I Can See The Light! 2017-10-03 16:47:53.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   As the About Us page on our website states, “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. It serves this mission by maintaining a weather station on the summit of Mount Washington, performing weather and climate research, conducting innovative science education programs, and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region.” And as a meteorologist (the study of weather), the Observatory is a great place to experience Earth’s weather

Things To Know Before You Go 2017-10-01 05:56:54.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   This week we went from warm and muggy summer-like weather to cold and snowy winter-like weather. During the times we weren’t in summer/winter mode, looking down into the valleys below provided all the indicators of Fall (foliage) developing all around us. With the looks of Fall and today's winter-like weather, it is a great time to take a minute and point out a few things that come with the changing seasons. Some changes are already in effect and others will be coming in the following

Cooking at Altitude: It's a Piece of Cake! 2017-09-28 14:33:21.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   Working at a fully manned mountaintop weather station definitely has its challenges…did you know that one of them is cooking? Located at 6,288 feet above sea level, the Mount Washington Observatory is well above the “high altitude” threshold, which most cookbooks consider to be 3,000-3,500 feet. You’ve probably seen “high-altitude” baking instructions on the back of some ready-made mixes, but why exactly do ingredient amounts and baking times change? I’m so glad you asked! As someone who enjoys cooking, I was intrigued by not

Sunrises, Sunsets, and Halos...Oh My! 2017-09-25 16:19:55.000 - Nicole Tallman, Summit Intern   When you hear about Mount Washington’s weather you typically hear about intense winds, foggy conditions, or rime ice. This week on the mountain has been boring on my standards and has been overwhelmingly clear and calm. Blue skies have filled each day coupled by calm winds and record warmth. While this is not the intense weather that I so anxiously anticipate seeing during my internship I have enjoyed certain aspects of it. With the calm and clear conditions brought with it the chance for some amazing views.

Kickin' It Old (Night) School 2017-09-23 23:16:52.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Meteorologist & Education Specialist   With our usual night observer, Caleb Meute, off shift for a few days during the middle of the shift, our crew decided to have someone else cover the night shift for the entire week-long stint. As one can imagine, having one individual switch from the day shift to the night shift then back to the day shift over the course of eight days would be a little tricky and likely throw the body off-kilter as well as wreak havoc with the mind and the

This Heat Though... 2017-09-21 22:13:14.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer & Staff Meteorologist   Being a meteorologist, people frequently ask you what the weather is going to be like for the coming days and expect an immediate answer. Unfortunately, we meteorologists do not always have the answer at that moment and need to access forecast models before giving an answer. This is especially true for me when I work a one week shift and then have the following week off. My girlfriend, Molly understands this thankfully and accepts the fact that I am not actually an all-knowing psychic. I think

The Fujiwhara Effect 2017-09-19 15:22:06.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the formation of hurricanes, to usher in the start of the hurricane season. Since then, we’ve seen multiple tropical cyclones form, even concurrently! Sometimes, these systems appear to revolve around each other as they move across the oceans. This is known as the Fujiwhara effect, after Japanese Meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara, who first observed the phenomenon in a paper in 1921 describing the motion of vortices in water. As the paths of two tropical cyclones pass within proximity of each other,

Tracking Jose and the Tropics 2017-09-17 14:29:56.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   Jose is a long lived tropical system, having formed back on September 5th. Jose will likely remain at least a tropical storm through next Friday, the 22nd, giving it a total lifespan as a tropical system of 14+ days. This is still not even close to the longest-lived tropical system, Hurricane John in 1994. John formed as a hurricane in the far eastern Pacific off the coast of Mexico on August 11th, 1994. 31 days later, on September 10th tropical storm John finally dissipated south of

Seeing the Many Faces of the Summit 2017-09-15 14:36:59.000 - Greg Cornwell, Summit Intern   Mount Washington is not only home to the world’s most extreme weather; it also harbors extreme contrasts in weather. With just two shifts under my belt on the mountain, I’ve experienced two very different environments. My first week (Aug 30 – Sept 6) was a whirlwind. Not only was I learning the duties of an intern on the mountain (it never ends); we also experienced a wide range of mountain weather including clear summits, rain, rime ice accumulations, a trace of snowfall, and thunderstorms. The

Winds of Mt. Washington vs Hurricanes 2017-09-13 10:34:23.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Working up here I have always been curious as to how our winds compare to that of hurricanes in regard to force. The summit and sea level have different atmospheric densities. So, if the summit and a place at sea level have the same velocity, the wind at sea level would feel stronger due to a greater density. In hurricanes, the highest winds will occur in the eye wall so the pressure is fairly low compared to normal sea level pressure. The temperature is also