Fast changing weather... 2006-12-17 20:54:57.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Summit Fox At Sunset... The weather patterns over the peak have seemingly been moving quickly in the past week, but overall, the changes have been slight. A zonal flow across the entire country has kept storms weak, and cold air has been non-existent. In fact, the low temperature during the past week on the summit was 15 degrees, while the average daily temp should be ten. The fast moving systems have kept winds strong, but little snowfall has been produced by the on and off clouds flying past the windows. It’s

It 2006-12-15 07:55:04.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Northern lights over the summit... High clouds gradually overspread the skies yesterday and though summits remained free of fog, hopes were low that we would be able to see any of the aurora that was predicted to be active. However, during the first ob after dinner last night, Jon and I were out on the deck looking at a largely clear sky and a faint glow on the horizon. Not knowing how long the clearing would last we suited up and grabbed the cameras to see what we could image. It was 6:30

Shift change... 2006-12-14 06:38:18.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Deicing the tower... Another Wednesday, another shift change, another ride to the summit in the TRUCK. This time there was at least a little snow on the road from top to bottom, but our snowcat remains stranded at halfway. Unfortunately, the snow was nothing that the plow and chains couldn't handle. Shortly after we arrived at the summit, a period of light snowfall did move in, so hopes are high that perhaps by next Wednesday the upper half of the road will be covered enough for a cat ride, but then again,

NULL 2006-12-12 14:25:06.000 - Bryan Farr,  Summit Intern NULL I guess the Mount Washington spirit decided that for my last full day on the mountain as a fall intern, it would produce an amazing day. Pristine white mountains , snow covered slopes, frozen ponds, sunshine on the ocean, and limitless views are just a few of the sights I saw when I was out for my last hike. The wind was nearly calm; it was as if something were missing. A very good thing. The low December sun actually warmed me a little too much through my down LL Bean

Redundancy and flying ice 2006-12-11 07:24:30.000 - Neil Lareau,  Observer NULL Snowing and in the fog this morning as a cold front pushes south through the region. The wind has been somewhat relentless this week. It has only topped 100 mph once, but it has yet to lull to a comfortable level. Yesterday provided a lot of sun; sun that helped to loose many pieces of rime into the wind. Walking out the precipitation can I had to dodge fist size pieces propelled by the wind from 1/16 of a mile away and 200ft up on the WPKQ radio tower.

NULL 2006-12-09 15:39:58.000 - Bryan Farr,  Summit Intern Checking the Shelter Temps Now that we are no less than two weeks away from the official start of winter, it is appropriate that the weather decides to reflect what the calendar says. Many of us here on the summit as well as you, our avid readers, have commented on the warmth, snow and then lack of snow, high winds and just how is life going on the summit. I know that some of you like to enjoy the beauty of Mt. Washington on a warm summer day or even some of

Coastal snows 2006-12-08 08:12:17.000 - Neil Lareau,  Observer NULL Walking to the precipitation can this morning my nostrils froze; -11.1 degrees and it felt good. A coastal low is trying to redevelop in the Gulf of Maine this morning. That is always a good thing if you like snow. Jeff Derosa (former observer), fresh back from living on a mile or two of ice for a year at latitude 90 degrees south, is likely seeing some heavy snow bands down in Bath, ME this morning. Today could be a good day to cross country ski on the beach. It doesn’t

Researching Abroad and the Thermal Pictures We Promised 2006-12-06 11:03:27.000 - Jon Cotton,  Observer Wildcat In Color One of our many talents here at the Observatory is testing instrumentation. Over the years we have tested our own gear, handled loaner equipment from the National Weather Service, hosted outside companies in their pre-production trials, and worked with universities near and far. Anyone who's been here for a guided tour of our facility has seen and heard the whirring air intakes of the UNH AIRMAP project. In monitoring the chemical composition of the air flowing past for many years, they've contributed greatly

Winter and the Weather Channel... 2006-12-05 08:16:08.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Cold Sunrise... The summit shed its coat of fog early this morning, allowing the crew to survey the effects of the newly fallen snow on the peak. Bare ground has been transformed to large drifts, as six inches of snow combined with hurricane force winds overnight to sculpt the summit. The winds have actually transformed the snow itself, grinding yesterday’s wonderful 5% density snow into drifts firm enough to walk atop.Gazing upon the valley, you can’t miss the lights of ski resorts lit up, most for the first time

The Weather Channel Segment ... 2006-12-04 08:41:25.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer The Observatory Crew with Stephanie Abrams from TW Finally, a return to winter! The weather map this morning finds thesummit of Mount Washington sandwiched between weather systems, and whilethe Observatory is missing the majority of the heavy precipitation, steadysnow is falling on the peak. Nearly two inches fell overnight, withheavier accumulations falling at some lower elevations north of the WhiteMountains this morning. To see more information on that, you can checkour Backcountry Weather Webpage, now being updated for the season withinformation gathered by the AMC.Winter’s return didn’t come a