Waiting for 100mph... 2006-10-28 13:10:30.000 - Bryan Farr,  Summit Intern Yesterday The end of October is certainly turning out to be a roller coaster ride for weather atop the Rockpile. A week ago winds gusted to 129 mph, some snow fell, followed by a nice day, then back in the clouds and snow to pick up around a foot on the ground, followed by bright sunshine and sun-baked warmth. All this quickly turned around to today’s myriad of snow and sleet, and wind speeds nearing 100 mph. Every hour is filled with de-icing our instruments, scraping the doorways and sweeping

Clear views of the snow-covered peaks... 2006-10-27 09:00:35.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer The snow-covered summit... I honestly think that it has been an entire year since the Northern Presidential Range has looked this white. The density and depth of the early season rime has allowed it to coated everything, and has trapped a large portion of the snow on all the slopes. Given the winter that we had last year, since last October’s record snowfall, I can’t remember them this evenly coated. Perhaps the lower density snow just blows off during mid-winter, perhaps summer is clogging my memory.The summit has

New Snow! 2006-10-26 13:10:03.000 - Bryan Farr,  Summit Intern Front Door Drifts... I think someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that we are only one month into autumn, as winter is in full force on the summit of Mount Washington this morning. Snow drifts reaching ten feet have been created by blowing snow and howling winds which yesterday peaked at 94 mph. A white hurricane continued to blow this morning with northwest winds nearing 80 mph causing pure whiteout conditions. We have picked up over 8 inches of snow, bringing our monthly total to 27.8 inches. Now if last year

Winter Shift Change 2006-10-25 14:47:14.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Beginning shift change... There is something majestic about seeing Mount Washington snowcapped for the first time each season. I was driving north into Conway yesterday when the clouds parted allowing views right to the brilliantly white peak. I knew about all the snow, but I didn’t expect the full on winter look that now ensconced the peak. It was beautiful.Shift change today was done as if it were winter. And really, it is now winter...and despite the fact that this was the first time this season that I’ve put the chains

Skiing!! 2006-10-23 10:08:00.000 - Neil Lareau,  Observer Srevice road turns Following Jon’s lead from yesterday, today’s comments will be mostly pictures.But here are the details:It snowed; it’s still snowing. About 6” of dense snow are on the ground in an atypically evenly disturbed coating. It is lovely.I went skiing. Jon took a few pictures. Here they are:Clicking in |Getting to the service road ||Making turns |happiness |It could snow everyday this week. It will be cold, lots of readings in the teens. Next weekend there could be a bigger storm.****IMPORTANT BULLETIN*****The Sherman Adams Building (operated by New Hampshire State Parks)

Less Talk, More Pictures 2006-10-22 07:09:23.000 - Jon Cotton,  Observer Tower in Sunrise No words today. Just photo comparisons between Thursday morning and this morning. Today's shots have the rime ice.This one is the companion building shot.Undercast Nelson Crag | Winter CragYankee Building | Yankee TodayLines of Cirrus | in the SunriseMonroe | and Lakes of the Clouds HutThis one didn't happen today. Though I was racing neck in neck and side by side with two ravens running up the deck into the wind.This is what I was working on last night - some instrument rewiring in the tower.The Mount

Finally, 100 mph Winds! 2006-10-21 10:51:15.000 - Mike Renzi,  Summit Intern Snow drift in front of the Yankee Building, taken What an exciting night! I got to experience my first 100+ mph wind gust, 105 mph to be exact. We were expecting the winds to get nasty overnight last night, so naturally, Neil, Jon, and I went outside around 10pm at night. We stepped out onto the deck and I thought I could handle it no problem but Neil told me we weren’t in the full force of the wind yet. This was because the wind was going over the

NULL 2006-10-19 08:37:40.000 - Neil Lareau,  Observer Morning undercast Spending a good deal of time on the summit of Mount Washington allows one to begin to approach grandeur with a sense of familiarity instead of awe. It becomes possible to reflect upon scenes like the one that greeted my first observation of the morning: We are joined in a world above the clouds this dawn by the summit of Mount Adams. Occasionally Jefferson and Madison poke their heads through the undercast, and for short intervals so to does our distant kin, Mount Lafayette; mostly though it is just us. This

NULL 2006-10-17 16:43:46.000 - Steve Walsh,  Summit Volunteer Cog and clouds Being a Mount Washington Observatory volunteer is not your typical week’s vacation as say, going to the Caribbean. I packed enough for three seasons; late summer, fall and winter. When I arrived at the base, I was in 60 degree weather followed by a few days later on Saturday night the temperature bottomed at 15.5 degrees with a wind-chill of -5. In my week here, I have taken 2 hikes, seen snow and rime ice and winds approaching 70 mph. The photographic opportunities have been awesome. I will have

Just wait a few minutes... 2006-10-17 09:21:45.000 - Bryan Farr,  Summit Intern Stratocumulus lenticularis The visitors who made it to the summit yesterday could not have been more pleased as the day turned out to be perfect by their standards. We had some tours of the observatory, and our guests from Pennsylvania were anxious to reach the outside top of our tower where 100 mile views in every direction, light winds and crisp temperatures awaited them. It is definitely rare in October to be able to be outside for any length of time and enjoy the natural beauty this mountain