Volunteer notes 2010-07-21 20:16:14.000 - Susan Freeborn and Rob Maier,  Summit Volunteers Tower views The summit of Mt. Washington has always had a special place in our hearts, although we've come from different directions to get here. Rob: The trek to the summit of Mt. Washington has always been interwoven in my life. I came to New Hampshire as a child to Lake Ossippee, and always hoped for a clear day to see Mt. Washington. In the middle part of my life I hiked up Tuck's and wandered over to Lakes of the Clouds, Monroe and Madison. In the latter

Bust! 2010-07-20 23:45:00.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist Oops! Bust! Another shift is winding to a close, and I've become a bit jaded with this temperamental rock pile this Observatory sits atop. This, by far, has been the most challenging week of forecasting since I began working here nearly two years ago. It was bad enough to forecast clearing that never happened, or thick fog that suddenly lifted. I've become accustomed to unpredictable and inexplicable fog in my tenure here. However, Tuesday brought a failure that I personally consider to be one of the worst in the world of meteorology.

NULL 2010-07-19 17:36:19.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist tranquility In case you were wondering what my favorite trail on Mount Washington is, it's the West Side Trail. It connects the Crawford Path and the Gulfside Trail and takes you along the western portion of the mountain (hence its name). The loop is less than three miles long, there is very little up and down, and it's a quiet section of the mountain; perfect for one who craves a little tranquility.The view of Monroe and of Lakes is beautiful, and for most of the trek, the summit buildings of Mount

NULL 2010-07-18 15:56:00.000 - Kristin Raisanen,  Summit Intern Marty in a Box In the past, the observatory staff, particularly the summit staff, has been predominately male. However, this summer the staff on both shifts is either evenly spilt between males and females or is mostly women! I knew it was going to be a special summer when I saw the list with my fellow interns' names on it and all four of us were girls. After getting my degree in meteorology and graduating with only about 6 other girls, in a class of about 25, I know how significant having

Thunder oh Thunder 2010-07-17 23:09:43.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist NULL Sometimes life gives you subtle reminders. Then there are the ones that bludgeon you over the head. There was nothing subtle about tonight.As I lamented yesterday, I have been longing for a thunderstorm, not just for enjoyment sake, but also to put a little confidence back into my forecasting. My patience was rewarded earlier tonight.I went outdoors for my 8:45 EST observation, and noticed a bit of lightning well off to the west. I hadn't peered at the radar before going outside, so the subtle show caught me a

Back again 2010-07-16 22:05:46.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist NULL And...I'm back!I took my leave of the Observatory last shift for a week of vacation, and I've returned to this temperamental rock pile that I call home every other week.Not much has changed in three weeks, with the exception of the weather, of course. I heard rumors of a few snow flakes flying during my absence, which is not common but not unusual for the month of July. It was quite amusing to be sitting in New Jersey, enduring temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, talking to a co-worker, describing

NULL 2010-07-15 16:45:09.000 - Sabrina Lomans,  Summit Intern NULL Today was certainly a contradiction to Mount Washington's 'World's Worst Weather' moniker. The weather on the summit was comfortable and pleasant, averaging in the upper 50s to lower 60s. It was actually a refreshing change to come back up here and escape the heat wave that New England was experiencing for the past two weeks. The air was calm and a far cry from the extreme winds that the mountain is famous for. However, that does not mean that the day was without noteworthy weather. Wind speed actually hit zero mph

NULL 2010-07-14 12:15:56.000 - Patti and Adina,  Summit Volunteers NULL The Rockpile never fails to amaze, even after eight years of volunteering! Weather wise, if you follow these comments, you know what it has been like up here, warm and sunny, but not nearly as warm as in the Valley. Last week when we headed up here, we were desperate to escape the heat, and now we have to head home to it. The temperature has hovered between fifty and high sixties day and night, and the winds have not been high. We have cooked for the crew, (German, Tex-Mex,

1 to 9 2010-07-13 20:07:55.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Sunset 07-10-10 over LaFayette. If you read our recent E-blast, you may have seen a link to a set of sunset pictures for July 10, 2010. In the segment, an unknown source was quoted as calling it the "best sunset ever." While none of the observers would call it the "best ever" (it was lacking an undercast, lower clouds, etc), it was still a very nice sunset. What made it memorable though was the way it all came about. In past comments, we have mentioned that we give each sunrise/set

TV Meteorologist? 2010-07-12 15:59:54.000 - Hanna Brewer,  Summit Intern Just some of the food Sarah brought for us Being a summer intern here on the summit, many of my daily duties involve working with the visitors who come to visit the home of the World's Worst Weather. Rebecca and I spend a lot of time giving tours to observatory members, working in the summit museum, and doing "Live from the Rockpile" programs for the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway. One of the questions I get asked the most when I tell people I'm a meteorology major is, "What do