Mount Washington Observatory Observer Blog
Snow Loss and Flooding in our Tower
Snow Loss and Flooding in our Tower 2017-02-26 15:28:38.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist Over the last 4 days we have seen temperatures above freezing with only a handful of hours below freezing. This has unfortunately lead to tons of snow melt up here. Much of the snow pack that we had around the summit is now gone! As someone who really likes the snow, it was terrible to see all the snow melt so quickly. One thing that always surprises me up here is how fast the snow will melt when we have one of these thaws.
Today, It Was Warm
Today, It Was Warm 2017-02-24 18:34:14.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Weather Observer & Education Specialist Temperatures over the last few days have been exceedingly mild for late February on Mount Washington. Although we haven't broken any daily record highs, we came within 1 degree of our record high on Wednesday (2/22), we tied our daily record high yesterday (2/23), and as I write this evening, we’re closing in on our record high for the day of 42°F (the current temperature stands at 41°F). Our solid snowpack of nearly 30 inches has dwindled to less than 15, and the well-packed
Snow, Wind, & Ice: 9 Days on the Summit of Mount Washington
Snow, Wind, & Ice: 9 Days on the Summit of Mount Washington 2017-02-22 06:17:50.000 - Ruth Innes and Andy Keegan, Summit Volunteers The call came on Monday, February 13th. The shift change would occur on Tuesday, February 14th due to anticipated severe weather on Wednesday. For Ruth – not too difficult (lives in Littleton, NH). For Andrew – well it is a long way from Westchester County, NY to the Auto Road in NH! We both scurried around in our respective homes and arrived for a long, adventurous ride in the Snowcat. Wind and snow prevailed on 4.5 hour
Downsloping Winds
Downsloping Winds 2017-02-21 15:02:34.000 - Nathan Flinchbaugh, Summit Intern Although it is no surprise that Mount Washington routinely sees its fair share of wild weather, sometimes its prominence can translate to bizarre weather in the surrounding region too. One such event took place this past weekend, and if you were on the eastern side of the Whites Saturday evening, you may have noticed a strange, and otherwise unexplained spike in your backyard thermometer. One such official reporting station that captured this was the Eastern Slopes Regional Airport in Fryeburg, Maine. Notice the observation taken on the 18th just prior
Open House
Open House 2017-02-20 22:29:42.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist We will be offering a FREE, family-friendly Open House at our Weather Discovery Center (WDC) this coming Thursday, February 23 from 5-7pm EST. Guests are invited to explore the WDC exhibits, museum store, and enjoy light refreshments while having the opportunity to meet Observatory President Sharon Schilling and other Observatory staff. Guests will have the opportunity to learn more information about other upcoming Observatory events, educational outreach, research, membership, and ways to become more involved with our organization. At 6:00pm there will be a live video
A Winter to Remember: Comparing this Season to the Winter of ’68-’69
A Winter to Remember: Comparing this Season to the Winter of '68-'69 2017-02-19 13:44:21.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer This winter has certainly seen its share of snow, that’s for sure. As of this writing, the summit has seen 253.4 inches of snowfall from June 2016 to present. Our annual average (annual looking at a snow year from July to June) is 281.2 inches, meaning that we have about 30 inches of snow left in our “snowfall budget” before the winter becomes above average. Given that in March alone, our average snowfall is 45.1 inches, we will almost certainly
Summer Internships
Summer Internships 2017-02-18 12:26:12.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist Although the calendar reads February and we’ve just picked up nearly 6 feet of snow this month alone, it’s still not too early to start thinking about the summer season. I personally started here at the Observatory as a summer intern, and it was a decision that helped shape my career today. We are accepting applications through March 5th, so there’s only a few more weeks to go. The summer internship is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field of meteorology. Being able to not only study
Just Keep Shoveling
Just Keep Shoveling 2017-02-16 05:19:27.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist As I walked outside my home in Berlin (NH) Monday to start digging out from the storm earlier this week, I was confronted with 20 inches of new snow. This new snowfall was on top of everything else that had fallen this season. It was a bit overwhelming at first but with any task, I kept thinking, the only way I am going to get through this is by just diving into it. So I started scooping it up one shovel amount at a time. When the snow
Conducting Research at the Home of the World’s Worst Weather
Conducting Research at the Home of the World's Worst Weather 2017-02-14 16:40:36.000 - Eric P. Kelsey, Ph.D., Director of Research Every January, an undergraduate meteorology student from Plymouth State University is selected to be an intern at MWO for two weeks during the University’s winter break. This opportunity, which helps attract some of the best graduating high school students to matriculate in PSU’s renowned Meteorology program, provides a unique winter experience at the “Home of the World’s Worst Weather.” Interns experience and learn about mountain meteorology, make forecasts, assist Observers with a sundry of tasks, and perform a focused
The Snowy Winter Continues!
The Snowy Winter Continues! 2017-02-13 21:14:32.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer/Meteorologist Well things are beginning to wind down up here after a rather eventful 24 hours. As of our last precipitation can collection, snow totals from this winter storm are just shy of 2 feet! We will likely exceed 2 feet following our next collection after midnight thanks to a band of snow that is being rather stubborn over the Whites. For me personally, this is around the most snow that I have seen fall in a 24-hour period since I first began observing the weather as a toddler
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