This Weeks #MWOMetMonday 2015-10-19 18:33:57.000 - Adam Gill, Summit Intern   This week we had a decent amount of questions! It was hard to choose just two questions to answer.   This is the first question from Nancy. During November, we have just 3 full time observers and an intern on each shift, since November is a quiet time for the summit with no overnight trips scheduled. Once we start having day trips and overnight trips in December, two volunteers will join us to help out with cooking bringing the total to 6 people for the rest of winter. Each

Mount Washington Observatory Founding Day 2015-10-15 11:34:17.000 - Mike Carmon, Co-Director of Summit Operations   On this date in 1932, the Mount Washington Observatory was founded by the four original weather observers: Alex MacKenzie, Bob Monahan, Sal Pagliuca, and Joe Dodge. There was no pay, the living quarters were far from luxurious, and time off was virtually non-existent back in these days. These four hearty souls were driven purely by their curiosity for Mount Washington's extremes, and their ambition in enduring, observing, recording and studying this fascinating environment.   83 years later, we're following in the footsteps of our storied

Snowfall on Mount Washington 2015-10-12 17:34:35.000 - Andrew Henry, Summit Intern   After the summit received its first snow of the season this past Saturday, picking up 0.5”, some of you may be wondering things such as, when the first snow typically falls, how much snow falls on the summit in a typical year and the record amount of snow for a single season.   Rime Ice and Snow on October 10th   There is no set month for when the summit typically sees its first snow as we have seen at least a trace of snow in every month of

A Touch of Winter 2015-10-11 17:22:19.000 - Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Mount Washington received its first snowfall of the season on Saturday! The summit was coated in half an inch of the white stuff overnight. Combined with a beautiful backdrop of changing leaves in the valley, the summit has been very photogenic recently. While this is exciting for us on the summit, we can and have seen snow in every month of the year. Our average October snowfall is 17.6 inches, so we have a ways to go! Rime Ice and Snow on the Summit! We’re seeing more

Making Friends Across the Pond 2015-10-09 22:30:09.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Co-Director of Summit Operations   We had some special visitors at the Observatory today! Three gentlemen from the Meteorological Service of Catalonia, Spain came up to the summit to tour the facilities.   Interestingly enough, there is an abandoned observatory in the Montseny Mountains that they are hoping to restore. In fact, Mount Washington Observatory and Turó de l’Home Observatory share a few things in common. Not only was the Turó de l’Home Observatory founded in 1932, but it’s also the highest mountain in Montseny Natural Park with an elevation

First Freeze 2015-10-05 20:35:40.000 - Adam Gill, Summit Intern   Unfortunately this week there were no #MWOMetMonday questions to answer but there are still some interesting things to talk about this week! Much of New England was hit with a decent amount of rain last Tuesday and Wednesday, though trivial compared to the amount South Carolina got over the past several days. Up here on the summit, we picked up over five and a half inches of rain along with some strong winds. The winds were from the east when we had our heaviest rain, which is blowing right at

What has happened in the last 110 days? 2015-10-04 20:06:30.000 - Michael Kyle, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   In the last 110 days, the U.S. Women's soccer team won FIFA’s Women's World Cup, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the U.S. Presidential Election in 2016, the first female graduated from the Army’s Ranger School, and Mount Washington stayed above freezing for 104 days. That’s right, from June 18th, 2015 through September 30th ,2015, Mount Washington did not drop below freezing (32°F). While that isn’t making headlines around the world, it is buzzing around the Mount Washington Observatory. The 104-day streak of above-freezing temperatures

Hurricane Joaquin and a Taste of Winter 2015-10-02 18:10:30.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   After a few days of a very challenging forecast with regards to Hurricane Joaquin, the models have finally came into better agreement, and it looks like New England and the east coast will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Nearly all of the models typically used by meteorologists to forecast the weather now have the powerful hurricane turning north from the Bahamas and then passing just west of Bermuda and out to sea. There will still likely be high surf and coastal flooding

Hurricane Joaquin 2015-09-30 16:17:39.000 - Mike Carmon, Co-Director of Summit Operations   Hurricane season is in full swing, and there's a storm in the Atlantic Basin that's beginning to nose its way into the headlines. That storm is Hurricane Joaquin. As of 2PM EDT, Joaquin is a Category 1 Hurricane, with maximum sustained winds upwards of 85MPH. Joaquin is positioned northeast of the Bahamas, currently moving towards the southwest. Hurricane Joaquin has strengthened quite a bit today, and is expected to continue this strengthening trend as its environment becomes much more conducive for tropical development. Although Joaquin is currently moving

This Week's #MWOMetMonday 2015-09-28 17:09:39.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Welcome back to our weekly #MWOMetMonday.   Our first question is from Tim Myers on Twitter who asks:     While we do not keep records on the length of rime ice, one event for me sticks out as having the longest rime ice formations I’ve personally witnessed and measured. During the end of January into the start of February 2012, a moist flow from the south set up as cold air encroached from the north. The one-two punch of these two allowed rime to build. But let