NULL 2008-04-19 04:25:53.000 - Kyle Paddleford,  Meteorologist When packing on Tuesday night for my work week I had some decisions to make. Was I to pack flannel or cotton sheets, and should I pack a pair of shorts just in case it gets really warm? Well, I chose the flannel sheets which I am happy about, and I packed the shorts. Obviously I have been using the sheets, but have not put on the shorts yet. I should have last evening when Stacey, Ryan, and I were playing catch on the deck. Today may be the day when I wake

Dog Days of spring 2008-04-18 14:26:54.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer NULL 50 and 8.1 These numbers are the high temperature and average wind speed for yesterday, respectively. Is this a mistake? Was it really that warm and calm on the summit? I know I’m used to seeing those numbers switched: 8.1 degrees F and 50 mph winds. Spring has revealed herself on the summit, in a rather summer-like fashion. Snow pants have been replaced by sturdy Carharts. Coats were scarce and sunglasses were flashing reflections of the brilliant sunlight as they replaced goggles on observers’ heads. As we spent some

Melanie 2008-04-17 07:06:33.000 - Summit Volunteer,  Summit Volunteer NULL Has Wednesday come so soon and my 8-day volunteer shift at the Mt.Washington Observatory really come to an end? Many of my friends, all of whom seem ecstatic to see winter snows finally retreat, looked at me as if I were crazy as I described packing for this week... crampons, ice axe, snowshoes, goggles, overmitts, winter gloves, balaclava, 3 layers of -20 winter clothing.. Winter is over, isn’t it?? Well, the calendar may indicate spring has arrived but I traveled back in season here at the home of some of the

Spring scenery 2008-04-16 01:55:31.000 - Matthew Morin,  Space Grant Intern Summit sign With the end of another shift on the summit just about completed, I stop to review all the pictures that I’ve taken over the last week. One thing that catches my eye right away is the landscape last Wednesday as compared to today. Spring is truly a transition season and the brown to white to, later on this week, brown color change of the ground around the observatory certainly shows that. At the beginning of this shift last Wednesday, the temperature got up to 41°F and there was

A Different Week 2008-04-14 16:06:57.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer Everything Is White Again This week has been very different for me. Since Ryan is on vacation until May 7th, that leaves just Steve and myself to cover the observational duties. Now I wouldn’t exactly say that we are short staffed, considering that just a year ago two observers per shift was the norm. However, it certainly has allowed much less time for me to work on other projects and tasks that I have on my to-do list. Also, since Ryan is our usual night observer that means that either me

Wind Gust 2008-04-12 20:48:51.000 - Steve Welsh,  IT Observer Wind Gust Of 118mph Today is the 74th anniversary of the world’s highest ever recorded wind gust which, occurred during a storm, right here, on the summit of Mount Washington back in 1934. On starting my shift this morning I assumed it would be a pretty quiet day wind wise, since there were no significant storms in the forecast. Certainly there would be no 200 mph plus gusts. So I was a little surprised when, around 7 am this morning, the building suddenly started to rattle and shake. I had just

Thermometer Calibration 101 2008-04-11 21:12:25.000 - Matthew Morin,  Space Grant Intern Calibration equipment I recently received an email from someone interested in how I calibrated the sling psychrometer used in the verification process of the ARVP stations. It was later decided that my response to the email would make a good observer comment because it provides an in depth look at how technical weather observation and research can be. To assure quality data being logged and reported by the seven ARVP sites, I set out to personally verify the data using a calibrated sling psychrometer. On my hike up the

A Backcountry Adventure 2008-04-10 17:15:37.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer A different view As most people reading this already know, Wednesdays are shift change days for the summit crew. So, Tuesdays during my week off are my day to prepare myself. I prepare all my clothes and gear for my week on the summit. I begin to prepare the home that I have so graciously been allowed to live in, for a week without my presence. Some weeks I also have to prepare by paying the right bills before I leave if they have due dates while I am away. This

Kinney 2008-04-09 07:53:18.000 - Summit Volunteer,  Summit Volunteers NULL We love to travel and have had the good fortune to see many places in the world, not to say we're world travelers, but none compare to this one. The time is drawing near for us to leave after our 6th opportunity to volunteer here on the 'Rock Pile' and it is hard to imagine anyone looking forward to leaving. The week has been busy with cooking for the crew and four groups as well as cleaning and reorganizing. As always, the weather provided all the ingredients to make the stay

NULL 2008-04-08 00:34:22.000 - Kyle Paddleford,  Observer My first week back from vacation was a good one. It was nice to see the crew again at the base of the Auto Road Wednesday morning and plus it was snowing. The vacation was both good and bad. The good part was that I got to go to Utah, ski deep snow, (as if I needed to leave NH for that!) and see some friends that I have not seen in over a year. The bad part was that I was not on the summit to experience the 145 mph wind gust