Citizen Scientists Mobilize! 2019-06-04 20:41:37.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Every time I stepped out last night to a scene of snow and rime, I found myself double-checking my smartphone's calendar to make sure that it was indeed June. Especially since just a night or two earlier I had done my shift in shorts and a t-shirt and now I am bundling up hourly to step outside to take on the “June-uary” weather. However, I know from working here as long as I have, snow in early June is not unusual and in a day or two, our

Anna's First Shift on Mount Washington 2019-06-03 19:36:24.000 - Anna Smith, Summit Intern   When they say ain’t no mountain high enough, I’m not sure if they’ve been here and seen what weather the prominence of Mount Washington can help produce. Though to be fair, I haven’t experienced the extremes yet either and am not entirely sure what this mountain is capable of. And if I’m being honest, that’s probably why I love it. Hey, my name is Anna Smith and I’m one of the new summer interns here at the Mount Washington Observatory. Born in Jersey, raised partially in Maine,

June Snow on the Horizon? 2019-05-30 16:45:49.000 - Thomas Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   GFS Model surface pressure and precipitation showing low pressure and precipitation parked over New England Monday afternoon. Image courtesy of Tropical Tidbits.  Although June is a month when most folks are thinking of vacation and time spent on the beach, here on the summit of Mount Washington we’re no stranger to June snow! We actually average roughly an inch of snow for a typical June, but some years we see no snow followed by an inch or 2 every few years. Looking ahead at early next

MWO Instrumentation by the Decade: the 1930s 2019-05-30 10:16:30.000 - Charlie Peachey, IT Intern                   This past Memorial Day weekend marked the 87th anniversary of the first funding for the Mount Washington Observatory. Nearly nine decades ago Joe Dodge walked into the Copper Kettle Tea Room in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire for the 1932 New Hampshire Academy of Science Annual Meeting Memorial Day weekend to present his grand idea for a new observatory at the summit of Mount Washington. With the 50th anniversary of the first International Polar Year coinciding with this meeting Joe and Robert S. Monahan saw

From the Valley to the Peak 2019-05-27 09:03:22.000 - Benjamin Charles, Summit Intern   Hello I am Ben Charles and I am one of the new summit Interns at the Mount Washington Observatory. I am from Sparta, New Jersey, where I sparked my desire for adventure by spending my free time hiking, mountain biking and most importantly skiing. As an avid skier I constantly was forecasting for snowstorms in hopes for great powder days on the slopes. This is what brought me to SUNY Oswego where lake effect snow dumps hundreds of inches of snow a year. After four great

Long Way From Home 2019-05-26 17:20:29.000 - Austin Patrick, Summit Intern   Coming from Ohio to New Hampshire to Mount Washington is an experience, and it’s one that should be shared! My name is Austin Patrick and I am one of the multiple interns for this summer. As I already said, I am from Ohio, near Mansfield, Ohio to be specific. I just graduated from Ohio University this May. I guess you can say I have friends in high places as both me and observer Ian Bailey are fellow alumni and have known each for two years being in Athens,

Atmospheric Long Waves and Short Waves; not the hand kind 2019-05-25 06:20:51.000 - Jay Broccolo, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   Often times in our forecasts there a couple terms we use that describe a wave pattern in the atmosphere. Normally, these terms are associated with low-pressure and high-pressure systems. We will say or write descriptions like; “the ridge of the high pressure will crest over the region early this morning” or “a shortwave trough will pass through the area and” bring some sort of weather phenomena to the region. What we are talking about are the different types of waves in the atmosphere. I grew up

Country Roads...Mount Washington Edition! 2019-05-20 11:25:35.000 - John King, Summit Intern   Country roads, take me home, to the place, I belong, the White Mountains! Howdy, my name is John King and I am the new summer summit intern. I am originally from Barkhamsted, Connecticut. I have spent the last 3 years at West Virginia University studying environmental and energy resource management. Before you ask, yes it is a state, and no it is not the Western part of Virginia. With grandparents doing 60 years of volunteering on the AMC, and parents who have strong passions for walking among the

Goodbye MWOBS! 2019-05-19 07:20:25.000 - Chloe Boehm, Summit Intern   As my second internship comes to a close, I have had a chance to think upon all the incredible experiences I have had in the past 9 months. When I started my fall internship last August, I had no idea the unbelievable journey I was about to partake in. I was excited to have the chance to live in a remote location while also getting a chance to learn more about forecasting and conduct some research. I didn’t know I was going to experience 171 mph winds, 6 foot drifts

Spring Cleaning and Spring Volunteers 2019-05-18 15:22:11.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer/Research Specialist   Happy spring from the summit of Mount Washington! No, I know it’s not the first day of spring, but with nearly a week above freezing, things are finally starting to feel like we’re heading away from winter, if only a little behind the rest of the region. I wanted to take a few moments and talk about what spring looks like up here in the alpine zone, because there’s a lot going on! It starts with the visitors. As the snows melt and conditions become slightly