Under the Weather on the Summit 2017-01-14 14:05:18.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   When living and working on the summit for a week at a time, you are bound to get sick at least once or twice a year while at the Observatory. I always hope that I will catch that cold while in the valley on my off week so I can relax and recover without having to worry about work at all. This off week I did fall ill and unfortunately it was on Tuesday, the day before heading up for this shift. Luckily the Tuesday

Plowing Through Shift Change Challenges 2017-01-12 10:13:08.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Weather Observer & Education Specialist   There are a host of operational challenges of the Mount Washington Observatory's summit weather station, as one can imagine! One of the trickiest parts of our jobs is the weekly commute to work. Shift changes in the winter time, which traditionally take place on Wednesdays, can be a breeze, with the Snow Cat cruising to the summit in an hour or so. However, this is Mount Washington. The place where simple-sounding tasks become complex feats of ingenuity as snow, fog, and wind produce

What is a Cloud? 2017-01-10 05:37:58.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   The summit of Mount Washington spends, on average, 60% of its time in the fog, sometimes meaning that the only cloud in the sky is hovering right at the summit. So, you could say we see our fair share of clouds, and maybe more. But what is a cloud? And how and why do they occur? Clouds are made up of tiny droplets of water that condense around particles in the air, such as dust or pollen, and are small enough to stay suspended in the atmosphere. Because

A Great Opportunity! 2017-01-05 17:24:36.000 - Meghan Wells, PSU Research Intern   My name is Meghan and I am a junior meteorology major at Plymouth State University. I have the wonderful opportunity of interning at the Mount Washington Observatory in the middle of January. I believe it is every meteorologists dream to experience extreme weather but it doesn’t necessarily happen when you’re studying in classrooms every day. I will be living on the summit for two weeks where I get to work alongside the observers as they take observations and make forecasts. The observatory is a great place to learn

Second Snowiest December on Record! 2017-01-01 21:19:13.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer / Meteorologist   Well December 2016 was a bit snowier than December 2015 and just about every other December since our establishment in 1932 for that matter. 93.6 inches of snow fell on the summit this past month which falls 10.1 inches short of the snowiest December on record which was in 1968 when 103.7 inches fell. That makes this past December the second snowiest on record! 1968 actually marked the snowiest winter on record with 566 inches falling. I know that up here on the summit, we

The Heaviest Snow Missed Us :( 2016-12-30 09:08:08.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Over the past few days it was looking likely that a strong coastal low was going to form near Boston and move almost directly north along the Maine and New Hampshire border. This would have dumped copious amounts of snow in the White Mountain region with most areas near the mountains seeing greater than 2 feet of snow. Even yesterday, the day of the storm, all the morning model runs had the summit getting hammered with 30+ inches of snow. I was very excited because

French Toast Advisory 2016-12-27 21:29:54.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   A coastal storm will be bombing out as it heads up the coast the coming days, delivering a significant winter storm as it moves into the Gulf of Maine Thursday into Friday morning. It is expected to bring over a foot of snow for most of the state with totals closer to two feet around parts of the White Mountains. Additionally it is looking like some areas will see a wintry mix with heavy, wet snow making its way into the mix. Winds will be ramping up and

Summit Christmas Song 2016-12-25 16:55:43.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Over the years I have done “summitized” parodies of Christmas stories/songs and since I am working this year, I figured I'd add to that portfolio. In the past, I did a parody on the poem/song “The 12 Days of Christmas” titled “The 12 Days of Summit Christmas.” Another one was “Twas the Night Before Christmas” with an obs spin on how the story goes. This year, I am putting a twist on the song “The Christmas Song” which I am titling “Summit Christmas Song”. So as your reading

115+ MPH Winds for Christmas? 2016-12-24 10:09:54.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   Santa looks to be bringing plenty of wind to the summit crew this year on top of our presents! Low pressure will strengthen overnight as it tracks through southern Canada, with a very tight pressure gradient likely resulting in winds over 100 mph from midnight tonight through the morning Christmas Day. As of right now models are indicating winds will likely top out near 115 mph (category 3 hurricane strength) around sunrise, adding a bit of excitement to our Christmas morning! Out of curiosity, I decided to

♩♫♪ I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas ♩♫♪ 2016-12-23 21:32:53.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Since starting with the Observatory back in 2005, I have spent six of my Christmas’ on the summit of Mt Washington. One big plus about working up here on Christmas Day is the ability to have the postcard worthy White Christmas as songs, TV shows, movies, etc all suggest Christmas should look like. Not every year was stellar for snowfall; however, a lot or a little, all that really mattered is that every year up here looked like a White Christmas. Adding to