Glaze vs. Rime ... What's the Difference? 2018-02-25 10:24:50.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   Up on the summit, we are no strangers to icing conditions. In fact, with an annual average temperature below freezing, and 2/3 of our days spent in the fog, it is arguably the most common weather phenomenon observed up here. And while the icing that we see generally takes on a spectrum of characteristics, governed by things like droplet size, temperature, wind speed, and any ongoing precipitation, it typically falls into one of two main categories: glaze vs. rime. Let’s have a look at what

Days of Our Lives (On the Rockpile) 2018-02-24 10:26:33.000 - Sarah Schulte, Summit Intern   I think the Mount Washington Observatory would make a decent setting for a soap opera. It has the potential for drama: a small group of people living in an icy tower teetering atop the rugged Rockpile, their passion for science raging like the hurricane-force winds around them… Eh, I’ve never really been into soap operas. Luckily for me, the crew I work with at the summit happens to be a reasonable, interesting and friendly group of people, and even Marty has deigned to offer me

In Search of Snow! 2018-02-23 16:19:03.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   With current snow depth reported at zero as of this writing, pretty much all of the summit staff (maybe not Marty) are wishing for some snow! Taking a very extended look out at the beginning of March it does look like there’s some hope ahead for snow lovers, at least up here on the summit of Mount Washington.   Sunrise on Thursday morning, with only patches of snow currently on the summit  In the near term, tonight snow and light mixed precipitation will fall across the higher

Another One For the Record Books 2018-02-21 21:37:11.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Well the summit won't be receiving a gold medal for this record, but we are happy to announce that we have officially set a new daily record high, set a new monthly record high for February, and have tied the meteorological winter record high! We would like to thank our friends, families, thermometers and members who have encouraged us on our journey to 48°F in February. Can you tell that I have been stuck at home and watching a lot of Olympics this past week?

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