Using Clouds to Predict the Future 2018-02-18 17:22:53.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   A bout with the influenza virus has kept me sidelined this week and at home in Burlington where Molly has followed me around the house sanitizing with a bottle of lysol, rubber gloves and a mask. It is an unfortunate part of shift work on Mount Washington that when someone gets sick, the rest of the crew continues on, shouldering a bigger workload. To compound matters furthermore, another virus swept through the Observatory and took Adam down as well which has made things unimaginably difficult

Wind Chill Advisory VS Warning 2018-02-15 10:36:20.000 - Jillian Reynolds, Summit Intern   You may have heard or seen in our forecasts that a “Wind Chill Advisory/Warning is in effect until…” After hearing or seeing those alerts, you may think “what exactly does that mean?” I will explain the differences in criteria between both. But first, what is ‘wind chill’? The National Weather Service (NWS) defines wind chill as “the rate of heat loss from the human body”. The combination of cool temperatures and wind creates wind chill. As the winds increase, heat is driven away from the body at

Hold the Brie - Cheesy Valentine's Wishes from the Summit 2018-02-13 12:19:20.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Back in elementary school, Valentine’s Day kind of had a Christmas vibe to it - decorations, arts and crafts revolving around the holiday, the color red, card exchanges, and candy. For arts and craft time ahead of Valentine's Day, one thing that was big at my school was creating Valentine Boxes. We would bring a tissue box or shoe box a day or two prior to V-Day and decorate the box to reflect our personality and become the receptacle for V-Day

An Experience of a Lifetime 2018-02-12 11:13:27.000 - CareyAnne Howlett, Winter Research Intern   Hi! My name is CareyAnne Howlett. I am a junior at Plymouth State University studying Meteorology. I was lucky enough to be the intern up here at the summit of Mt. Washington for two weeks in January doing research. What an adventure it been was!Out of all the weeks I could have been there, I was fortunate enough to be there for two of the most exciting weeks in January! I was able to have a front-row seat for 2018’s first nor’easter, witness record-breaking cold temperature

Just Your Average Weather Predicting Groundhog 2018-02-10 15:34:29.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   One week ago at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, a spritely groundhog by the name of Phil scurried out of his cozy tree-trunk home, saw his unsightly shadow, and proclaimed the impending extension of winter by a terrifying six weeks. How accurate is a groundhog at predicting the end of winter? And where did this arguably equal parts bizarre and endearing tradition come from? February 2nd, Groundhog Day, dates back in its significance to the ancient celebration of the midway point between the winter solstice and

(Don't) Blow Me Away! 2018-02-08 14:31:01.000 - Sarah Schulte, Summit Intern   If you Google images or video for the Mount Washington Observatory, you’re going to find a lot of clips and pictures about our observers being blown backwards, knocked flat and pushed around. As fun as is this is to watch, it does raise a few questions concerning safety. During my first week here, I’ve heard some specific questions asked and, not originally knowing the answers myself, I wanted to share them with you all! Has anyone ever been blown off the mountain? Despite how high the winds can

Three Snowstorms, Two Arctic Outbreaks, One Big Challenge 2018-02-01 14:13:16.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Meteorologist & Education Specialist   This winter has thus far been another typical New England roller coaster ride, with snowstorms and rainstorms, arctic outbreaks and record high temperatures, clear days and cloudy ones, high winds and even some flooding. After a snowy start to the Winter of 2017-2018, January brought with it the proverbial thaw that is steeped in the oldest of New England traditions. Although there were a few snowy and chilly exceptions, on the whole, January saw the near-total desolation of our finely-built snowpack

Ways to Measure Snow 2018-01-30 13:22:03.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   One question commonly asked of staff up here on the summit is: How do you accurately measure snowfall in such a windy environment? The answer isn’t as simple as just using a snowboard, the way that many weather reporting stations are able to. Up on the summit, and in other windswept locales, adverse conditions have led to several innovative approaches to measuring accurate precipitation, which typically involve combining a precipitation gauge with some variant of windshield. Let’s have a look at a few here. Precipitation Gauges Precipitation Can

Super Blue (Partial) Blood Moon (Maybe) 2018-01-28 17:24:02.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Back in August 2017 when I was writing a blog post about the solar eclipse I was looking at the list of other solar and lunar eclipses for North America over the next 10 years. While looking over the list, I saw “Jan 31, Lunar Eclipse (Total) and from the thumbnail saw that the US was in the shaded viewing area. At the time, I was so focused on the solar eclipse that I didn’t really look into the upcoming lunar eclipse more than just

From the Carolina Coast to the Rockpile! 2018-01-27 16:34:43.000 - Sarah Schulte, Summit Intern   They say there’s a first time for everything, but what they don’t always say is that these first times like to travel in packs. Between my first 15-hour solo drive, first time in New Hampshire, first time staying at a youth hostel and first time living in an area with round-the-clock snow plowing, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve had my fair share of firsts this month. And I haven’t even mentioned the mountain yet!   A windy day on the Neuse River