A hike, lightning, and a meteor 2008-07-27 06:30:12.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Well, we’re back in the fog now, but let’s not focus too much on that. The last two days have been quite pleasant, with the summits in the clear and quite sunny. Friday I woke up bright and early at noon to go out for a hike. I decided to head over to Jefferson, as I had only hiked that peak from the north and wanted to see what the section of trail between Clay and Jefferson was like. Packing a day pack, I realized once again

Seek The Peek 2008-07-25 17:30:48.000 - Steve Welsh,  IT Observer Steve and Dennis making cookies Yesterday was very quiet on the summit as the storms, which wrecked havoc on the southern part of New Hampshire, kept most people away. Today, however, has been a totally different story. The morning started out as normal but we soon broke free of the fog and, as the day progressed, it turned out to be really nice with calm winds, warm temperatures and even some blue sky! The summit was crowed with tourists and we have been very busy giving tours to members. We

severe weather 2008-07-24 16:35:49.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer Radar Love A severe thunderstorm, as defined by the National Weather Service, is a thunderstorm that has at least ¾ inch hail and/or wind gusts of at least 50 knots (58 mph). They are capable of producing large hail, strong, gusty surface winds, flash floods, and tornadoes. New Hampshire got a big taste of severe thunderstorms today. Tornadoes, the actual weather phenomenon that inspired my career in meteorology, are extremely complex entities and their formation is still not fully understood. Usually, when thinking of storm chasing and severe thunderstorms, one thinks immediately

lisa zatko volunteer comment 2008-07-23 16:30:17.000 - Lisa Zatko,  Summit Volunteer Sunrise As a new volunteer on the summit I feel that Marty (the new observatory cat) and I have something in common. He and I are eager to explore our new surroundings and are becoming familiar with our home away from home. nnThis week has been exciting because of the newness of the environment. On the outside I've enjoyed the blooming clouds that formed the undercast, the rainbows after a storm, strong winds and hail and the rare open vistas below. I've enjoyed the hikes around the summit and

Another great week on the Rockpile! 2008-07-22 17:21:25.000 - Katherine A. MacDonald,  Summit Volunteer Fellow volunteer Lisa in the Alpine Garden I’m always pleased to be able to help out at the Observatory. The opportunity to help out in the kitchen, etc. is something I look forward to. Meeting the young people that work as observers as well as the interns is an interesting part of coming here. Yes, having the opportunity to hike and take photographs is part of why I enjoy being here. However I learn something new each and every time. The observers are pleased to share

NULL 2008-07-21 15:11:50.000 - Ted Letcher,  Summit Intern NULL Today, the most notable feature atop the rock pile is the wind, or should I say lack there of. That’s right today the wind on top of Mount Washington has consistently been reading less than 5mph. This calm wind is quite a change from a mere few days ago where the summit saw a gust of 88mph and a period of sustained winds over 60mph. Today the calm winds have allowed the clouds to settle and leave the higher summits open to the sunshine in the midst of an otherwise foggy

So what are your plans? 2008-07-20 23:01:07.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Working on the summit, I get a lot of questions. The most common are “Where’s your cat?” or “What’s the weather doing up there?” Sometimes they are bizarre like “Where are the Presidents faces (they think we are Mount Rushmore)?” or “What do you guys eat?” But no matter the question, I always remember, there is no such thing as an incorrect question because if one person is asking it, odds are there is bound to be another wondering the same thing. Out of all the questions though,

Cleaning up the Cog 2008-07-19 18:44:46.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer Lots of Junk There has been, and will continue to be a lot of construction work going on up here on the summit this summer. Most of it has to do with finishing the power line project, which was started last summer and put the summit on grid power for the first time ever.The part of this project that people are noticing, and questioning, the most these days actually involves the Cog Railroad. For many, many years, old railway timbers and other junk had been discarded to the side of

Exciting Final Shift 2008-07-18 21:16:23.000 - Matthew Morin,  Space Grant Intern Lenticular Clouds January 29th, 2008. That is a red letter day in the history of my life. I started my internship at the Mount Washington Observatory on that day and loved it from the start. At first, I couldn’t even fathom the idea that I would ever witness such an extensive variety of spectacular meteorological phenomena. Several months and hundreds of weather pictures later, I gathered my best photographs and posted them into my "Unusual Weather Phenomena Photo Gallery", a trilogy of Observer Comments. I’m thankful for having the

Marty 2008-07-17 17:08:14.000 - Marty,  Summit Cat Hello, Marty hereMmm it’s nice out.Think I’ll saunterLots of people around.They is ok.I like drink their water.Like to hide around corner.Like to hide in cave.Like to hide in box.Like to hide behind computer.What??Play time?! Bouncy, shiny, jingly!! Fun time.Toys in drawerMine! Not yours. We play again now?Play makes tired kitty. Sleep good hereSleep good here tooSee you next time.Meow leave me alone   Marty,  Summit Cat