Interesting Weather Ahead! 2016-02-20 15:12:38.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   So far this month of February has made a return to near normal temperatures after a few very mild past months, but unfortunately our snow cover on the summit remains very thin for this time of year. Record cold one week ago was countered by near-record warmth to start the month, with an ice storm on the 16th also forming plenty of glaze over what little snow was left on the ground. But things are beginning to turn around! A storm system tracking through Southern Canada today brought 4.3”

Wind Chill Myths 2016-02-15 10:38:03.000 - Mike Carmon, Co-Director of Summit Operations   With the arrival of the coldest air of the winter season this weekend, we've received many questions, comments, etc., regarding temperatures and wind chills. The two values are very distinct and have important differences, so I'll attempt to explain those differences right here! Ambient Air Temperature (hereafter referred to as just "air temperature"): The degree of "hotness" or "coldness" of a substance, in this case, the air, as measured directly by a thermometer of some kind. The degree of "hotness" or "coldness" is dependent on the average speed

8 Days in February: Some of my favorite things… 2016-02-12 09:22:05.000 - Johanna Vienneau, Summit Volunteer   The conversation around the dinner table is full of laughter. What a great crew! My husband and I are both former science teachers, and the nerdy topics, the ideas bouncing around the table, make this the very best place to be. Just last night Dennis and I were telling them about all sorts of science “magic” tricks that we used to perform for our students. Some requiring special equipment or chemicals, but some using ordinary things. I suddenly realized we could do one

How We Vote 2016-02-09 17:23:20.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Today marks New Hampshire’s presidential primary. Some people have wondered how the summit staff participates. The summit of Mount Washington is located in Sargent’s Purchase. While the summit staff works and lives here every other week over the course of the year, we are not eligible to claim it as our full-time residency. Therefore, where we live in our off weeks would be where we are registered to vote. For those of us living in New Hampshire, if an election date lands during our off time, we just

Wintry Weather Ahead! 2016-02-06 00:35:31.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   It’s been a warm but also stormy start to the month of February across the high peaks of New England, with three out of the first four days of the month seeing above freezing temperatures. We also saw winds gust up to 125 mph on the 1st, with sustained wind speeds of over 100 mph for over an hour. Wednesday was an especially interesting weather scenario for Mount Washington, with a strong warm front causing temperatures to surge to near-record territory in the mid-30s overnight after starting out only

My Volunteer Trip #3 2016-02-04 16:06:23.000 - Jeff Swanson, Summit Volunteer   As I look back on my third week on the summit, by comparison to my previous visits, it has been a mild week. We did manage to get a peak gust of 125 mph Monday, and the rime ice formations and clouds on the horizon are always spectacular. The opportunity to make it to the century club was close at hand, but safety precautions had to be respected on this occasion. Last year I was with the team when the winter storm went through that caused the Boston

A Taste of Spring 2016-02-01 13:23:49.000 - Mike Carmon, Co-Director of Summit Operations   This El Niño-influenced winter we're currently in the midst of continues to throw a plethora of monkey wrenches and curveballs our way. The seemingly constant oscillation of warm-up to cool-down has been quite intriguing to witness from the perspective of the Northeast's highest peak. No matter how many cold and snowy days are thrown at us, we continue to harbor that feeling that it won’t last long, and another warm-up is not far down the road. After a fairly-average shift with respect to temperature, last night

Back to the Rockpile 2016-01-31 07:01:27.000 - Michael Wessler, Summit Intern   After a brief stint at the Observatory last year as an intern working on research, it feels great to be back here for the remainder of the winter. After Mount Washington doled out a round of it’s characteristic brand of extreme weather when I was here last, with temperatures of 34 below, and a gust up to 127 mph, I was hooked and found myself counting the days until I could experience the same again. As a student passionate about mountain weather, there’s no better way to get

Extended sojourns to Mt. Washington keep us captive to the charms of the Rockpile 2016-01-28 12:29:24.000 - Will Broussard, Education Coordinator   In late May of 2012 I spent a week at the summit, getting a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the Mount Washington Observatory. I learned as much as I could about the mountaintop weather station, its staff of observers, and their daily work in one of the world’s most extreme environments. I witnessed two direct lightning strikes to the radio antennas in addition to a magnificent sunrise over the coast. Scarcely a month into my new

A Busy Shift on the Summit 2016-01-26 17:29:32.000 - Tim Taber, Digital Content Coordinator   I've spent the past shift on the summit with Observers Kaitlyn, Mike, and Ryan, volunteers Bruce and Ayla, and quite a few guests. Being my first full shift on the summit I'm actually a bit surprised it is already Tuesday. There was a lot of activity that helped to pass the time quickly, including a group from Eastern Mountain Sports on Friday night, an EduTrip Saturday night, and a Day Trip on Monday. Mike Dorfman and I spent some time yesterday removing a layer of