Still Foggy 2006-06-10 09:14:48.000 - Dan Huber,  Summit Intern Faithful Observer... Yet again the word of the day up here on top of Mount Washington is going to be fog. This intern has seen nothing but fog since he arrived. He is beginning to suspect that the fog has been creeping into the brains of the entire crew up here. Yet through thick and thin your faithful summit observers and interns continue to monitor the conditions, hoping for a break in the clouds. We are able to continue our steadfast surveillance through support from people like you!Riding in the midst

Still in the Fog 2006-06-09 09:02:56.000 - Christy Schultz,  Summit Intern A summit trail seen by an ant! For the past two months, the summit crew has been quite vitamin D deficient. With a very damp May and another moist month beginning last week, the top of Mount Washington has seen very little sunshine! Yesterday we got excited when the sun could dimly been seen through the layer of clouds above us, but Jim got a treat this morning when he was graced with about five minutes of sun and a glimpse of an undercast. Some observers and interns are

NULL 2006-06-08 11:43:08.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Lenticular AND Virga...! The summit of Mount Washington typically resides in the fog about 70% of the time, so it is no surprise that the view disappeared 24 hours ago now. If you are a frequent visitor of our webcams, you may know the frustration of desperately wanting to see the neighboring mountains around sunset, only to find the view obscured. It is part of life on Mount Washington. An occasional glimpse of something amazing between long interludes in the fog!Yesterday morning was one of those amazing things worth noting, as it makes

NULL 2006-06-06 23:46:20.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Only found here... Ken had mentioned in yesterday’s comment that there has been so little sun on the mountain of recent that the batteries on the temperature probes along the Auto Road have been unable to recharge. By the numbers, as the Observatory keeps track of sunshine minutes on the summit, we know that the sun had been out for just over 2 hours during the first 5 days of June. Yuck! Today though, all that changed as a strong, albeit temporary, ridge of high pressure moved in clearing skies and finally drying

NULL 2006-06-05 07:09:23.000 - Ken Rancourt,  Meteorologist The weather is changing - finally. Having been here for the last five days and seeing nothing but fog, rain, and drizzle, makes you wonder if spring is really here. The snow banks have melted away and there are just a few patches of snow here and there on the summit. They will most likely be gone once the sun hits them over the next few days.There were relatively few visitors to the summit over the weekend, but the MWO Gift Shop did rather brisk sales of rain gear and the like. Our

NULL 2006-06-04 10:57:50.000 - Walter Sessions,  Summit Intern Before the Rain Occasionally you’ll hear “fair-weather” used as a negative description. People can be fair-weather friends or fans, being supportive only when things are going well. Luckily, I can’t be described as either because my only friend up here is a fox I’ve renamed The Bee-Gees and the only thing I know about sports is that they interrupt the Simpsons.What I can be called is a fair-weather hiker. This weekend was WET, and I stayed indoors. Rain started on Friday and didn’t let up at all throughout Saturday. When the first

NULL 2006-06-03 05:32:42.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Alpine flowers at 4800 feet! After the fog lifted early yesterday afternoon, we managed to squeeze out a few nice hours of pleasant weather between the storm systems. I took advantage of the break in the clouds to find out if the alpine flowers had started to bloom. Nothing at 6000 feet, a few at 5000 feet, and suddenly at 4800 feet of elevation I was amongst a sea of flowers!The picture at right shows the three most common early blooming alpine flowers of the Presidential Range. They are Diapensia (white), Lapland Rosebay

NULL 2006-06-02 05:19:54.000 - Jim Salge,  Observer Summer clouds and a dwindling snowpack... Observatory staff has been feverishly working over the past 36 hours to complete the monthly summary and statistics for May. The climate record really depicts the roller coaster weather that we typically see in the true transition month on the summit. The highlight this past month though was the rainfall, which ranks this past month as the second wettest May on record, just behind the epic month of May 1997. The month of May drew to an end in rather warm fashion, with two daily highs eclipsing

NULL 2006-05-31 09:08:17.000 - Jack Lareau,  Summit Volunteer A break in the clouds Our week on the summit has come to an all too quick ending and we must leave the life in the clouds for the terra firma below. This has been a week of remarkable extremes for the uninitiated, but, I suppose somewhat mundane for the summit veterans-Nin certainly took everything in stride. Our motorized ascent was through fog and drizzle until chains were needed on all four drive wheels to negotiate the late snow and ice on the road and access paths to the Sherman Adams Building.

NULL 2006-05-30 04:03:50.000 - Tim Markle,  Chief Observer Being night observer during the summer certainly comes with its share of perks. For one, it is great to be able to leisurely stroll around the deck looking at the stars and city lights on those clear, calm nights. Second, the dark of night doesn't really last all the long up here. The twilight of dusk lingers until just after 10pm while the twilight of dawn arrives around 3am. It is a quiet time free of worry of having to venture outside, alone, on those brutally cold and long winter nights.One downside