Where does the weather come from? 2016-07-21 17:40:37.000 - Christopher Hohman, Summer Intern   When we’re in grade school we all learn about the beautifully simple water cycle as the explanation to every storm forming over us. This model for weather isn’t incorrect by any means, but you’d be surprised how much more there is to the whole process. On a daily basis the atmosphere moves like a fluid on not just small local scale, but continental and even global. This is one of the most core ideals of meteorology, and after staring at pressure charts for long enough and

A Turbulent Weather Day 2016-07-19 14:15:45.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Weather Observer & Education Specialist   Yesterday, we were all thrilled with the prospect of severe weather in northern New Hampshire. All signs pointed to an eventful afternoon for most of New Hampshire and Maine, with the summit of Mt. Washington smack in the middle of the action.  Yesterday's severe weather risk from the Storm Prediction Center Forecasted values of CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) were exceptionally high (by New England standards), signifying a good deal of instability in the air. That's ingredient number one. Due to the income of

Seek the Peak 2016-07-18 10:08:09.000 - Emily Schuitema, Summit Intern   Very shortly after moving out to the White Mountains region for the summer, I discovered that one of the best parts of living here is the hiking. Driving down any given mountain road you pass dozens of trailheads, which will lead you to waterfalls or ravines or all the way to the top of a mountain. There's nothing as peaceful as taking a long walk through the mountains, and there's nothing as rewarding as the view once you reach the top. Yesterday at Mount Washington Observatory was Seek the

Convection 2016-07-13 16:26:28.000 - Andrea LaRocca, Summit Intern   It's the start to another great week here on Mount Washington. To start the week off with a bang, we have the potential for some thunderstorms this evening. With plenty of sunshine still peeking through, we're crossing our fingers for a good one today. With the likelihood of us being in and out of the clouds for the next couple of days and rain showers possible, the welcome sight of severe weather is always one we will take. As clouds form during the day, a consequence of day time heating, small

The Aurora Borealis 2016-07-12 19:01:04.000 - Tim Greene, Summit Intern             Last night, fellow night observer Mike Dorfman and myself were witness to one of the night sky’s greatest shows, the Aurora Borealis. Despite the high auroral activity forecast (a 5 on a 0-9 scale) for North America by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, we were not expecting to see anything too spectacular; certainly nothing like the desktop wallpaper caliber pictures that come out of places like Iceland and northern Canada. Even with a higher auroral activity forecast (say, a 6-8) it is in no way a guaranteed event,

An Internship at the top of New England 2016-07-10 10:36:55.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   Although it’s only July the deadline for our fall internship program is only 5 days away making me think back to my internship on the summit, which led to my eventual career here at the observatory. Back in 2011 I applied for the internship, and was very excited to hear back and be able to work my way through the interview process and get a chance to see the summit for an in-person interview. The interview took place in late April for this summer

Undercast 2016-07-09 17:39:19.000 - Chris Hohman, Summit Intern   My internship so far has given me wonderful experiences not just in meteorology, but in some fantastic views up here. Last night we experienced the greatest I’ve ever seen up here, all thanks to the undercast. Overcast skies can seem very grey and gloomy, but if you find yourself above those clouds, you can see for miles upon miles of clear white. It’s an immaculate view and can give you a wonderful sense of how that atmosphere actually moves like a fluid. If you haven’t already seen, check out our time

Seek the Peak 2016-07-08 15:50:26.000 - Meredith Campbell, Summit Intern   Seek the Peak is just one week away! This will be my first year participating in the fundraiser, and I’m so excited to be a part of the summit team, The Cirrus Contenders. As a New Hampshire native and an avid hiker I have a deep connection with Mount Washington. The mountain itself is a source of pride for every New Hampshirite. The tallest mountain in the Northeast, our one beloved 6000 footer, the majestic crown of our beautiful Presidentials. As an engineer and an aspiring scientist, I want

Fureezing in July 2016-07-06 07:31:37.000 - Marty, Summit Cat   Meow, everyone. Marty the Summit Cat here, writing to inform you of some paw-sitively crazy events happening up here on Mount Washington. It is now July, a time of year where I normally enjoy spending time outside, lounging out on the rocks, and catching some sun rays on the top of the meow-ntain. Unfortunately, Mt. Washington seems to have fur-gotten that it is summer. Over the past week, temperatures have fallen to the mid-30s, and the wind speeds almost reached 100 mph! It has been a cat-astrophe!   Paw-don me,

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness on the summit of Mt Washington 2016-07-04 15:08:40.000 - Claudia Pukropski, Summit Intern   Today as we celebrate the birth of our nation, it’s good to take a look back and remember why we are commemorating it in the first place. Two hundred and forty years ago today our founding fathers took a risk. Knowing the consequences of breaking our ties with Great Britain, they signed away to our independence. They no longer wanted to be under the king’s rule, and knew the repercussions of doing so. They very well could’ve been signing