The Strange Clouds of Mount Washington 2017-06-09 17:10:14.000 - Margaret Jividen, Summit Intern   Any weather watcher, whether a professional or just someone who enjoys following along as an enthusiast, is familiar with the common cloud types identified by meteorologists. They are categorized by shape and base height, using Latin derived names such as cumulus meaning ‘heap’ or cirrus meaning ‘hair.’ These naming standards were first developed as early as 1802 by English meteorologist Luke Howard. The majority of common cloud types became standardized by the end of the 19th century. Weather observers at the summit continuously monitor the skies

The Return of the Intern: My First Week Back 2017-06-06 20:21:20.000 - Sam Webber, Summit Intern   In January of 2016, I had the privilege of coming up to the summit of Mount Washington as the student intern from Plymouth State University. Although I got to experience some of the most extreme weather during my shortened, two week internship, I knew that I wanted to come back for more! So, when the time came to apply for the summer internship I submitted my application and was given the opportunity to return to the summit for the summer. Words cannot even

My Home For the Summer 2017-06-04 17:04:05.000 - Jillian Reynolds, Summit Intern   Hello! My name is Jillian Reynolds and I am here to tell you about my first week of being a weather intern for the Mount Washington Observatory.   I am from a small town southeast of Buffalo, NY called East Aurora. Every summer my family and I spend our days relaxing at my cottage that is located along Lake Erie. It was here where my love for the weather began after watching thunderstorms develop along the lake's horizon. I recently graduated from the SUNY College at Brockport

My First Week! 2017-06-02 15:35:29.000 - Nicole Tallman, Summit Intern   Hello fellow weather lovers! My name is Nicole Tallman and I have the privilege to be one of the interns for the Mount Washington Observatory this summer. I first heard about Mount Washington at the 2016 American Meteorological Society Conference, or as us meteorologists call it, AMS. I was greeted by the very friendly Dr. Eric Kelsey and told all about the wonders of Mount Washington. Hearing about the extreme storms including the direct hits of thunderstorms to the summit was what originally peaked my interest. I looked into

May Summary 2017-05-31 09:09:08.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   With the end of May in sight, and June fast approaching, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on what has been a truly exceptional month. With just one day left before June storms into view, here’s a brief summary of what the weather has brought to the summit over the month of May.Figure 1. Lenticular cloud draped over Clay Col. As it stands, with one day remaining in the month, our average temperature is slightly below normal (1.3 degrees below to be exact), at 34.2 degrees. With the

My Introduction to Mount Washington 2017-05-29 06:44:23.000 - Elizabeth Perry, Summit Intern   Hello! My name is Elizabeth Perry and I am excited to be an intern at the Mount Washington Observatory this summer. I grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut and I am a rising senior at Hamilton College in Central New York where I double major in Geoscience and French. A week before starting my internship, I had just returned from spending a semester in Paris, France on a language immersion program. I managed to combine my experience in Paris with my passion for geology, as I collected

Living in the Clouds 2017-05-27 17:43:54.000 - Julia Moreland, Summit Intern   Hello all! My name is Julia Moreland, and I am truly humbled and ecstatic to be one of the summer interns here at Mount Washington Observatory. I grew up in the small town of Marlborough, Connecticut, and developed a passion for atmospheric science through the diverse and ever-changing weather of New England. Through Nor’easters with blizzard conditions, bitter cold snaps and heat waves, and even hurricanes riding up the coast, there was so much that I appreciated and loved about the intense impacts that weather could have on

What To Know Before You Go 2017-05-27 05:34:42.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Many consider this weekend as the unofficial start of summer. And with summer planning on people's minds, we have started to get several questions via phone, email, and our various social media pages about the operating schedules for the various entities on and around Mount Washington. While I know I can’t cover every question people might have, I can at least direct people towards the information that come from our most common inquiries.   Mount Washington Observatory: Our Weather Discovery Center in North Conway is

On Top of the World! 2017-05-26 16:56:08.000 - Margaret Jividen, Summit Intern   Hello! I’m Margaret Jividen, and I am extremely excited to be one of the summer interns here at Mount Washington Observatory for 2017. I was born just outside of Buffalo, NY, known for its severe lake effect snow events. Prior to moving in for my internship, I had only been to the summit once, at age 7. Even at such a young age, I knew I wanted to be a meteorologist, and someday live in New Hampshire. It goes without saying that this internship was my idea

Spring is Coming 2017-05-25 15:20:07.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   After seeing over 30" of new snow on our last shift two weeks ago, it's become much more apparent that spring is just around the corner across the high peaks of New England this week. On our way up the road on Wednesday, the very first alpine flowers of the season were starting to bloom near treeline at 4,000 feet. This is about the lowest point that we see these alpine flowers, which grow generally above 4,000 feet in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and then are