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

Higher Summits Forecasts on Amazon Echo 2018-01-24 20:59:54.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer / Meteorologist   Mount Washington Observatory IT Director, Keith Garrett has come to an agreement with Alexa, Amazon, and essentially the entire world. His latest accomplishment sends the Mount Washington Observatory Higher Summits Forecasts directly into your living room, dining room, bedroom, attic, or wherever it is the dog carried your Amazon device. In a recent interview with Keith he stated, “Caleb, sometimes the world needs to hear your voice, and now they can, simply by yelling at Alexa for a flash briefing”. This is one small

My First Ride Up in the MWO Snow Cat 2018-01-19 06:09:41.000 - Jillian Reynolds, Summit Intern   Although I have traveled up to the summit many times, Wednesday was my first time taking a ride up in the Snowcat. The Snowcat is primarily used in the winter time as it is equipped with a plow and tracks that allow it to go through the snow more easily. The enclosed cab in the back can fit up to 12 people. When you and the other travelers are wearing winter weather gear, the inside of the cab can be a tight fit.

I Melt With You 2018-01-16 16:37:26.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Last weekend we posted an image (posted below) to our social media about our recent melt-out and since then it has been making the rounds on various media pages and online groups. Skimming the comments and replying to various emails, messages, comments, I have come across three things that I feel need a bit more emphasis.   Snow melt between Jan 10 and Jan 13, 2018   Issue 1: People blaming one cause for the melt-out like the warm temperatures or rainfall   Unfortunately it isn’t so

2017: A Year in Review 2018-01-15 11:13:40.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist     Now that we’re a few weeks into 2018 I had some time to take a look back at the year that was. 2017 had several memorable moments, including 138 mph winds during an intense Nor’easter in March, along with several direct lightning strikes from summer thunderstorms. This past winter was an especially snowy one, and at one point in early February we were even on pace with the record-breaking winter of 1968-1968, which saw 566” of snow accumulate. We still ended the snow season 100”

From the Mountains to the Oceans, in Search of Fog 2018-01-12 15:12:16.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   Up on the summit, weather observers are no strangers to fog. In fact, we see the stuff every two out of three days on average, limiting our otherwise remarkable 130 mile visibility to sometimes a matter of feet. But did you know there isn’t just one type of fog? In fact, there are five common types of fog: radiation, rain-induced, advection, upslope, and steam fog. Last week, while the summit (and all of New England) was a veritable icebox, I happened to

A Shift Full of Escalating Weather 2018-01-09 22:10:53.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer / Meteorologist   Well that escalated quickly! The weather, the tied record low temperature, the misinterpretations, and… Well, the weather!     First off, -38°F was our lowest recorded air temperature January 6th which tied a daily record low of -38°F set back in 1959. Our peak wind gust that morning was 113 mph but that occurred before the coldest of the air arrived. When the -97°F wind chill occurred, our temperature was at -37.6°F and the wind speed was at 106 mph. It certainly did not feel tropical…