Springtime on the Rockpile 2018-03-22 06:39:35.000 - Bill Ofsiany, Summit Volunteer   Spring on the Rockpile is fickle, With high warm sun and bright snow, But the cold strong winds of winter are here, That push windchills to twenty below.  It seems that whoever makes weather, Isn't sure which direction to go, Some days are calm, warm and sunny, Just as often there's low temps and snow.  But those days get fewer and fewer, And winter ice gets transformed into slush, And rivers of meltwater flow down the trails, Turning bare spots to bootsucking mush.  The cold is still in

What is a nor'easter? 2018-03-17 10:15:50.000 - Jillian Reynolds, Summit Intern   You may have heard the term ‘nor’easter’ used in the news or from our forecasts during the past couple months. You might think “We get storms all the time. But what exactly would define a storm as being a nor’easter?” That is what I will be talking about in this blog post. The Weather Channel defines a nor’easter as a “strong area of low pressure along the East Coast of the United States that typically features winds from the northeast off the Atlantic Ocean”. They are a result

Response to a Common Question 2018-03-12 21:59:41.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   In the 12+ years I have worked on the summit, the most common inquiry I have had to answer via email, direct messaging, social media comments, or otherwise is some iteration of, “I plan to hike/visit Mt. Washington on so-and-so day. What’s the weather forecast for that day? And what would be the easiest trail on the mountain?” While I know I will likely have to answer this a few more times over the course of 2018 (and beyond) I figured I would share my response

March - In Like a Lion... 2018-03-10 15:25:18.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   As I write this blog post, winds outside are howling at hurricane-force, whipping up nearly a foot of newly fallen (and still falling) snow and hurling it through the air, just one element of the summit milieu that both deprives and overstimulates the senses. The ground rumbles underfoot and cold seeps in relentlessly through even the warmest layers. The ground and sky cease to maintain their autonomy and blend seamlessly into an ever constricting blanket of milky white: visibility is down to inches. Tumultuous eddies of

Slinging Science! 2018-03-09 13:39:51.000 - Sarah Schulte, Summit Intern   Every hour for the past 85 years, one of Mount Washington’s weather observers has stepped out onto the Observatory’s deck to take a manual weather observation. In addition to noting visibility and cloud formations, they also use an instrument called a sling psychrometer to take wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperature measurements, which are important for calculating relative humidity (the amount of water vapor present in the air). On a day when the summit is shrouded in fog, the air is completely saturated and has a relative humidity of 100%. On any

Looking in the Rear View Mirror – A Summary of February, 2018 2018-03-06 21:44:41.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer / Meteorologist   February was warm, but not the warmest! While scrolling through our records, it appears that three previous Februaries had higher average temperatures than 2018. That puts February, 2018 at the fourth warmest since our records began with an average temperature of 12.9°F. With that being said, this past month sure packed a punch at times as we set the monthly record high temperature on the 21st at 48°F. The previous record was set the day before at 45°F

Upcoming Storm 2018-03-04 17:33:34.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   With this last Nor’easter back on the 2nd of March still fresh on the minds of people, another Nor’easter is taking aim at New England. This time around, the storm is looking like it will be weaker than the last storm but it will be colder, so more areas will see accumulating snow fall. The March 2nd storm impacted Southern New England much more then it affected our region. The maximum winds we saw only topped out at 98 mph for the storm. The center of the low was

Summit Museum Attendant Perks 2018-03-01 12:52:13.000 - Jillian Reynolds, Summit Intern   Hey everyone! Since the Mount Washington Observatory is still accepting applicants for our Summit Museum Attendant position this upcoming summer through fall, I thought I would explain some of the perks of working in a museum up here on the tallest mountain peak in the northeastern United States. “Extreme Mount Washington” is the name of our summit museum   I am a part-time museum attendant for the Mount Washington Observatory’s Weather Discovery Center down in North Conway Village. I also helped the summit’s museum attendant during this past

Raffle - Last Call! 2018-02-27 15:24:22.000 - Mount Washington Observatory, Staff   As some of you know, Mount Washington Observatory is a private, nonprofit, member-supported institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. This means we are not funded by the federal or state government and operate independently from all the various other entities that share the summit. Our funding comes from individuals like YOU whether it is through donations, membership, Seek The Peak, or our various fundraisers we put together during the year. One such fundraiser we have going on

Happy Anniversary Marty! 2018-02-26 17:29:16.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   At dinner the other night, someone asked how old Marty was and in explaining his history, I realized that we missed a milestone for him back in January - his 10 year anniversary living with us.   When I first started working here back in December 2005, the resident cat at the time was Nin. He was a white cat with a few black spots. He loved laps and snuggling with people. He would follow us around the building and summit. He knew this was his place and