Meteorological Spring has Sprung! 2016-03-03 06:21:53.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Spring has sprung…well, sort of. When talking about spring, most out there are talking about the day that reads “FIRST DAY OF SPRING” on the calendar. This date refers to the astronomical season, which is based on Earth’s tilt on its axis as it is orbiting around the sun. Therefore, the seasons of spring and fall would land on the equinoxes (when day and night are roughly of equal length) and summer and winter would land on solstices (when day/night are of their greatest lengths, longest day

A New Look to My Shift 2016-02-29 17:23:56.000 - Mike Carmon, Co-Director of Summit Operations   There's been a lot of change on the summit in recent weeks, which has essentially transformed my shift into a completely new look. Adam Gill, who started as a fall intern on my shift back in August of 2015, and was then promoted to temporary observer upon the departure of Michael Kyle in November, has come on board full-time as the new night observer on this shift! You’ll hear Adam's voice in the mornings on visitor information radio, NHPR, and you’ll see his excellent

A Volunteer's Week 2016-02-27 09:21:16.000 - Laura Dorfman, Summit Volunteer   This was a very exciting week for me. I have volunteered at the top of Mount Washington twice before in the summer. But this week I volunteered in the winter, which is a very different experience. I got to cook dinner for the crew (and celebrate two birthdays). My fellow volunteer Carol and I met and cooked for two groups of people visiting for the day, and for a group of hikers staying overnight. It is fun to meet all the visitors and hear their stories. A highlight for

Hey there! 2016-02-23 17:28:07.000 - Marty the Cat, Director of Feline Operations   It sure has been awhile since I shared my thoughts here last. I’ve been pretty busy this winter helping out the observers with lots of weather observations. I also enjoy making an appearance around dinner time and entertaining the overnight guests. All of them are so happy to see me and I make new friends with each trip.   I’m really looking forward to the warmer months that lie ahead so I can have a chance to run around outside and frolic among the rocks. I’m also

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