Alpine Zone 2016-06-26 17:07:10.000 - Christopher Hohman, Intern   One common question hikers have when summiting a mountain is, “Hey why are all these plants so different up here compared to the base?” It’s a very interesting and fascinating question when you start to really think about all the strange vegetation at the summits. This normally begins to happen around what is called the “Treeline.” This is the line where tree growth severely drops, so dramatically to the point where there is almost no tree growth shortly after reaching that line. One of the trees that do survive are called

Summertime on the Summit 2016-06-25 21:27:35.000 - Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   It’s beginning to feel more and more like summer on Mount Washington! The bugs are in full-swing, hikers and tourists are mingling together on the deck, the sun is high and warm, and winds are generally calm! Even another sign of summertime - I spent much of the day preparing and installing the Observatory’s Electric Field Meter, a sensor that determines the electric field and therefore the potential for lightning on the summit. While the Observatory sees over 100 mile per hour winds (typically in the wintertime),

Internships 2016-06-24 18:21:00.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   I remember my internship at the Mount Washington Observatory like it was yesterday, even though it was actually over a decade ago. I was 3000+ miles from home and way out of my comfort zone but excited to further my experiences in meteorology. At the time, the internship was supposed to be a few months so I was commuting back and forth from California to continue working at my old job during my days off. One week would be spent in several layers of winter gear, shoveling snow, battling winds,

The Good Weather Shift 2016-06-22 17:34:43.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer/Meteorologist    Since I returned to the summit as a weather observer, I have been experiencing some awesome weather. With that said, I am a little jealous of the opposing shift. I will explain by breaking down the peak daily winds that we have experienced on my last two shifts and compare them to the opposing shifts previous two. Other shift (5/25 – 6/1): 67mph / 73mph / 55mph / 49mph / 47mph / 63mph / 76mph / 38mph My shift (6/1 – 6/8): 38mph / 50mph / 50mph /

When the Weather is Warm on the Summit 2016-06-20 18:22:56.000 - Emily Schuitema, Summit Intern   After watching the snow and 100+ mph winds that the last shift experienced on the summit, I came up for a new work week eager to experience similar conditions. However, when we arrived and started to forecast, I quickly realized that the snow and ice I had been hoping for were not a possibility. Temperatures have climbed all the way into the 60's, and each day has been in the clear with plenty of sunshine. The sunsets have been beautiful, and we've been able

Is Winter Finally Over? 2016-06-18 18:58:51.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   With the warm weather over the summit this weekend and into the early week, I wonder if we are finally going to be in a summer weather pattern. Looking ahead at this upcoming week, it will start off really warm on Monday with temperatures likely getting to near the daily record high for June 20th of 62 degrees. On Tuesday, a strong cold front looks to pass through the White Mountains with much cooler temperatures. It won’t be too cold for the summit with temperatures only falling

A Wonderful Week! 2016-06-15 08:33:40.000 - Linda Bliss, Summit Volunteer   My first volunteer experience at the Mount is coming to an end. I have met and enjoyed the company of a bright, friendly and engaging staff who welcomed me into the Observatory family. Ryan, Tom, the two Mikes, Meredith, Chris, Tim and A.J. quickly made me feel at home. Marty, the Observatory cat has become my buddy.  He will often sit under my chair when I am using my computer, or sit still while I scratch his head.       Arline and Tom     Marty the cat   The weather has

A Very Memorable Week! 2016-06-14 15:03:44.000 - Arline Cochrane, Summit Volunteer   Sadly,  another week atop the Rockpile is nearing it's end and I wish to take some time to thank all of the Mount Washington community for all the work that you do whether it's in membership, volunteer coordination, observer, etc. Speaking for myself I am thankful for the knowledge MWO is gaining and so happy that this knowledge is shared with the world.    Enjoying the high winds!   To the crew on my shift, it is uplifting to see a group of people with such good hearts and work

Why is It So Windy, Anyway? 2016-06-13 16:37:59.000 - Tim Greene, Intern                        Mount Washington has already made national headlines a couple times this year on high wind days; this being because hurricane force winds have more or less been the norm for us this spring and so far this early summer.  Normally in June we see an average wind of 27.6 mph, so far we are at 35.2 mph and have seen six days with gusts over 75 mph.  So needless to say, the weather has been pretty intense lately.  This is something I got to see

Orographic Lifting 2016-06-12 17:02:53.000 - Chris Hohman, Intern   My last post I had a large focus on learning new meteorological processes, and overall just getting my feet wet in this wonderful field. One thing I wasn’t expecting though was the real solidification of my knowledge by actually observing all these processes on top the summit. These moments have been very new to me, but I now seek them as frequent as possible. There was a wonderful moment when your knowledge base on a subject takes the leap from something you’ve read, to something you’ve actually seen with your own