Lenticular Clouds and Mt. Washington 2019-09-16 11:03:58.000 - Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   Yesterday, we had some incredible views of some Lenticular clouds over the summit! Once we cleared from the fog, I had gone outside for the hourly observation and was pleasantly surprised to find some towering “lentis” in front of me! I quickly dug out my phone and snapped the picture, luckily before my phone was blown out of my hands and down on to the deck (needless to say I’ll be swinging by the iGuys in North Conway this coming down week). But it was worth

When do we Average seeing our First Snow? 2019-09-13 15:29:53.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   With winter coming fast in the White Mountains, it is always fun to look back at our records and figure out some averages. Since we are technically a sub-arctic climate on the summit, the first snow usually comes quite early relative to the surrounding locations. We have had a few good cold snaps recently with temperatures falling below freezing, though it has so far only occurred when we have dry air in the region so no snow yet. Finding the first snow of

In Search of Wintry Weather: A Look at the Week Ahead on Mount Washington 2019-09-09 08:30:46.000 - Thomas Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   With our much-advertised below freezing temperatures last night being a bust, (we sat at literally 32.0-34 degrees all night) I’ve decided to take a look at our next chances for potential wintry weather. “Wintry weather” we’ll define as at least some icing conditions, with rime or glaze ice forming on the summit surfaces, or better yet, snow! It’s still quite early for us to see significant snowfall this time of year, but typically by mid-late September the

My Perspective of Being a Summit Volunteer 2019-09-06 12:20:54.000 - Carol Anderson, Summit Volunteer   I have been a summit volunteer for 3 years and I love it. I have been on the rockpile in every season. I have been a co-volunteer with people I did not know and people I did know, and I have gone solo. It is an awesome experience. Never have two shifts been the same -- different weather, different schedule, different staff, different food, different visitors. You never know what you will get. But the one consistency is the great fun and immense satisfaction of

Follow Your Passion, The Rest Will Fall Into Place 2019-09-04 06:52:05.000 - Jay Broccolo, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   Hello all!  For this blog post, I’m going to take a different route.  Often times, I write something sciency about some weather phenomena, process, or something regarding the atmosphere and its interconnectedness with the entirety of the Biosphere.  This time, I’m going to share something a bit more personal.  It’s been a quick and extremely rewarding past 8 months working here at the Observatory and I want to write about how I got here.  It’s a bit of a weird path, but at

An Analysis of Hurricane Dorian So Far 2019-09-02 08:57:45.000 - Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   This past weekend we had our final Summer Edutrip for the season on the summit. And the theme for this trip, coincidentally, was Hurricanes and the Science of Tropical Cyclones. As such the observers and the trip group were closely following the progression and evolution of Hurricane Dorian. As of early Sunday morning, Hurricane Dorian reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and began to make landfall in the Bahamas with sustained winds around 185 mph. With the catastrophic damage being done and the

Fall is Just Around the Corner 2019-08-30 11:02:38.000 - Benjamin Charles, Summit Intern   August will shortly come to an end, wrapping up what was a great summer here at the summit of Mount Washington. So as the end of the 2019 summer grows closer we will begin to see a considerable shift in our weather this next month of September. Typically during the summer is when the Summit of Mount Washington experiences its calmer conditions, warmer temperatures, and foggiest months.  August is actually the first month that the average temperature begins to decrease by 1.0°F to 48.1°F. However the

The Air Was Filled With Laughter: A Letter to Our Fall Interns 2019-08-25 07:25:39.000 - Anna Smith, Summit Intern Graduate   The air was filled with laughter. One last shift change for this set of interns and honestly, it was probably my favorite yet. We were bouncing around the agenda, getting through the important details while trying not to dissolve into laughter amidst flying squirrel jokes, Jay zoning out in his preparation to go to bed before his night shift, and Marty just being weird. Finally Rebecca begins to take out mail from the WDC, and to my surprise, I

Sunrise Drive Tips 2019-08-24 06:06:24.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Sunday, August 25th will be the third (of three) Mt Washington Auto Road Sunrise Drive of 2019. For information about when their road will open, their rates, vehicle restrictions, etc, head HERE. The Mount Washington Observatory operates independently from the Mt Washington Auto Road, so if you have questions about their event, please contact them directly via the information provided HERE or through their various social media offerings. If driving up tomorrow morning, here are five things to help in your planning: 1. Dress Warm! Pack a coat/sweater,

Mount Washington Auto Road Hillclimb 2019 2019-08-20 09:41:39.000 - Benjamin Charles, Intern   Every year the Mount Washington Auto road holds various races to the summit of Mont Washington. I was lucky enough to witness the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb this week. The race took place Saturday August 17, 2019 and began at 8:30 am at the base of the Auto Road and finished at the very top of the Auto Road. Making this a relentless 7.6 mile climb with an average grade of 12% and an astonishing maximum grade of 22% for the last 50 yards. To