volunteer notes 2008-05-13 16:28:49.000 - Summit Volunteer,  Summit Volunteer View looking north. While packing my bags for my second volunteering stint at the Obs I was considerably more relaxed than last October. During that stay I had the oppurtunity to experience many of the conditions Matt has explained and shown in his comments. As there was the first snow of the coming winter, 2 days of being in the fog resulting in incredible rime ice and hurricane force winds.On Tuesday evening my feelings changed and the excitement rose as I headed up Rt 16 and viewed the East Snowfields on

Unusual Weather Phenomena Photo Gallery - Part 1 2008-05-12 22:33:07.000 - Matthew Morin,  Space Grant Intern Lenticular Clouds When I found out that I was going to be an Intern at the Mount Washington Observatory, I thought I knew what to expect weather-wise when it came to high winds, arctic temperatures and loads of snow. Among the traditional cold weather gear needed to be fully prepared for a weeklong stay at the home of the world’s worst weather, I packed my camera with hopes of capturing amazing winter scenery. Sure enough, that’s exactly what I experienced. However, that was the

Favorite time of year 2008-05-11 16:24:37.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer Now that I have been living on or around Mount Washington for almost a full year, I think that I have decided that this time of year is my second favorite. When I lived in Pennsylvania, fall was my second favorite season. What time of year has the title of my favorite you ask? Well, the heart of winter of course; it always will be.I actually just came to this conclusion today while I was climbing back up the East Snowfields this afternoon. I took a break from work to

Taylor Anemometer 2008-05-10 17:27:26.000 - Steve Welsh,  IT Observer Conference Room Now that warmer temperatures have arrived we are starting to test out the summer weather instruments in anticipation of placing yet more strange devices on the tower. The picture, to the right, shows the current state of our conference room after Brian and I took the Taylor heated rotor anemometer apart earlier today. This is a rugged wind speed and wind direction measuring instrument that has not seen use for quite some time now after one of the rotors, lower left in the picture, was damaged. After several hours

Auto Road Research/Hike 2008-05-09 23:09:55.000 - Matthew Morin,  Space Grant Intern Auto Road in May Today was not a normal day at the office. In fact, no day here ever is. However, on this day I had a special task which would require brawn rather than brain. The weather was just about perfect for what I was planning. At 11 am, the temperature was around 40°F, winds were light by summit standards, and skies were partly cloudy. Perfect spring hiking weather! Rather than programming for hours on end or analyzing 1.5 million lines of temperature data, I had the opportunity

Five weeks in the making 2008-05-08 03:12:17.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist April 2nd, 2008 was the last time I stepped foot on the summit of Mount Washington, NH. Flash forward roughly 35 days to May 7th, 2008 and my return to an altered summit. Rest easy though, the summit itself remains as true as it did when I left. It still rises to the notable 6288 feet as always and the buildings remain steadfast. It is the weather and the climate that have changed. Let me relate what I mean:April 2, 2008: The high temperature for the day was

Return of the Zlogars (and the Spud Trooper) 2008-05-07 07:00:50.000 - Mike & Sue Zlogar,  Summit Volunteers no words necessary Winter returned to the Summit for our second trip as volunteers to the Rockpile. It was great to see the crew again. However, the look on their faces when they discussed the return of winter after a two week hiatus was one of understandable resignation. Back to winter gear for the trip up. We were blessed with beautiful views until we hit near the peak and the snow cat was required for the final leg of the journey. This was

Mountain Travels 2008-05-06 06:38:04.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer I'm working nights this week. It has been quite a lot of darkness, hardly able to see the A-frame when I walk outside. We spent a few days in the fog, and that coupled with the fact the moon was rising in the wee hours of the morning and was approaching new moon, made it very dark. Yesterday morning, just after my shift ended at 4:30 AM EST, we moved in and out of the clouds for sunrise making for some ephemeral moments. Not long after, we broke out of the

attack of the boys 2008-05-03 13:14:29.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer NULL “What’s it like being the only girl on the summit?”This was the question asked of me by one of our volunteers this week. For some, I think living on the summit, in the winter, with boys might be a trying experience. None of us shower for the duration of our stay, due to the limited waste water storage (ick, cooties). I must admit, there have been some occasions when I’ve wished there was another girl up here. For the most part, it’s just like living with three brothers; sometimes

NULL 2008-05-02 15:06:17.000 - Kyle Paddleford,  Meteorologist A bit hazy, but a nice start to the day! It has been a pleasant day upon the summit this lovely Friday the 2nd of May. Temperatures have been hovering near the freezing mark and winds have been light and variable. Halos increased and decreased in intensity with the ever morphing upper level ice crystal clouds. Sunglasses have replaced goggles and snow pants are hanging on the clothing racks. It may be just a tad below freezing but the strong spring sun is more than enough to overcome a slight chill in the