Snowboarding and Lightning! 2010-10-15 16:43:22.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Sliding on the Snow!!! Ok, time to take a second attempt at writing this comment. You see, I had started earlier writing about how excited I was this morning to find several inches of snow on the ground. I, like Brian, had dreams of sideways-flying snowflakes last night. After talking with Roy from WMWV, both of us extremely excited and only made more so by each other, I grabbed my board and boots and headed outside. I threw them in the van this past shift change with hopes of snow.

High expectations 2010-10-14 21:39:42.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL There are quite a few sayings that are often used to express how excited someone is. These comparisons often involve children, which should come as no surprise considering how much more easily children become excited than adults, especially when it comes to 'little things'. Like a kid in a candy store. Like a kid on Christmas morning. It doesn't matter which one you prefer to use, take your pick; that's how I feel this evening.Why the excitement? Well, tonight is the eve before a storm that will likely turn

Notes from a volunteer 2010-10-13 21:12:02.000 - Richard,  Summit Volunteer 'Green Flash' close up. I was really excited for the chance to volunteer at the Mount Washington Observatory. It seemed like an ideal opportunity for me.Mountaineering + cooking + science = awesome, as far as I'm concerned. I remember when the volunteer coordinator called me earlier this year, wanting to make sure that I was a reasonable fit for the role.She wanted to make sure I knew there would be a cat around, that the weather might be atrocious, that in case of an emergency I might be required to

NULL 2010-10-12 23:36:25.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist Winter Up Top, Autumn Down Below As I sit here on yet another Tuesday evening, as one more shift draws to a close, my mind is fully in-sync with weather-related thoughts. In addition, though, I have the concept of change on my mind. In that vein, let's take a look at the change our mountain home has held for us from this shift to last shift:October 6th - October 12thMaximum Temperature: 40F on 6thMinimum Temperature: 16F on 9th & 10th Average Temperature: 28FPeak Wind Gust: 98 mph on 7th Average Wind Speed:

NULL 2010-10-11 17:51:54.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist A beautiful end to a beautiful day Happy Columbus Day! Christopher Columbus did a lot of sailing. I wonder if he ever saw a green flash. A green flash is something that occurs either just before the sun rises or just after the sunsets, and its duration is usually less than one second. High visibility conditions must exist, and one must be able to see an extensive amount of the horizon. These conditions most commonly exist on the ocean, hence pondering whether or not Christopher Columbus had seen one. The conditions

NULL 2010-10-10 15:28:06.000 - Jennifer Finn,  Summit Intern Finally, the sun! After being stuck in the clouds for over two days, a beautiful day on the summit like today is one to be ecstatic about. Kristin, Stacey, and I started the day off right by waking up just before dawn to welcome our long-lost friend, the sun. I was particularly excited considering it was my first one on the mountain (mostly because the sun's been rising later every day and I'm not that much of a morning person). I attempted to go outside in jeans to snap some photos, and

NULL 2010-10-09 17:47:11.000 - Kristin Raisanen,  Summit Museum Attendant The summit looking wintery! Most people use the three day Columbus Day weekend as a chance to enjoy autumn. Many people enjoy leaf peeping in the mountains, taking in a football or soccer game, spending a relaxing weekend raking leaves or carving pumpkins. Some people even take a trip up Mount Washington to get their first dose of winter and to take in the sights from the highest point in the Northeast, but not today, or really for the last 3 days. The summit has been in the fog since Wednesday,

NULL 2010-10-08 23:49:04.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist NULL I write to you this evening a somewhat disappointed young observer (the youngest, in fact. But I digress...). With all of this talk of good weather vs. bad weather shift, I was hoping our crew would get a major leg up yesterday in this epic struggle. Indeed we did, as we received nearly an inch (.8") of frozen precipitation (in the form of snow and ice pellets) and witnessed an impressive glaze icing event, accumulating nearly 3" per hour at times during the nighttime hours. And then, the winds ramped up,

NULL 2010-10-07 16:18:42.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist That's my kind of Hays Chart! The most notably consistent variable on this mountain is change. That may sound oxymoronic, but allow me to explain. The most obvious is that the weather is constantly changing from one minute to the next. It could be foggy and clear fifteen times within five minutes. It's something that all who are familiar with the mountain expect. It's a constant. The landscape is always changing; wind blows the snow around creating drifts and dunes, the snow accumulates and melts, the color go from brown to

NULL 2010-10-06 16:09:59.000 - Matt Stearns,  Summit Volunteer cap cloud descending during sunset Today, I will challenge your knowledge of the Observatory, and your concept of purpose.Perhaps you're thinking, 'Did Ryan stay up all night reading old philosophy textbooks instead of forecasting weather?' Well, friends, the simple answer is no; today is Wednesday, which means your beloved volunteer is authoring the Observer comment! So, please, allow me to explain:My latest experience here as a volunteer inspired me to reflect deeply about the educational outreach portion of the Observatory's Mission. Over the past week, I couldn't help but notice that here,