Time Keeps Ticking, into the Future 2006-09-12 04:52:25.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Meteorologist Cool Sunset. 'It’s all about timing.' You may have heard this phrase before whether it’s playing sports, learning how to cook, dancing, or various other activities. The same phrase was used yesterday as we watched the sun set and was in reference to the temperatures we were experiencing. As we stood there bundled in our red LL Bean jackets that we are known for, we discussed how 32F feels so cold this time of year especially when just days ago we had 50’s as a high, short sleeve

Thunderstorm 2006-09-10 09:38:45.000 - Neil Lareau,  Observer Hail Drift Today:A plump and lopsided gibbous moon looms above the western horizon. Clouds rise up and partially obscured the summit from the northeast. The temperature is 27.6 degrees, and the clouds are now depositing tiny feathers of rime ice. My feet stick to the observation deck in an effect not unlike walking across the soda spilled floor of a movie theatre. The shoes, still warm from being inside, melt the ice on the cement surface and then, if you stand still, the water refreezes trying to hold you in place. Yesterday the

Convection 2006-09-09 06:36:26.000 - Neil Lareau,  Observer It was nice up here yesterday. Highs were in the mid 50s and for most of the daylight hours winds only registered in the single digits. Fair weather cumulus occupied about half the sky for most of the day and demonstrated the wonders of convection. Tumbling eddies were obvious embedded within the overall NW-SE drift of each cloud. Over the Rocky Branch ridge a more vigorous updraft formed a quickly growing cumulus mediocris cloud. It looked to have much greater ambitions, trying for the ultimate status of cumulonimbus, but alas the crenellated top

Tim Markle will be missed 2006-09-08 08:29:53.000 - Neil Lareau,  Observer Nin is going to miss Tim Markle’s presence on the summit. So am I. Tim has been a mentor and a friend to me. To Nin he was a master scratcher and cleaner of the litter box. I could detail the tremendous contributions that Tim has made to the observatory in way of professional expertise and more importantly in his presence within this small community, but the list would be to long for this forum. Needless to say Tim has left, as Ken put it two days ago, an

Tim 2006-09-06 08:10:04.000 - Tim Markle,  Chief Meteorologist One Last Sunrise Sitting in the weather room getting ready to take what is likely to be my final observation up here, I could not help but reminisce about what it was like during my first week on the summit back in July of 2003. Looking back upon it all made laugh for, you see, my last observation was almost exactly the same as my first! It was foggy and drizzling, with a light northwesterly breeze. The only difference was that is was three degrees warmer during that July observation. It was

Belt of Venus... 2006-09-05 07:50:30.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Undercast and Earth Shadow... I don't always like surprises, but even at 4:30 in the morning, a knock on the bedroom door doesn’t necessarily mean bad things at the Observatory. Sure sometimes, especially in winter, the late night wrap usually mean an instrument has failed and you have to go from deep sleep to -100F windchills, but these times are rare. Given the morning forecast when I went to bed though, I couldn’t rationalize why they were waking me up this morning. “Jim … Undercast” was the only message I needed

Roving Technical Observer 2006-09-04 05:47:20.000 - Jon Cotton,  Observer Window Sill Visitors... Since last December I have been working for the Observatory - and a good portion has been on the summit. I believe this is my second comment written in all that time. Back last winter when I was announcing my job to family and friends many of them were excited that I'd be writing comments. I disappointed...time to change that. It will be a personal transformation that an English major can be proud of. I'll share my thoughts and impressions. Why not?Because now I have observer type things

Ernesto and the sundogs... 2006-09-02 14:46:45.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Ernesto Thus far, Ernesto has behaved as forecasted in the White Mountains, leaving summits mainly free of fog with a high overcast. We still expect these clouds to lower and thicken, putting the peak back into the fog, and with a chance of rain moving in overnight and for tomorrow.Until the rain arrives, the summit crew will likely continue to enjoy one of the many spectacular skyscape phenomena that usually precedes tropical systems. As background, I must state a rather surprising fact. The very tops of tropical systems, those that

Misty mountain top, and an ernesto update! 2006-09-01 08:15:59.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Misty Mountain Top... I’m quite sure that everyone with outdoor plans in the White Mountains this weekend has their weather eyes fixed to the south, squarely on Ernesto. Already the peak is seeing some effects, as high clouds are streaming in from the southeast, and these will likely thicken up through the day. High clouds shouldn’t ruin anyone’s plans, the sun will surely be shining through. The question remains though…will it rain out the weekend, or will it move west? How long can this strong high pressure

Undercast Sunrise 2006-08-31 04:32:36.000 - Tim Markle,  Chief Observer Yesterday Sometimes it can be tough to get yourself out of bed at 4:30am and head upstairs to start your shift. However, there are those mornings in which you don't mind having to endure waking at such an early hour, if it means knowing a spectacular sight awaits you as you step outside for your first observation. Yesterday morning was one of those mornings. A relatively calm wind, brisk temperatures, and a blanket of clouds below made for a fine sunrise. In fact it was the kind of sunrise you wake