The Devil's in the Details 2016-04-07 09:28:46.000 - Mike Carmon, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   One of the tasks that weather observers must tackle on a daily basis is checking of the various forms that we utilize to perform and submit hourly weather observations, as well as collect continuous daily weather data. The first step of this process is to check each individual form on its own; we must ensure that all values observed on each of these individual forms are accurate and deemed reasonable by trained weather observers. Errors will inevitably be made, and the objective of daily check is

Another Wonderful Week On The Summit! 2016-04-05 21:42:38.000 - Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   It’s been another exciting week on the Rockpile! Upon arrival last Wednesday, the entire crew was waiting in anticipation for what looked to be very impressive wind speeds over the weekend. If the Model Output Statistics (MOS) numbers had held true, we could have seen gusts well over 100, possibly even rivaling the 133 mph gust the opposite shift saw the week prior! As is often the case we were “disappointed” as the models showed the pressure gradient slackening as the weekend got closer and

Wishcasting 2016-04-02 17:36:18.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   As a scientist and overall weather enthusiast, I often find that I have conflicting interests when it comes to forecasting. The scientist in me says that given a set of weather parameters, a logical and rational solution arises for what the weather will do in a given time frame. Take our Model Output Statistics (MOS) for the summit station for example. Given the incoming starting (or initialization data) to the weather model (GFS in this example) and the numerous weather equations built into the model it's able to provide concrete numbers

Cricket Thermometers 2016-04-01 17:36:09.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Last year, the AFC decided that starting 1 April 2016, the official temperature on the summit of Mount Washington would be done with Dolbear's Law. At first this new procedure sounded absurd and we very skeptical. However, after reading Amos Dolbear's 1897 article in "The American Naturalist" and reviewing the new procedure over the past few months, we are confident in the results and are implementing the new procedure starting today.   Once an hour, two field crickets will accompany the weather Observer outside. One cricket will remain dry

All the Ingredients to a Great Week! 2016-03-31 09:24:49.000 - Bill Ofsiany, Summit Volunteer       It takes a lot of ingredients to make a quality mountain experience.  Take three, 130 mile visibility sunrises.  Make two of them with undercast, drowning out the lowlands. Throw in two spectacular sunsets that had the sun sinking behind Mt. Mansfield.  Include a hike over to Mt. Clay with the headwall of the Great Gulf stark against a clear blue sky.   Include a day with temperatures above freezing and the wind zero to two and gusting.  Add a good amount of freezing rain, then

A Dream Fulfilled 2016-03-24 17:41:00.000 - Andrew Henry, Summit Intern   My passion for weather, particularly winter weather, was sparked at age ten by a powerful Nor’easter that dumped close to two feet of snow and sleet in the Philadelphia area on President’s Day weekend 2003. From that day forward I knew that I wanted to be a meteorologist when I grew up. As a child and even through my high school years whenever there was a chance of interesting weather, whether it snow, thunderstorms or hurricanes I would be glued to the television waiting for the weather report to

Spring Hike 2016-03-21 22:18:05.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   The first day of spring was a nice one for the summit of Mount Washington and the neighboring summits in the White Mountains. The day started out sunny and remained generally sunny through the day despite some high clouds spreading in from the south late in the day. While temperatures remained on the cool side, low winds and the ample sunshine helped make it a tolerable day to be out and about without a face mask and full on winter gear for a change. With the pleasant spring weather

Longer Days Ahead 2016-03-19 20:48:44.000 - Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   With the first day of spring coming up (tomorrow!), I decided to get a bit excited about the warm temperatures we’ll see on the summit mid-summer. While it may not seem that warm to valley-dwellers, our record warm temperature recorded on the summit is a balmy 72F degrees (which was recorded twice in our history). In celebration of the coming warmth, I’ve put together some numbers from the summit. The graph below shows average temperature and relative humidity compared to wind direction from our digital sensors since 2005.

Winter Returns! 2016-03-16 17:57:07.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   Although we’ve seen a very mild winter and little in the way of any deep snowpack in place across the White Mountains, a return to more winter like conditions is likely over the next 7 days. After picking up 1.6” of snow and plenty of glaze ice over the past 48 hours the road up had a little bit more of a wintry feel than our down going trip last week. With an occluded front quickly approaching from the eastern Great Lakes this evening, the summit is expecting a quick

Shoulder Seasons 2016-03-11 17:31:30.000 - Mike Wessler, Summit Intern   With the warm temperatures we’ve been enjoying here at the summit, and the 50’s and 60’s down in the valley and across the state, it’s easy to find myself settled into a springtime state of mind. Walking around the Mt Washington Auto Road parking lot the morning of this week’s shift change and feeling my feet sink ankle deep in the mud was an unusual feeling for early March, but not completely foreign. As an avid backcountry skier, this left me wondering how things were doing up high.  In the shoulder