Deja Vu 2019-03-08 13:39:57.000 - Chloe Boehm, Summit Intern   My last shift, the summit experienced the highest winds in over 30 years and a record-setting wind speed for the month of February at 171 mph. The shift before that, the summit saw, at the time, the highest winds in over a decade at 148 mph. Now looking at the upcoming system this weekend, the summit is poised to see winds gusting over 100 mph, which would be the highest winds since the 171 mph storm. So for the past three shifts, we experienced one high wind event amidst many

A February Edutrip Adventure 2019-03-08 11:24:53.000 - Rob Schaefer, San Antonio Texas, Winter EduTrip Adventurer and Boston Rotary Survivor   On our first attempt, we had trouble getting to the top of Mount Washington … a week later on our second attempt, we had trouble getting to the bottom of Mount Washington …Many words come to mind when attempting to describe our February EduTrip adventure: awesome, spectacular, record breaking but the word that seems to describe the trip best for me is humbling. We like to think we have control of our own destiny but it’s humbling to realize that

Getting More From Mount Washington 2019-03-06 16:16:44.000 - Jamie Bourassa, Edu Trip Member, Saunderstown RI   Hiking in the White Mountains last summer I saw an “Extreme Mt Washington” poster showing winter mountain views, rime ice and a snow cat. It got my imagination rolling and after becoming an MWOBS member I signed up for a Mountaineering Overnight Edu trip.   The adventure started in the fall as I began to collect the extensive list of equipment to prepare for potential -40F temperature and wind chill. As the trip approached excitement was tempered by every person challenging me to why

Broadening My Horizons on the Alpine Tundra 2019-03-05 18:40:07.000 - Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   As an Education Observer up on the summit, often times I’m tasked with developing and delivering programs based on weather and Mount Washington. It’s something that I’ve become very comfortable doing over the past few months, and I’ve become very passionate about my work. I like being able to share my knowledge about weather, and doing so in such a way that people can understand and better relate to the summit makes me very, very happy! Aside from learning the intricacies of mountain weather,

Not on the windy shift this Year 2019-03-04 02:01:43.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Last Monday on February 25th, the summit saw some pretty incredible winds and I was not able to come up and witness it myself! Since I have started working here in August of 2015, I have been hoping to see the wind go off the chart. I have come close on several occasions, even just recently on January 22nd when the winds got to 137 and gusted just to the edge of the chart but not off. This year we have had 2 storms,

A look into the wonky weather New England has been experiencing this winter season 2019-03-02 08:36:37.000 - Jay Broccolo, Summit Intern   Well, our shift does not have a crazy wind event or any kind of weather to write home about so I am going to discuss something that, I personally, think everyone should have some understanding of. This is a fairly intensive post so go grab a snack or a drink, strap in and put your thinking caps on! Also, this starts with a bit of text, but, I promise, there are pretty pictures further down. If you have not noticed,

Monday's Wind 2019-02-26 20:33:18.000 - Krissy Fraser, Events & Marketing Manager   Mount Washington Observatory staff and guests experienced an epic day of wind on the summit on Monday, February 25, 2019. They gathered in the non-profit’s legendary weather room with all eyes pegged to the Hays Chart* eager to see how fast the winds would blow as it topped out at 171 miles per hour at 6:35pm.     Taylor Regan, Weather Observer and Research Specialist recounts the experience, “everyone gathered around the Hays Chart watching with bated breath as the ink climbed higher up the paper wheel. The

Brighter Times Ahead 2019-02-23 21:44:30.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   This morning I viewed something from the summit that I hadn't seen since late October, 2018 - morning blue hour. Over my 13 years working up here, this event is one of the things I look forward to annually working my night shifts on the summit. To some it might be mundane and something they see every day while getting ready or heading off to work or school. But for me, during the late October/early November to late February/early March time-frame, I have to either lose sleep and/or

Some Common Questions and Misconceptions About Mount Washington 2019-02-22 09:14:51.000 - Thomas Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   How do you measure snowfall in high winds? Accurately measuring snowfall can be challenging or even impossible in very high winds. During the early days of the observatory we discovered that using a Nipher Screen can help to more accurately capture snowfall during moderate (30-60 mph) winds. This Nipher screen is basically a large funnel over the top portion of the precipitation stand which helps create a vacuum to capture snowflakes. Our winter precipitation cans are also taller than the summer season can

Working Nights with a Full Moon 2019-02-20 05:09:40.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Working nights can be taxing on your sleep schedule but there are quite a few moments of peacefulness. My favorite nights to work are nights with light winds and a full moon in the winter. The past few days have featured such nights. The moon has been so bright that I have not needed to let my eyes adjust for long to be able to distinguish landmarks! One of the nights, the clouds had cleared after some snow showers and I did not need to