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

Wrapping Up A Season 2016-07-02 16:02:21.000 - Mike Carmon, Weather Observer & Education Specialist   Another month has come and gone rather quickly on Mount Washington, and June 2016 certainly did not disappoint with its weather. At the conclusion of every month, a thorough check of all forms and data from the past month is required before the month can be officially deemed, well, "official."   In addition, the conclusion of June wraps up a season on Mount Washington, as we consider July – June one complete season (the purpose of which is to contain a single winter in one

Detecting Lightning on the Summit 2016-06-30 20:42:33.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Over the past few days we have had thunderstorms that have passed over or near the summit. Lightning is a very real danger above tree line; due to how exposed you are, you increase the possibility of getting struck. At the Observatory, lightning is one of the only reasons that we will not go outside to do an hourly observation. So, we have to know if there is going to be lightning soon. This past week, we installed our Electric Field Meter (EFM) in an effort

The Hazards of Thunderstorms 2016-06-28 12:11:45.000 - Tim Greene, Intern               As most know, the summit of Mount Washington is in the clouds with visibility limited to several hundred feet at best most of the time; today is no different. After spending the morning in and out of the clouds, it looks like we’re destined to return into the fog later this afternoon. Unlike most days though, today the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed us under a marginal threat for severe weather, and less than fifty miles from the border of the slight threat

Capturing the Night Sky 2016-06-27 17:44:04.000 - Meredith Campbell, Summit Intern     Reaching for the stars   One of the most unique things about interning at the Mount Washington Observatory is the fact that we are on the summit at night. As a total space nerd, the number of stars you can see from the summit on a clear night takes my breath away. This time of year also happens to be the best time to see the Milky Way (just like the constellations, the view of the Milky Way changes seasonally). For the past few months I’ve been