NULL 2009-11-11 16:24:03.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist Jupiter storms or our sunset? Today's shift change did not feel like a mid-November shift change. It felt more like a mid-summer shift change, with a heck of a lot less traffic. Due to the warm temperatures and total lack of precipitation of late, the drive up the Mount Washington Auto Road was quick and smooth. Normally at this time of year, we're taking a truck with chains and plow up to about half way and then transferring to the snow tractor. If we're not using a snow tractor, we're at

Being sans volunteer 2009-11-10 21:54:37.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist A (nearly) snowless morning view out the window Mike mentioned yesterday that we have been without a volunteer during this past shift. I feel like I should point out that this volunterlessness (I don't think that's really word) was mostly by choice. We had at least one previous volunteer come forward and offer to come up, at very short notice, to cover this past shift. While we certainly appreciate this very much, and appreciate the work of ALL our volunteers, we made the conscious decision to go it alone

Summit Food 2009-11-09 22:58:04.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Sunrise this Morning This has been a different week than most on the mountain as we are without a volunteer this week. As members of the Observatory, one can apply to be a volunteer on the summit for a week. In turn for stay on the summit, the volunteer(s) cook the crew and other guest's dinner as well as keep the living quarters tidy. This is really a huge help, especially during Edu-Trip season when there can be nearly 20 people staying over night sometimes. We are all really appreciative and

Ups and Downs 2009-11-08 23:20:12.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Tonights sunset ends the day but starts my shift There are many things I like about being a night observer this time of year but some aspects I don't. Let me start with the positives though. I like how it is a roller coaster of weather (like Brian called it yesterday). One night it might be single digits while the next night it is in the 20s or 30s. And while that doesn't sound very warm, it requires less layers and I can usually go out without a facemask on.

Back and Forth 2009-11-07 17:02:22.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist Sunrise this morning Generally speaking, I am a pretty patient person. However there are things that I am quite inpatient about. One of these things is happening right now on and off the mountain: the onset of winter.Although we consider October and November 'winter' months on the mountain, they have the tendency to be very back and forth. By this, I mean that it could be in the teens and snowing one day, and just a few days later it could be in the 30's or 40's with rain.

Anxious For November! 2009-11-06 00:27:51.000 - Will Tourtellot,  Summit Intern Snow on The Upper Slopes of Wildcat. Wednesday I returned for my sixth week as the summit intern and I'm very excited about the month of November. Winter on Mount Washington generally begins in October and ends in May but November is usually when things begin to get very interesting. The average snowfall for the month of November is ~40 inches, while October's average snowfall is a meager ~12 inches. However, like many folks out there, I'm more interested in high winds and the average wind speeds for October and

Coaster 2009-11-04 01:26:13.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist This shift week has truly been a roller coaster ride! We arrived to relatively light winds and temperatures around freezing. The winds struggled to break 20 mph on Wednesday (in fact, our peak gust for the day was a meager 22 mph). A few days later, on October 30th, we tied a record high of 48 degrees. But the warmth did not stop there. The next day, very early on Halloween morning, we set a record high of 52 degrees, leaving the old record of 49 degrees in the dust! This was

NULL 2009-11-02 14:40:35.000 - Mary Ellen Dunn,  Summit Intern NULL The weather has finally cleared up from the weekend show of high winds and foggy skies. It still amazes me how quickly the weather can change up here and this weekend was another great example. One second the wind's gusting to a peak of 96mph with heavy down pouring rain and the next temperature drops 10 degrees in an hour, as a cold front passes covering the summit in ice. Yesterday we were socked in the fog all day with teases of blue sky right above, then all of a

NULL 2009-11-01 14:57:58.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist Halloween on the summit. Daylight Savings Time strikes again! As Steve struggles with yet more database issues, Mary Ellen and I occasionally here the frustrated sighs coming from the IT corner. We also hear the sporadic rants about daylight savings time and how it's utterly useless. Steve is attempting to fix these time issues for good, and has been at it for the entire day. I'd say a rant or two is definitely admissible, if not completely warranted. On the bright side, the summit and valley facilities are now on the

NULL 2009-10-31 00:17:38.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist Brocken spectre 'Halo around the Sun or Moon, rain or snow soon.'We observed a halo around the Sun this afternoon, which, according to the proverb, means that the summit will see rain or snow soon. Well, that is indeed true. How do we know? It could be the large green, yellow, and red blob heading our way on the radar. It could be because the forecast models say it will precipitate. It could also be because centuries of watching the sky has lead to the conclusion that if a halo is