family trip 2010-03-27 17:59:39.000 - Nick Lovejoy,  Summit Intern Ken and Family Yesterday was an exciting day for me. My family got a chance to come up to the summit for a brief day trip with Ken Rancourt and Scot Henley. My Uncle Denny, Aunt Lisa, Laurie my mom, and Cousin Sarah all rode up in the tractor yesterday morning.I couldn't have asked for better weather. It was zero degrees with gusts up to 60 mph and miles of clear visibility. If they had come up on a 29 degree day with no wind I'm sure they would have been

Crazy Springtime 2010-03-26 21:17:15.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer A Game of Stump at Sunset Spring is a very interesting time of year. We have already spoken of time change and the difference between the summit and the rest of the east coast (the summit stays on Eastern Standard Time, while elsewhere it is now Eastern Daylight Time). As I was on the summit for time change, I was quite surprised to see it light so late when I headed down to the valley, but quite happy about it too! The weather is also all over the place. Last Thursday,

Shift change POV from the other crew. 2010-03-25 22:50:22.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Ice hanging like tinsel on trees around 4000 ft. If you frequent these comments, volunteered on the summit, sat in on a polycom at our Weather Discovery Center in North Conway, or taken a tour of the summit, you probably know that we hold shift change every Wednesday. And since I started here (Dec '05), I can count on one hand the number of times where we weren't able to hold this weekly ritual on a Wednesday: 3. The first time, we upped the switch to

NULL 2010-03-24 16:55:09.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist Wait a minute. Something isn't right here. Winds are going from 45 mph to 80 mph (and sometimes exceeding 90 mph and forecast for stronger later this evening), visibility is 50 feet at best, and de-icing every 15-30 minutes is absolutely necessary. Could this possibly be the "good-weather" shift? It doesn't sound like it, not one bit. Well, most would think that this is indeed the "bad-weather" shift, as the weather isn't exactly good, and it is Wednesday. That would be a perfectly logical conclusion.It is the wrong conclusion. The "good-weather"

Sick Sick Mountain 2010-03-23 22:33:38.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist Patient Name: "Mount Washington"Gazing at this mountain on a sunny summer day, you wouldn't think this mountain was different than any other mountain. Sure, it's the tallest in its range, but it's not all that tall. Surrounding peaks always seem to "stand in awe of its grandeur" (they are shorter), and any passerby has described the mountain as "completely normal" (they say "that looks like an easy climb").Long ago, some brave souls had the idea to venture to the top of this mountain to take a gander at one of

Spring has sprung 2010-03-22 13:55:27.000 - Steve Welsh,  IT Observer Spring has arrived! In the valley spring heralds the return of flowers and singing birds. Their melodious twittering and chirping makes for a pleasant change to the peace and quiet of winter (it's certainly a lot nicer that the screeching racket (singing?) currently being made by a certain observer in the other room - anyhoo I digress). In the observatory spring marks the return of milder weather and subsequent thaw - the only sounds are of water dripping down the tower as the ice in the cold room melts. Don't

Cut Offs 2010-03-21 04:37:47.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist Lonely Low Left Listless During my nightly forecasting ritual during the wee hours of Saturday morning, I was sifting through some prognostic forecast maps, and subsequently gasped in horror. The reason? It appeared a phenomenon known as a 'cut-off' low pressure system would plague the eastern half of the U.S. for the next week. Thus the inspiration for this comment was born--cut-off lows, which are the bane of any forecaster's existence.According to the American Meteorological Society, a cut-off low is defined as 'a cold low that has grown out of a

You Call Those Mountains?! 2010-03-19 11:48:15.000 - Drew Hill,  Summit Intern I Love New Hampshire (and also NY) I took a little jaunt over to the west coast this past weekend, visiting some friends and seeing the sights in Seattle. The Pacific Ocean? Awesome. Space Needle? Pointy. Public transportation... what is that? It was a fantastic visit, to say the least. Now, I'm not sure if it's their proximity to Canada or a gentleness that comes after spending 226 days a year draped in a dreary overcast, but Pacific Northwesterners are amazingly friendly. I often found myself discussing "the best

NULL 2010-03-18 15:03:52.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist As I was driving to work yesterday morning, through Danville on Rt. 2 on a particularly elevated portion of the road, I not-so-quietly cursed at myself. Rather, I cursed my forgetfulness. I forgot my camera this week. Back in Montpelier, I realized my folly, but turning back would have added at least an hour to my trip and was not an option. By the time I was riding through Danville, I smacked the steering wheel a bit harder than it deserved, out of pure frustration. Since I don't have a picture

Ed and his planes 2010-03-17 16:31:19.000 - Ed O'Malley,  Summit Volunteer An Observer Hard At Work I've always been interested in history of all types, and in particular, aviation - planes, helicopters, and everything in between. When I was little (early 80s), I wrote a short poem about planes: Planes, planes, in the skyLeaving a trail as they go bySometime fat, sometimes thinNobody knows what's withinOff they go, without a traceMaybe to land in a very strange placeDuring my six weeks on the summit as a volunteer, and two summer visits, I've seen very little in the sky, other than