Mount Washington: Breaker of Storms 2018-09-08 09:27:36.000 - Sarah Schulte, Museum Attendant           Each season brings with it new meteorological wonders for weather nerds to anticipate, and summer is certainly no exception. While the winters on Mount Washington are great for rime ice events, torrential snowfall and fierce winds, the summer season is a prime time for thunderstorms. Whenever the potential for a nice line of cells crops up in the models, everyone begins to cross their fingers in anticipation for a natural light show… …only to have their shoulders slump in disappointment when the cells sputter and die

Squall vs. Microburst: What's the Difference? 2018-09-07 11:10:13.000 - Thomas Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   Earlier today I received a weather question which I thought would make for a great blog post. What’s the difference between a squall and a microburst? A squall sort of has two meanings, the meteorological definition (which we use for our reporting) and the term used by everyday people. The National Weather Service definition of a squall is: “A strong wind characterized by an increase in wind speed of at least 16 knots and sustained at 22 knots or greater for more than a minute”.

Education Time from you to me to the AMC! 2018-09-02 17:06:16.000 - Zach Butler, Summit Intern   I have always been passionate about the education around meteorology. The science affects people’s lives every day, every hour, and every minute. The importance of educating the public on this science is vital for communities to understand the dangers and aesthetic around meteorology. Every day, we at the Mount Washington Observatory, radio our morning weather conditions and 48hr forecast to the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) huts and shelters. The staff writes and posts are forecasts for themselves and people traveling through to see

Farewell Mount Washington! 2018-08-28 09:51:05.000 - Griffin Mooers, Summit Intern   As my summer internship comes to a close I want to take the opportunity to thank the Mount Washington Observatory a great last few months. Growing up in New Hampshire and obsessed with weather since childhood, it’s long been an aspiration of mine to spend time at the summit with at the observatory. So I was beyond thrilled when I was told this past spring I would get to be a summit intern this summer. The experience has not disappointed. I expected the weather to be interesting, but I

A Heaping Helping of Heat 2018-08-26 12:31:10.000 - Thomas Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   With September just around the corner, I thought I would take a look at the longer range weather models. Personally I’m very much looking forward to the fall season and our first snowflakes, whenever that may be. Unfortunately there’s not much hope for any wintry weather over the start of September. Over the next few days temperatures will climb well into the 80s and 90s°F across the surrounding valleys in advance of a cold front, with temperatures climbing to possibly just shy of daily records in the

My First Few Days on the Summit 2018-08-25 16:34:05.000 - Chloe Boehm, Summit Intern   Hello! My name is Chloe Boehm and I am the new fall intern here on the summit! I am originally from Lexington, Massachusetts but I spent the last 4 years in Maine at Colby College studying Physics and Mathematical Sciences. I am lucky to have grown up hiking and exploring in New England and especially in the White Mountains. Through this I experienced a taste of the wild weather in these mountains, from high winds to snow storms that seem to come out of nowhere.

The Air is Different Up Here 2018-08-23 15:30:21.000 - Eric P. Kelsey, Ph.D., Director of Research   If you have been to the summit of Mount Washington, you likely noticed that the air was different than in the valleys: the temperature was cooler, you may have been in a cloud, and you may have noticed with your eyes and olfactory that the air was more or less hazy and polluted. If you thought that you were in a different air mass than in the valleys, you were probably right. For many decades, we have known that the summit of Mount

Goodbye MWObs! 2018-08-22 08:05:13.000 - Emily Tunkel, Summer Intern   Goodbye MWObs! Well, it certainly has been a fantastic six week internship here on top of Mount Washington, but I unfortunately need to get back to college. Overall, this internship has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, in more ways than one; my university doesn’t have any degrees or courses in meteorology or atmospheric sciences, so I never got to be introduced to the amazing science behind the weather that we see every day. I didn’t know when starting here how invested I could become in the weather. Looking outside to see

What are the Chances? 2018-08-21 17:31:40.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Since we are known for very volatile weather, especially in winter, I was curious as to when the chances of seeing more extreme weather would start to become more likely. Summertime up here can get start to get quite boring to those of us who are extreme weather enthusiast since the frequency of strong storms are few and far between. At this time of the year, I am starting to look at long range models and climate models wishing for that first snow storm or first 100

What's It Like Being A Night Observer? 2018-08-20 05:31:34.000 - Christopher Hohman, Staff Meteorologist/Observer   One of the most common questions I’ve been asked since taking this job is, “What’s it like working nights?” The answer to that question is rather multi-layered. There’s tons of stuff the night observer is responsible for while they’re on shift, that the day observers don’t normally do, if ever! There’s also a lot of social aspects that are different about it too. I talk about all of it below. (My typical view walking out of the tower to do an observation)  To start out,