What is up with our Mesonets 2018-01-05 14:25:35.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   If you have looked at our Current Summit Conditions page, our Mesonet page, or the Webcams you may have noticed that there is missing information or no current image on our cameras. The reason is many of our sites are very low on power or completely out of power. Almost all of our mesonets are remote and run off of solar panels that charge batteries so that the sites can operate 24/7. At this time of year, we run into a lot of power issues

Winter Precipitation 2018-01-02 15:55:01.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   With the recent Christmas storm fresh on many minds, and with more winter weather on the way, I wanted to take a look at some of the differences in precipitation type that can occur when the mercury drops to or even below freezing. The differences between rain and snow are fairly well known, but what about sleet or freezing rain? Knowing which type of precipitation is falling can clue you in on the overall state of the atmosphere around you, which is pretty neat!   In this blog post, I’ll

So Cold, Even the Rime was Shivering 2017-12-29 20:33:13.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer / Meteorologist   If you have not heard, the past few days have not been warm here atop the Rockpile. In fact, it has been quite cold. How cold? Record-breaking cold. What record? We broke the daily record low on December 28th which was -31°F by an impressive 3°F as the temperature dropped to -34°F. I was awake through the night as the mercury plunged into the 30s below much like a rock plunges through water (It happened fast). Let me tell you how it feels

Become a Part of Our Story! 2017-12-27 07:25:40.000 - Eric P. Kelsey, Ph.D., Director of Research   Back in 1926, Dartmouth College sophomore (and future Observer) Bob Monahan convinced a French professor, a Geology assistant, and a classmate to spend several days at the summit of Mount Washington during Christmas break. They stopped at the AMC Pinkham Notch lodge and invited Joe Dodge to join them later at the top if he could. The group of three hoisted a heavy anemometer up the mountain and settled at Camden Cottage. Joe met them at the summit two days later and was

Christmas on the Summit 2017-12-26 22:21:05.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Here at the Observatory, we operate 24/7 so some of us have to work for the holidays. This Christmas, it was Tom Padham, Caleb Meute, and I. Christmas on the summit is a quite few days with a little less work that all of us have to do. It is a nice break from normal summit life to be able to relax a bit and enjoy the weather. This year, we got plenty of snow on Christmas with 9 inches of snow falling! In the morning, the

Snowed in at 6288' 2017-12-22 14:44:08.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   It’s already been a very snowy start to our winter season on the summit of Mount Washington, and that trend looks to continue to end out 2017. The summit was actually just over a foot (13.0”) below average for our seasonal total at the start of December, but things have quickly turned around with 60.5” of snow to date for the month, over 5 feet! December is actually our snowiest month of the year, with an average of 46” of snowfall. March and January are close seconds

Why everyone should experience life at 6288’ : A Farewell 2017-12-18 14:55:38.000 - Nicole Tallman, Summit Intern   Now I’m sure there are people out there thinking “live on a mountain...no way” and there are others thinking “sign me up! that is my dream location”. I have to say when I first began this internship I was a bit skeptical of how people can live on top of a mountain; let alone a mountain coined Home of the World’s Worst Weather. However, after 7 months of calling this mountain my home, I can confirm that this is the dream location. Figure

My Summit Vices Part 4: So Many “Vices” 2017-12-14 22:29:07.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer / Meteorologist   After a quick Google search to determine what “vice” means, I had compiled a list of things that related to the definition I found on dictionary.com. Mike has since corrected me and I have rearranged my list (I was extra confused at first as to why he wanted us to write about these “vices”). Thanks for the clarification, Mike! One definition I found was “an immoral or evil habit or practice”. Supposedly, these vices could someday become immoral or “evil” if I

Rime on the Summit! 2017-12-12 12:52:24.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   Yesterday morning, during our Facebook Live weather forecast, we were asked a question regarding rime ice, which is a type of ice commonly seen on the summit. I thought I’d take a few moments to talk about what it is, where the name came from, and what is means for us weather observers who live and work on the summit of Mt. Washington. Figure 1. Rime ice beginning to form on the summit sign. The term rime has been used for centuries, and is attributed to the old

"So, When Should I Come Back?" 2017-12-11 05:27:30.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   One of the perks of being a member of the Mount Washington Observatory is the opportunity to spend a week on the summit as a volunteer. For weather enthusiasts, it can be quite exciting as a week can bring a plenitude of conditions. Dense fog one day gives way to unlimited vistas the next, calm conditions give way to hurricane force winds, thunderstorms with lightning striking summit structures, hail, heavy rainfall, and snow (even in summer months). For some, it can all be a bit