An Epic Storm Summary 2018-04-19 06:14:10.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer / Meteorologist   As this past shift elapsed, our eyes turned to an impending storm that looked to bring a mess of wintry precipitation and STRONG winds Saturday through Tuesday. We became especially excited through the weekend as the storm setup looked eerily similar to the storm that brought the summit a 231 mph wind gust in 1934. The only difference was going to be the strength of the high and low pressure systems in play, so we knew that it would not be breaking any records, BUT we

Spring Around the Corner? 2018-04-17 20:08:15.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   With how cool the weather has been across much of the country, many are looking ahead to see when more spring like conditions will begin.  First, why has much of the eastern United States been seeing such cool weather when we had such warm conditions in February and early March? Well in the overall synoptic flow (Large scale weather patterns larger than 1000km across) there has had consistent blocking high pressure over Greenland, which creates a deep trough (Dip in the jet stream) resulting in cooler than

Big Wind Day 2018-04-12 13:02:11.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   It’s hard to believe, sitting here amidst the hum of computers, the whir of a humidifier running continuously, and the occasional phone call that 84 years ago to the day, in a one-room wooden cabin chained to the mountaintop where cats outnumbered people, a group of intrepid explorers and scientists experienced, observed, and recorded a humbling wind gust of 231 mph… surviving not only to tell of their experience, but also to verify the accuracy of their measurement. A measurement which stood as the fastest surface wind speed recorded

Vernacular Confusion (The Sequel!) 2018-04-06 10:42:31.000 - Sarah Schulte, Summit Intern   “We’ll never survive!” “Nonsense! You’re only saying that because no one ever has!” Wesley and Buttercup, The Princess Bride It’s time for more Vernacular Confusion! Don’t worry; it’s not going to be as scary as it sounds. Maybe I should have led with a different quote… Vernacular Confusion is where I go over meteorological terms that might be misunderstood or misused. Part 1 of Vernacular Confusion had a definite winter vibe to it, so this time I’m going to go over some warmer terms. It is Spring, after

One Windy Day 2018-04-05 14:20:11.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   Although not quite the storm I was hoping for, the storm that has affected the summit over the past 24 hours has still been very impressive due to the duration of our high winds. For 10 hours straight we observed winds equivalent to a category 3 hurricane (111 mph or greater), with 16 consecutive hours of 100 mph or greater winds. Despite the long duration of winds of this magnitude, our peak gust from the storm was “only” 120 mph, meaning these were extremely steady, but very strong

1855 Days at 6288 Feet 2018-03-31 16:38:13.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Meteorologist & Education Specialist   All good things must come to an end. On July 30, 2008 I arrived at the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road at 8:30AM for the very first time. I had just been contacted by the Observatory one week prior in response to my submitted application for a summit internship. One week later, here I was for an in-person interview in an awe-inspiring place I'd never laid eyes on before. A true fish out of water. A ride up the Auto Road and

Ozone Levels 2018-03-29 09:41:27.000 - Jillian Reynolds, Summit Intern   You may have heard about the current ozone levels in the news or in our forecasts. You may think “What is ozone”? or “What are they basing this level off of”? Well, I am here today to explain what the ozone is, what scale is used to determine what the ozone level is, and what you can do to limit your exposure when the ozone level is high. What is the ozone? Ozone is a highly reactive gaseous molecule that consists of three oxygen atoms. Ozone occurs naturally in the

The Return of Sunrise 2018-03-26 17:19:14.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Working nights on the summit, my shift typically starts at 1730 EST (1830EDT) and ends at 0530 EST (0630 EDT) the following morning. I don’t mind this shift, in fact, I prefer the night shift. However, it does have a few drawbacks, one of them being the lack of sunshine. This is especially true from late October through early March when the sun rises after my shift ends and sets before my shift begins again. During this time period, if I want to view a sunrise, sunset,

Winter Hiking Hazards: Cornices 2018-03-25 14:24:25.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   From our perch atop New England, summit staff are often treated to some pretty neat views. On a crystal clear day, these views extend for 130 miles, as far away as Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks to our west and all the way to the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Today though, I want to talk about a phenomenon spotted just a few miles from us on the summit, and that is a snow cornice.   First off, what is a snow cornice and how does it form?

Vernacular Confusion 2018-03-23 12:16:16.000 - Sarah Schulte, Summit Intern   “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” - Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride The field of meteorology is chock-full of terminology, and these terms are used by a wide variety of meteorologists. Researchers, observers, broadcasters…they all have a need to get their information out to their audience. Because of the wide variety of weather professionals and the even wider variety of the audiences with whom they communicate, it’s easy for those unfamiliar with the vernacular to use the words incorrectly. Since