NULL 2009-11-16 07:56:24.000 - Mary Ellen Dunn,  Summit Intern Lenticular Clouds at Sunrise. The unseasonably mild weather on the summit the past few days had brought some hopes of possibly breaking a few temperature records, specifically on Saturday and Sunday. The record for November 14th was set in 1937 at 45 degrees, for November 15th the record was set just last year at 48 degrees, and the record for the month of November was 52 set in 1982.On Saturday the summit was in the fog all day and was pounded with rain as winds were blowing strong from the southeast.

Nor'easters 2009-11-15 05:16:44.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist Nor'easter of 1996 Although the storm that visited the area yesterday was technically not a Nor'easter for New England, a bit further south, it certainly was. What constitutes a nor'easter? In anticipation of the upcoming winter season, and for your general knowledge, here is a brief explanation of the distinctive characteristics of these sometimes-monster storms:Nor'easters are unique to the northeastern United States and the Atlantic coast of southern Canada. Although low pressure systems with similar structures form in other places around the globe, the unique combination and interaction of the ocean, the

Crazy Weather 2009-11-14 06:38:02.000 - Steve Welsh,  IT Observer Another Sunrise Something was badly wrong this morning. As I stepped outside just before 6am to take an observation I was greeted with thick wet fog and cool blustery conditions. Quite a shock and certainly not normal for this past week. Joking aside the past few days have been very unusual for the summit especially considering it's now mid November which, is typically the cloudiest month in New Hampshire. Since shift change last Wednesday we've had a run of very mild, calm, sunny weather with three spectacular sunsets and two equally

NULL 2009-11-12 20:55:22.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist sitting ducks...I think not! Amazing, incredible, phenomenal, mind-blowing. All these words came to mind this morning as the sun's light lit up the landscape below. I have never experienced visibility like today's visibility. On days like today, 130 miles doesn't seem accurate. The Adirondacks looked as clear and crisp as the Greens. The Atlantic glittered and seemed close enough to reach out and touch. This morning Chris from State Park came over to show us a couple of tankers sitting off the shore of Portland. The easterly winds and fair weather

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