Aurora Borealis 2017-07-18 13:27:44.000 - Jillian Reynolds, Summit Intern   Also known as “Northern Lights”, the Aurora Borealis is one of Nature’s greatest spectacles. It is the result of electrons colliding with the upper parts of the Earth’s atmosphere (NOAA, 2017). The electrons are energized through acceleration processes in the downwind tail of the magnetosphere. The accelerated electrons follow the magnetic field of Earth down to the Polar Regions where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules in Earth’s upper atmosphere (NOAA, 2017). In these collisions, the electrons transfer their energy to the atmosphere thus exciting the atoms

Mountain Thunderstorms 2017-07-14 17:25:31.000 - Nicole Tallman, Summit Intern   Let's set the scene: It is a beautiful day in the valley with blue skies, calm winds, and warm temperatures. You and some friends happily decide to take a hike up to the summit of Mount Washington. Your hike begins fantastically with beautiful conditions but the closer you get to your destination the more the weather is changing and the clouds are beginning to appear, some looking more ominous and darker than others. Why is it that in the mountains clouds and thunderstorms tend to appear out of thin air?

We're Seeking Our Peak: No CAPE Without CIN 2017-07-13 10:13:55.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Weather Observer & Education Specialist   With Seek the Peak 2017 approaching faster than a speeding bullet, I'd like to take a little time and chat about our shift's 2017 fundraising team, debuting this summer.   The shift of myself, Adam Gill, and Caleb Meute have been a unit since late April of 2016, with various interns, museum attendants, and summit volunteers coming and going throughout that timeframe. The exact makeup of a shift of observers is vitally essential, as a cohesive team can act to

Cooking in the Clouds 2017-07-12 06:36:18.000 - Elizabeth Seabury and Steve Hempel, Summit Volunteers     It's only been a week, but now it's time to go. We've seen all kinds of weather, but unfortunately, no snow!   (However, we have placed our bets on the Mt. Jefferson patch, when will it finally melt? Will my guess be the match?)   As we prepare to leave the mountain, it's time for us to say, how much we've enjoyed our time here, and thank you for our stay.   The weather is amazing, the clouds, the wind, the sun. But it's

Weather Myths: True or False? 2017-07-10 14:39:52.000 - Margaret Jividen, Summit Intern   Here at the Observatory, we enjoy not only educating others on meteorology, but also learning! No matter your age, I’m sure you’ve heard (and maybe even believed!) some of these weather myths: Myth #1: Toilets flush the opposite way in the Southern Hemisphere because of the Coriolis Effect. Verdict: FALSE! The truth: The way a toilet spins when it flushes has nothing more to it than the way the plumbing and toilet itself is built. The Coriolis Effect does exist: it is the deflection of an object

The Jefferson Snowfield 2017-07-09 06:53:21.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   Up on the summit of Mount Washington, we are somewhat proud of the fact that we can see measureable snowfall in any month of the year. The “fine print” however, is that most of this snowfall doesn’t actually stick around! Between the scouring that occurs as a result of fierce winds continually pummeling the summit, and the warmth of the sun, much of the snow that falls either melts or is blown off the summit. It is not unusual to see a barren summit by May, and, save for

Out of This World Weather 2017-07-07 13:07:16.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   Although we are not an astronomy observatory, looking up at the night sky from the summit often makes me wonder what it would be like to observe the weather on other planets. Our home here on Earth is a pretty incredible place, and when you take a look at the harshness of weather on other planets it becomes apparent how lucky we are.

Volunteering to Support MWO 2017-07-05 08:00:24.000 - Richard Briggs & Rich Atkins, Summit Volunteers   So now the time comes to get the ride up the mountain I am sitting in the parking lot at 7am and a young man comes up and introduces himself he was an intern for the weather program he asked if I was a volunteer for the week, I said yes and he immediately began telling me about himself and the others and the experiences on the Rockpile. His enthusiasm and excitement for his work was fantastic. Soon the other interns, staff and my co-volunteer

History of Cats on the Mountain 2017-07-03 18:50:04.000 - Jillian Reynolds, Summit Intern   One of the most commonly asked questions that I receive while working on Mount Washington is “So what is the story behind Marty the cat?” I explain when the tradition of having cats up here started and who Marty is. I never really knew much about the other cats, so I decided to research the history of cats on Mt. Washington. The history of cats on the summit starts back in the early 1930s, along with the start of the observatory. During these times, cats were

How to Spend a Night at the Observatory 2017-06-30 06:41:53.000 - Sam Webber, Summit Intern   Being a part of the crew at the Mount Washington Observatory has been one of the most unique opportunities that I have experienced in my life thus far. Not many people can say that they have lived and worked on the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast! I have spent some time up here during both the winter and during the summer, and have not been let down once. Whether it’s optical phenomena, thunderstorms, snowstorms, wind, rain, sleet, hail or even a