Hailstorm 2007-07-02 18:08:15.000 - Maria Zatko,  Summit Intern Hailball fight! Hail, snow, sleet, rain, rainbow, wind, sun...yes, all in a matter of 30 minutes. For the compulsive weather addicts out there- this comment is a shout out to you. Dressed up in our hats and winter jackets- Jon, Dan and I stormed out to the observation deck around 4:30 this afternoon. Coming from a valley in Western Massachusetts- I have never seen so much hail in my life. The hail only lasted about five minutes but it was blown against the eastern wall of the deck and therefore piled six

June Cold 2007-06-30 10:09:28.000 - Dan Harnos,  Summit Intern NULL 'Is this really late June?' is the question the summit staff seem to keep asking ourselves. Awaking this morning to temperatures in the mid 30s with wind chills in the teens certainly didn't say so. Going from temperatures in the mid 90s in the valley the early part of last week to this certainly was a bit of an adjustment for us all however. Also Jon and I had a bit of an adventure yesterday down in the valley taking care of some maintenance and instrument work, but the return

NULL 2007-06-29 06:00:25.000 - Kyle Paddleford,  Meteorologist Just getting started I can’t believe my eyes! A few days ago visibility was only ten to twenty miles due to thick haze and moisture in the air. Now I can see over eighty miles and clearly pick out land marks such as Mt. Mansfield, Camels Hump, and Jay Peak in Vermont. There is no doubt many of you have already felt the difference, as a much cooler and drier airmass is now in place over the region. I was getting ready for bed after working the night shift just prior to the

We are back! 2007-06-28 08:21:07.000 - Ken Rancourt,  Meteorologist NULL Thursday - the day after Wednesday. Wednesdays are typically very long days for the summit crew. The weekly food shopping is done early in the morning by one of the upcoming staff, we gather at the base and get all of the upgoing gear into the van, and head up. And then it gets busy. Summer is not bad - the trip up is quick, but then we all go into the Shift Change Meeting which can last a number of hours. (Add into that some phone calls, Polycoms to

Volunteer Reflections 2007-06-27 05:30:53.000 - Jeff Weinberg,  Summit Volunteer Storm Streaks... As shift change day rapidly approaches, my stay on the summit as volunteer draws toa close. While I was here I was fortunate enough to experience the summit's manymoods. Who could believe that during a single week in late June one couldexperience snow, rain, rime and glaze icing events, warm days with 100 mile views -suitable for alpine hiking, and of course, the summit's signature hurricane forcewinds which are best experienced outside on the Obs Deck! I personally enjoyedbeing outside as the summit plunged in and out of the

Monday 2007-06-25 23:09:49.000 - Lynn Metcalf,  Summit Intern Tanning Obs-style “It’s Monday.” I groaned tiredly this morning as I imagine countless other people did. The unique part of my morning vocalization is what I lamented next, “I can’t believe the week is almost over.” I would not have thought a month ago that life rotating around Wednesdays would be so very different from life based on the standard work week. There is just something slightly disconcerting about the fact that those oh-so-dreaded Mondays are now part of my “weekend” on my off shift weeks. Of course, getting used to a

Rapid Changes ... 2007-06-25 09:04:25.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer OBScast Antics ... The ice and snow was all but a memory by mid morning yesterday, as bright sun and mild temperatures took over the weather pattern through the day yesterday. It was fun while it lasted! There was still one thing about yesterday that wasn’t very summer-like though, the amazing views that we were privileged to. With none of the typical summer time haze, visibilities extended over to New York in the morning, and continued through five states and Canada through the day. Fair weather clouds remained overhead until sunset,

Becoming a night observer. 2007-06-23 20:10:15.000 - Zach Allen,  Observer Cathy and the Ice Fort As I went to bed this morning the summit started to receive glaze icing. When I woke up it finally ended. After getting ready for the day I walked out side seeing all the ice that had fallen off the tower. An idea struck me to attempt an ice fort. I talked our intern Cathy into it and we attempted it. Unfortunately it just wasn’t the same as snow due to the lack of bonding and friction between the ice chunks. However it was still

More Icing... 2007-06-23 10:48:18.000 - Cathy Radonic,  Summit Intern Summer at the Obs... I never would have thought that on the second full day of summer I would be standing at the top of the tower taking free ranging swings with a crow bar to de-ice the instruments. At first though, I was not taking such liberty with my hacking, afraid I would cause an instrument to break off and be carried off by the nearly 70mph winds. Then Brian told me to let loose and swing full force, and of course that’s when the real fun began. As chunks

NULL 2007-06-22 14:35:39.000 - Lynn Metcalf,  Summit Intern Summer Snow! No one can deny that working at the Mount Washington Observatory provides unique experiences, to say the least. This is only my third shift week and already I have felt 85 mph winds blowing through my hair (which is not very conducive to that model-esque windswept look), been completely immersed in fog, and seen significant riming. Now today, I experienced snow (sideways snow at that) in June! Light snow fell for about an hour, with little accumulation, however I wonder how many other interns get to throw a snowball at