesome pumpkin (any Harry Potter fans out there?) and maybe even having a

NULL 2010-10-23 15:56:25.000 - Kristin Raisanen,  Summit Intern The summit covered in snow and ice Now that the Summit Museum and Shop has mostly closed for the season, I have been released from my duties as the temporary Summit Museum Supervisor and have been able to return to my other title, Summit Intern. Though I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the museum, chatting with summit visitors and telling them about the observatory, I am glad to be back with my meteorological roots in the weather room.The mountain has decided to welcome me back this week in grand style! It started

First Snow Tractor of The Year 2010-10-22 15:13:13.000 - Steve Welsh,  IT Observer Look what just turned up! Today saw the first snow tractor of the season - quite a change from last year when we were still commuting in trucks through December. The conditions today have certainly been wintry with temperatures around 10 degrees Fahrenheit and winds fluctuating between 60 and 90 mph. The winds are expected to rise again tonight and, if our luck holds, we may see the first 100 mph gust of the season.The snow that fell recently has been blowing around creating near white out

NULL 2010-10-21 16:20:09.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist After working at the Observatory, a place steeped in history, for more than three years, you hear a lot of stories. From the inception of the organization to the silly stories of napping during the night shift to the valiant stories of rescues and amazing weather, each story is unique and it adds to the many layers of the Mount Washington Observatory. One of the most prominent layers in the strata of the organization is Marty Engstrom, also known as Marty of the Mountain. Yesterday afternoon during shift change, Brian gathered

NULL 2010-10-20 22:27:24.000 - Chet Wickett & Mike Sabia,  Summit Volunteers NULL What a difference a little more than a year makes. Two trips as volunteers two different experiences. The first was in early June, the weather was sunny and clear with some light winds. In fact we had six sunny days and at times could see all the way into Canada. Flowers were starting to bloom and we were able to get out each day for a few hours of hiking. We spent one truly magical day in the Alpine Garden viewing those hardy little alpine flowers, capping off