The Night Shift 2015-12-02 16:50:35.000 - Marty Basch, Windswept Editor   There's a question that never gets old around here. What's it like to live and work up there? Living and working at 6,288 feet certainly has its challenges. The commute's unlike any other in these parts and those at the top see everything from sublime sultry sunsets to sideways rapid-fire hail that can hurt wicked bad. But what about at night? While we're sleeping Observers Ryan Knapp and Tom Padham (and Marty) have the place to themselves, heading out into the darkness for those hourly observations that keep the

How Do Frost Heaves Form? 2015-11-30 18:14:22.000 - Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   I’ve heard people ask questions, especially this time of the year, about frost heaves. Seemingly defying the laws of gravity, ice often pushes earth up with impressive force, lifting hundreds of pounds of material and potentially doing serious damage to structures in its path. How does this form? A logical explanation to frost heaves is the expansion of water as it freezes. This would explain why ice is forced upward, however the 10% expansion in volume of frozen water does not account for the impressive distance

What I am Thankful For 2015-11-28 09:08:51.000 - Andrew Henry, Summit Intern   With Thanksgiving earlier this week, I have been thinking what I’m thankful for at the Observatory. The first thing I am thankful for is being selected to intern at Mount Washington Observatory. This internship is a dream come true for extreme weather enthusiasts like myself. Since beginning my internship in August I am thankful for the opportunity to learn about mountain weather through composing specialized forecasts for the higher summits of the White Mountains and helping with weather observations. I am thankful for the wonderful views from

A Happy Thanksgiving On The Summit 2015-11-26 22:17:36.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Mount Washington Observatory is a manned weather station that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We work in two crews for eight days at a time, swapping out every Wednesday (typically). This all means that regardless of holidays, one crew will be up here manning operations and observing the weather. This year’s crew, Kaitlyn, Mike D, Andrew, and myself had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. And while it is hard to be away from family and friends for the holidays,

Tech Women | Tech Girls - A Week of STEMspiration! 2015-11-25 18:22:04.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Co-Director of Summit Operations   The NH High Tech Council (NHHTC) Tech Women | Tech Girls launched its first ever Tech Women Ambassadors week-long program, beginning Monday November 16 and concluding Friday November 20. Several workshops took place at various venues, encouraging young women across the state to consider a STEM-based career. I was lucky enough to visit with a great group of 9th grade girls at the White Mountain Community College in Berlin, NH last Friday to share my own experiences about pursuing a

Back at the Summit 2015-11-19 20:22:28.000 - Adam Gill, Summit Intern   Greetings from the summit! After a 10 day off week, it is good to be back up on the mountain. I was a little disappointed at the lack of snow. With how white the summit was looking from the valley I expected there to be quite a bit more but everything is covered in rime ice so it makes for nice scenery. Currently we have gone back into the fog and with the temperature just above freezing, all the water vapor in the fog is condensing to the

Another #MWOMetMonday is here! 2015-11-16 20:31:20.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Co-Director of Summit Operations   @MWObs What causes the extreme weather at Mt Washington? Not highest peak, even on The East Coast. #MWOMetMonday — gwhizkids (@gwhizkids) November 16, 2015     Today, @gwhizkids asked a great question about what causes the extreme weather on the summit of Mount Washington.   Certainly Mount Washington is not the tallest peak on the East Coast (For one, Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina stands at 6,683 feet, topping us by 395 feet!). But, Mount Washington is the tallest peak north of North Carolina and east

Comparing Wind Speed at Different Locations 2015-11-14 20:38:32.000 - Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   The Mount Washington Observatory has a regional network of 19 different mountainous automated weather stations. This includes 6 sites every 1000 feet along the Mount Washington Auto Road from base to summit.  We’ve recently installed anemometers at our 4000 and 5300 foot sites in hopes to better record wind speeds above tree line on Mount Washington. Our 4000 foot site is located near an old Signal Corps foundation block, and is rumored to occasionally have wind speeds rivaling the summit. Our 5300’ site is our

Calendars and Pictures 2015-11-12 17:41:10.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Looking at our 2015 calendar, it is weird to think 2016 is only ~49 days away (as of this writing). The year 2015 felt like it went by in a flash, at least for me. With 2015 coming to a close, that means our, and maybe your, wall calendars will soon be obsolete. Luckily, for the third year now, I have put together a few Mount Washington Observatory calendars to replace your soon-to-be obsolete calendar. This year we have not just two but three to choose from; all

Seasonal Changes On The Summit 2015-11-10 17:35:13.000 - Andrew Henry, Summit Intern   As the seasons change on the summit, so do the number of visitors and staff. During the summer months, thousands of people visit the summit of Mount Washington via the Mount Washington Auto Road, the Mount Washington Cog Railway, and various hiking trails that lead to the summit. Many of these visitors stop in the Extreme Mount Washington Museum to learn about Mount Washington Observatory’s history. Members of the observatory frequently sign up for tours of the observatory weather station during the summer months. To accommodate for this