winter returns 2008-05-01 07:39:46.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer NULL Temperature: 8 degrees FWind: W 71 MPHWind Chill: -23 degrees FVisibility: 1/16 mileWeather Conditions: Freezing fog, light snow, and blowing snowThese were the conditions when I checked the Mount Washington Observatory’s website just before leaving my house to drive to the base of the Auto Road. I quickly threw on a pair of snow pants, ascertained that I had my hat, gloves, face mask and goggles before starting my car and heading north. 7.2 inches of snow fell on Tuesday, and the summit was once again covered in a blanket of

Seak the Peak Coming Up Fast! 2008-04-29 17:44:08.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer Holding up the snow board at observation time It has been snowing steadily and rather heavily all afternoon today. There was a very quick change over from rain to snow around noon, which surprised me. I was expecting a change from rain to a mix of freezing rain and sleet, and then eventually over to snow right on the tail end of the storm. It will be interesting to see how much snow Steve measures this evening; my guess is at least a couple inches considering how hard

Marty - First Time Out 2008-04-28 21:32:13.000 - Marty,  Summit Cat Outside At Last Hello, Marty hereBig news.Been outside exploring for the first time.Very excited. Lots of rocks, caves, buildings and other strange things to investigate. Where is the ceiling? What are those things moving above?Strange smells.Brrrr - this white stuff is cold on my paws.Why does my fur ruffle?The floor is not flat and smooth – it’s really just a pile of rocks.Where is the sofa?What is that?Very excited. Have to exercise so can explore further.Lots of running to increase stamina.Pull ups - must build up upper body strength

Change is on the way 2008-04-27 20:37:53.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer The weather recently has been...well...unexciting to be honest. Of course, having the opportunity to live and work on Mount Washington certainly changes one's definition of exciting weather. Regardless, we have spent much more time in the clear than we have in the fog. Of course, anyone that knows anything about Mount Washington knows that this is truly unusual. At least yesterday I got to take advantage of the clear, calm, and rather warm weather. After being stuck inside all week because I had come down with a cold and

Night Shift 2008-04-26 21:25:15.000 - Steve Welsh,  IT Observer A recent sunset to start my day off Last Wednesday’s shift change felt a little different for me. Not only did we take the truck half way up the auto road, before transferring to the Snow Tractor for the final stage, but I was also thinking about the upcoming week, when I’d be working nights, for the first time, at the observatory. It’s been 20 years since I’ve done a night shift; way back when I was working in Antarctica. So it was with a little trepidation that I began the

Change 2008-04-25 23:03:08.000 - Matthew Morin,  Space Grant Intern Early spring scenery Change is something that I used to dread. I am not talking about the money you get back after a purchase or the coins under your sofa cushions. Those are not scary at all. I am talking about situations where you are forced to leave a familiar and comfortable reality. Fortunately, over the last few years, I have changed the way I view the world and all of the new opportunities it has to offer. I now embrace change with a mindset that it will always have a

Obs coming to a school near you...soon 2008-04-24 23:22:18.000 - Michelle Cruz,  Outreach Coordinator Marty Traveling…one of my favorite things about life…that opportunity to learn about another culture…place yourself in location that you might’ve read about in an intriguing book, article, poem, or see in a painting, photograph…or it just might be that experience that you know you will take with you through life. Yep, an experience. The knowledge gained through traveling is priceless. However, the cost of a ticket for transportation is another story.It seems fitting when I think about my job…traveling to schools, science centers and other organizations

First thunderstorm of the spring 2008-04-23 18:32:05.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer NULL As I write this, we are in the midst of experiencing the first thunderstorm I have been on the summit for in quite some time. In fact, it was probably September or October when I was last here for a thunderstorm. I am actually having trouble remembering how to code a thunderstorm on our weather forms.This is the first big change in the weather the summit has seen in over a week. In fact, as this thunderstorm approached, fog engulfed the summit for the first time since the

NULL 2008-04-22 13:05:11.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer Here's a picture of the diminished snow pack. The calm weather has allowed us to work some other projects this week. Mike has been working on making the Observer’s life a little easier by writing some essential programs, Ryan has been diligently working on his research project, Kyle has been spending some time with wind instruments, and I’ve been working on ideas for the Observatory’s distance learning project. There are more projects. For example, we are currently replacing a Plexi-glass window in our pressurized barograph enclosure, which has turned into a slightly larger

Water Water Water 2008-04-20 22:34:34.000 - Ryan Buckley,  Summit Intern Water water water. We had some flooding problems today. The bottom of the tower started to overflow into the living quarters up over a 4 inch lip between the two rooms. The observatory went immediately from weather mode and shifted to water removal. We tried to open the summer exit door at the bottom of the tower, but the door was still iced in. This made water removal much more difficult. We set up the sump pump and filled three 20 gallon barrels to lower the water level in the