Relative Humidity 2008-03-17 14:20:49.000 - Steve Welsh,  IT Observer Rime Ice One of the things you notice whilst living on the top of Mount Washington in winter is how dry the air is. Over the course of a week long shift up here your skin dries out and cracks. Typically the air inside the building, at this time of year, has a relative humidity of around 10% to 15%, which, is kind of strange considering we are in the fog most of the time with the humidity outside at 100%. So what’s going on? It turns out that warm air

Trippin... 2008-03-15 21:29:58.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Every pay check, I put aside $50 into a special saving account which is labeled “vacation fund” on my online bank account. I then explore the internet to find that once in a lifetime kind of trip to aim for to use my funds on as well as take time off from work for. The options now and days are as endless and as big as my imagination as to where and what people can do for vacations. Trip ideas can vary from swimming with dolphins to going on ghost hunting trips.

Former interns comments... 2008-03-14 17:32:05.000 - Aubrie Pace,  Former Summit Intern NULL Life is different atop the summit of Mount Washington. People who describe the summit have addressed this topic countless times, but the real experience cannot be fully appreciated until the individual actually spends time on the summit his/her self. I was welcomed back to the summit the last few days during my Spring Break to help out. Mount Washington is not normally associated with Spring Breaks, unless to be compared as one of the worst places to vacation, but despite the negative outlook on my choice I would

That old saying... 2008-03-13 02:27:15.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Meteorologist 1930s Commute. My past week can be summarized as this: something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. First off though, let me clarify that I did not get married, I just thought this old marriage superstition best summarized my week off is all. So, I will work my way backwards.First off, I went to Bethel, Maine and saw the world’s tallest snowwoman under blue skies. I missed the worlds tallest snowman back in 1999 standing at a mere 113 foot, 7 inch high. This woman one uped that record

Shower 2008-03-11 22:51:37.000 - Ryan Buckley,  Summit Intern NULL The feeling of showering, after 8 days up at the observatory, may be one of those things that is better described in words than in a picture. It is Tuesday night and all that I can think about is the sound of water falling from a shower-head and gushing onto the floor of the bath tub in 15 long streams, each a 1/16th inch in diameter. I lift my foot over the lip of the shower and instantly feel the hot water on the bottom of my feet. I wait a

Century club 2008-03-10 23:29:21.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer Windswept: This is the name of the Mount Washington Observatory’s quarterly publication. It also describes conditions on the summit yesterday. I have to admit, my forecast was a little off. I called for winds to be 65-85 mph, with gusts approaching the century mark. However, winds were sustained over 100 mph for quite a bit of time. These high winds provided the perfect opportunity for those who were awake to attempt membership into that exclusive club: The Century Club. How does one attain membership? Well, the first step is that winds must

Some Interesting Weather 2008-03-09 06:11:39.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Well, the beginning of the weather we were not so much looking forward to came yesterday. After a bit of a drizzle in the morning, we were given a brief respite before the second storm system came upon us. During that time, we were fortunate enough to experience a complete undercast. This is like an upside-down overcast; there is a continuous layer of cloud below you, and one that you are unable to see any ground beneath. We are past that now, and have been in the clouds with rain

rain and snow 2008-03-07 23:43:00.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer Precip anyone? We had to say goodbye today, not only to the group of charming German students, but also to the fair weather that had graced the summit for a short time. Shortly before the start of my shift, the clouds began to roll (I mean literally roll) in, undulating and crashing over the northern side of the mountain like waves. For the first time this week, it is ten fifteen, and all is quiet on the summit front, but only inside. Outside, Mother Nature is unsettled, to say the least.

fickle mountain weather 2008-03-06 17:04:41.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer Windy yesterday Only twenty four hours ago we were all watching the hays chart in anticipation, awaiting the moment when winds would hit that daunting century mark. We were not disappointed, as gusts got up to 110 mph at the peak, and it was as suspenseful as watching the most recent Superbowl. At the dinner table, at random intervals, everyone could hear the gusts through the vents, and the more powerful the gust, the louder the roar from the table. Freezing fog, ice pellets and freezing rain dominated yesterday’s weather. However,

NULL 2008-03-05 15:23:34.000 - Kyle Paddleford,  Observer Glazing Yesterday I was in a tee shirt taking advantage of the warm temperatures and softening snow to widen the snow banks in my driveway. It felt really nice to not be all bundled up. The air had a warm spring like scent to it. This morning was a different story. The warm spring like scent was gone, the temperatures had fallen and sleet was now accumulating on all surfaces. I got an earlier start today since I knew the driving was going to be bad. The trip up interstate 93 from Concord