Changing Seasons 2007-04-27 09:20:59.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer NULL Note: This comment was written on Wednesday. Due to problems that are no fault of the Observers, it did not get posted. Please bear with us through these trying times. Mike Davidson - ITIt’s good to be back on the summit this week in relative calm, especially by comparison to the conditions we experienced last we were here. The summit is a much different place than last we saw it, and this crew is looking forward to both a return to normalcy, and to exploring the new west and north snowfields

And Now For Something Completely Different 2007-04-24 07:25:10.000 - Jon Cotton,  Observer Spring on the Range The summit is not what it used to be. Not like the olden days of last week when snow would blow through the very crevices of the foundation and pile so high it would bury a doorway. Back in the day when ice was so thick it could bend steel mounting bars. Why I hear the winds would knock a man flat just fer step'n outside with the wrong colored hat on. I hear tell of a Ryan Knapp feller that had to walk

The Shift Change Update 2007-04-22 07:55:40.000 - Jon Cotton,  Observer A lot of Really Heavy Snow Alright, this is last week's shift change update. A normal change takes place on Wednesday with the upcoming crew leaving the base at 8:30am (valley time). Our fleet of vehicles consists of the summertime van, a truck and of course the snowcat. In the between seasons we either take the truck with tire chains up the entire way or switch from truck to snowcat part way up the road depending on snow cover. Top speed in the cat means an hour to travel the

The Internet Update 2007-04-20 23:49:45.000 - Jon Cotton,  Observer NULL Last night I really didn't have time to write an in-depth account of recent activities on the summit. Our Internet was still down and work was needed to restore it. There was a balance of writing a comment/something/anything and hoping to post it in a small window of uptime, diagnosing the problem, finishing the day's record check and trying to gather all the materials for the morning forecast. As far as our Internet connectivity goes, the aftermath shows that the issue was water in the valley connection and probable misalignment

Improving Weather and Cleanup 2007-04-20 22:05:35.000 - Kyle Paddleford,  Meteorologist NULL What a beautiful day it has been on the summit with temperatures climbing beyond the freezing mark, light winds and only a few clouds to speak of. You would think that this would be a great day to get out for a hike, take a few ski runs in the snowfields, or to just simply catch some rays out on the observation deck. However, it was just the opposite. The gorgeous weather allowed the crew to continue tackling many problems since the storm early in the week that wreaked

Trying to Get Back Online 2007-04-20 09:38:12.000 - Jon Cotton,  Observer Sunrise Tower There is a lot of updating due from summit to you. The summit has incurred involuntary radio silence this week and a few things have happened since Monday morning. We barely sorta have our communications fixed, the shift change took a solid nine hours of work to pull off, ice has resculpted our work environment and the weather turned from wind/ice/helmets-required-beyond-this-door to beautiful sunsets and 130 mile visibility. But right now I'm waiting for 11:01 EST. I'm writing this comment to fill the next 12 minutes and

Some Progress 2007-04-19 22:18:56.000 - Scot Henley,  Executive Director NULL I'm writing this from the valley, where today we actually saw lots of sun and a spectacular view of the snow covered Presidentials. Likewise, the crew on the summit enjoyed much better conditions than the previous shift, and they were able to start the clean-up and assessment of what needs to be done to get everything back up to full speed.Shift change took place on Wednesday, but it was complicated. Wayne skinned his way up to the Bombardier, which was parked at half-way on the Auto Road, fired it up

NULL 2007-04-18 10:24:00.000 - Scot Henley,  Executive Director NULL The challenges continue for the exhausted Observatory crew atop Mount Washington. Wind continues to blast the summit facility from the east, currently above 80 mph with higher gusts. Because of this east wind, extreme accumulation of ice and snow is happening in places that are normallysheltered from the summit's typical northwest winds.The "thermo shack", the small structure that holds thermometers just outside the observation deck level tower door, is completely encased in a tremendous amount of ice, and observer Jim Salge reports that it is in danger ofcollapsing. The east wind

NULL 2007-04-17 14:45:00.000 - Scot Henley,  Executive Director NULL As you might imagine, Mount Washington's extreme conditions can do a numberon equipment, and this incredible Nor'easter has temporarily knocked thesummit offline. The crew continues to battle the conditions and take weatherdata, but the Internet connection is down for the time being.So here's the latest... It's still snowing on the mountain, and they'vepicked up a total of 15" of snow from this never-ending storm. Down at thebase of the Auto Road, there is as much as two feet of snow. Strangely, onceyou get down below Dana Place on Route 16, there

BIG STORM!!! 2007-04-16 05:53:07.000 - Jim Salge,  Meteorologist Drifts inside the tower... Update: Wind directions continue to keep work conditions challenging. Here is a video of our protective front door airlock buckling in the east winds. The decision has been made not to open it ...Update #2: Winds have now peaked out at 156mph today, which the crew believes, at a quick glance of the records, is only the 3rd Category 5 strength wind since 1996!********************If there was ever a question as to why the Mount Washington Observatory remains a manual station to this day, the current situation on the