High Winds on the Horizon 2017-04-15 13:38:08.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   High winds will be once again returning to the summit beginning tonight and lasting all the way through Monday morning. As we head further into spring these high wind events become less frequent, with April seeing a monthly average wind speed of 35 mph and average winds decreasing in May to just 29 mph.  Former Observer Michael Dorfman leans into hurricane force winds in 2016 The culprit for our high winds is actually two areas of low pressure tracking through southern Canada in tandem. A warm

Life Cycle of a Cumulus Cloud/Thunderstorm 2017-04-15 08:36:18.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   With the recent spell of warm weather (the summit made it to 50 degrees Fahrenheit this past week); I have been reminded that we are well on our way out of the winter months, and moving full speed ahead towards spring and summer. While winter on the Rockpile brings its challenges: transportation, higher winds (on average), epic snow and riming events; the spring and summer months bring their own unique challenges to collecting weather data up here on the summit. One challenge in particular is a

"Will They Believe It?": The Story of Big Wind Day 2017-04-12 09:30:46.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Weather Observer & Education Specialist   "Will they believe it?" – Weather Observer Sal Pagliuca Winds are at a meager 20-35 mph on Mount Washington's summit today, with gusts to perhaps 60 mph expected later this afternoon. However, 83 years ago, atop this very mountain, a storm for the ages was taking shape. An intense area of low pressure was traveling up the coast of New England, while a formidable high pressure center was building in from Canada. This is an all-too common list

So. Much. Weather. 2017-04-10 07:25:35.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer & Meteorologist   Well this has sure been a spring-like week here on the Rockpile with plenty of different conditions featured. On our trip up last Wednesday, the Snowcat encountered some massive snowdrifts which resulted from nearly a foot of snow that fell on Tuesday. As the day progressed on Wednesday, temperatures climbed above freezing, reaching a high of 36 degrees Fahrenheit. These above-seasonable temperatures remained intact through Wednesday night prior to dropping just below the freezing mark on Thursday. If you remember my comment from the last shift, I

April: In Like a Lion 2017-04-08 15:13:19.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Weather Observer & Education Specialist   April 2017 has already seemed to signal its intentions of going down a snow-covered path. Although most folks have immersed themselves in spring fever by the time we turn the calendar to April, up here on Mount Washington's summit, we must hold back on those balmier thoughts for a little while longer. On average, the month of April harbors 35.6" of snowfall at the rocky top of New England, with daily average temperatures still suppressed in the 20s for a large chunk of

What is a Front? 2017-04-04 15:34:32.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   Large masses of air are continuously moving about on the surface of the Earth, driven largely by winds aloft, a horizontal pressure gradient, and the Coriolis Effect. The figure below depicts the various major air masses around the globe. The naming convention is as follows. The first letter (m or c) describes the moisture properties of the air mass, and indicates whether the air mass originated over water (maritime and moist) or land (continental and dry). The second letter indicates the thermal characteristics of where the air mass

Say it ain't snow! 2017-04-03 15:23:44.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   Confidence is growing that yet another significant winter storm (in April) will be taking place as early as tomorrow morning across the White Mountains. Low pressure spawning a severe thunderstorm outbreak over the Southeast today will track through the Great Lakes, with a secondary low pressure developing along the southern New England coast. Warmer air and plentiful moisture will be pushing into New England tomorrow, with cold air damming occurring along the east side of the White Mountains. With enough deep cold air in place, it is now

Hide-and-Go-Seek the Peak 2017-04-01 05:56:27.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   This weekend (April 1st/2nd) we will be hosting the 1st annual Hide-and-Go-Seek the Peak event. Starting at 8pm on April 1st, four Observatory staff members labeled as “It” will count down from 43,200. During this time, the handful of participants that signed up earlier this year will scurry out and hide on a peak somewhere within the 750,852 acres that make up the White Mountain National Forest. When those designated as “It” arrive at zero on April 2nd, they will, as loud as possible, yell out from the

April Fool's Day Snow 2017-03-31 16:58:16.000 - Nathan Flinchbaugh, Summit Intern   The calendar says spring but Mother Nature doesn’t necessarily follow schedules, especially in New England. Just in time for April Fool’s Day, another snow storm stands to blanket parts of the Northeast with fresh snow. As of mid-afternoon Friday, the first bands of snow had already made it to Southern New Hampshire, with a few inches already accumulating in the southwest part of the state. Here on the Mount Washington, flakes began to fly just after noon, and fog is in the process of trying to retake the

It's All About The Clouds 2017-03-29 21:39:38.000 - Bill Ofsiany and Bruce Althen, Summit Volunteers   When most people think of a “perfect” day on Mount Washington, they probably think of a bluebird day, with clear blue skies and a visibility of 130 miles. Those days are rare and may not necessarily be the most visually appealing days to be here, at least in my opinion. It is the clouds, above and sometimes below, that give the mountain its character. For instance, the saucer shaped lenticular clouds tell even the non-meteorologists that turbulent winds are blowing.     A sunrise