Clear views from the Alpine Garden 2006-08-07 08:13:39.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Distant views from the garden... The weather doesn’t get much better on Mount Washington than it was this past weekend. Cool temperatures, light winds and INCREDIBLE visibility, and perhaps even a few hints of fall ( as Tim alluded to yesterday) all combined for a fantastic and busy weekend. The museum had its best weekend of the summer, and the interns and observers gave tours of the weather room to Observatory members and guests just about every hour that the building was open.Over the last few years, I’ve

Signs of Autumn 2006-08-06 07:13:20.000 - Tim Markle,  Chief Observer The Summit from Mt. Clay One of the more important tools we use up here to help us in preparing the higher summits forecast is something called MOS, or Model Output Statistics. It is a numerical forecasting tool that uses a blend of computer models and climatology to determine what the weather may be up here for any given day. Of late, the MOS products have shown strings of unseasonably mild and humid air, even for the summit. In fact, the possible obscuration section of these numerical models have indicated

Suprise sunshine... 2006-08-04 09:19:50.000 - Dan Huber,  Chief Purveyor Of Adjectives Last rays on the deck... Mount Washington weather had another surprise in store for us yesterday. The station had been mired in a fog with a chowder-like consistency since the crew arrived on Wednesday. Visibility had been measured in feet with high winds and drizzle. We had just finished a discussion late yesterday afternoon on how confident we were that we would remain in the fog until the next day, much to the dismay of our Summer Seminar guests. However, moments later, the sun began to burn through the

A windy respite from the heat! 2006-08-03 07:50:42.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Leaning against the winds... Beach towels were major items of absolute necessity all over New England yesterday, as an intense heat wave put most of the Granite State into the 90s, forcing people to congregate at the lakes, rivers and beaches! Before ascending the mountain for shift change yesterday, I stopped by one of my favorite swimming holes, and already found people cooling off at 7AM! It was hot…Fortunately, Mount Washington is a traditional respite from the heat, as the all time high temperature is only 72 degrees

early morning blaze 2006-08-01 17:19:37.000 - Kristin Odell,  Summit Intern early morning blaze As my bunk mate climbed back into his rack, the 3-tiered bunk we were sleeping in began to shake. I groggily turned over to read the time on my cell phone; 4:45 a.m. came into focus. In my sleepy state, I remembered a few weeks back a similar situation. I had woken around 5 a.m. and had briefly thought to myself, “Should I really get up and see if I can catch a nice sunrise?” The thought was brief; within five seconds the Sandman had victory and

2006-07-31 02:34:56.000 - Ken Rancourt,  Observer What a day! Being the Night Observer once and a while changes your perspective. After a long shift on Saturday night in the fog, I went to bed feeling tired and damp as all of my observations were done in dense fog that limited visibility to less than 75 feet for most of the night.Tim started his shift in the fog too - but he also saw some very quick changes shortly after he started work: within a period of literally 5 minutes the summit went from dense fog enshrouding us to perfectly clear

A Change in the Weather 2006-07-29 07:16:23.000 - Rick Comeau,  Teacher Extern The Northeast is experiencing a heat wave coupled with oppressive dew point levels. The combined effects on humans, animals and air quality are numerous. What comes to my mind is the cold drink errantly placed on a fine wooden table top, and the water ring that forms as the moist air quickly condenses on the surface of your favorite "cold one." What also comes to mind are the folks with a taste for the finer things who might enjoy leather car seats or leather furniture. These weather conditions

A Dreary Day 2006-07-28 05:29:23.000 - Tim Markle,  Chief Observer It appears that the overall weather pattern has now been repeatedly stuck at giving the region a few days of heat and humidity, followed by a day of more comfortable conditions. This shift up here has been no exception. The mornings have been foggy and mild, giving the summit that rare humid feeling. By afternoon the clouds lift, but only to reveal hazy skies. Yesterday the limit of our visibility was Mt. Madison. Even when the clouds do lift and the sun appears, it only helps to aid in the

Thunderstorms today... 2006-07-25 08:24:13.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Walter on Madison... The stats for this years Seek the Peak have been compiled, and we’ve put together a review webpage here. Thanks again to all the participants and volunteers for making this event such a great success!The weather yesterday was quite improved from the rain and drizzle over the weekend. Though we started off in the clouds, the fog lifted by midday, allowing the second 100 mile visibility day this shift! Amazingly clean and clear air!Late in the day, I got a call from Walter, an intern on the other shift

KH Waves breaking over the summit! 2006-07-23 13:12:53.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer KH waves over the deck... The skies sure did open up during the afternoon yesterday, drenching any and all late arrivals for our Seek the Peak, but fortunately most had had made it up early enough to get down dry. Unfortunately though, the summit staff, worried about the condition of the road for the ride back up, failed to make it down for the BBQ, and thus we don’t yet have information on our top fundraisers. We do know though that we gave tours to over 150 hikers