Spring Is On The Way! 2015-05-01 17:23:02.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   Although this past week definitely took us back a bit, with the month of May now underway it seems that Spring is finally set to arrive across the higher summits. April ended on a very snowy note with 55 inches of snow falling through the month, more snow than we’ve seen since the month of January. All of this new snow along with the mostly below freezing temperatures led to an increase in snow cover above tree line, with a low of about 9 inches of snow

Weather 101 Workshop 2015-04-30 15:33:57.000 - Mike Carmon, Co-Director of Summit Operations   How does weather impact wildlife in the White Mountains? What cloud type is that? How do meteorologists forecast the weather? What forces influence the behavior of the wind? What factors influence global climate? What is the Polar Vortex? What sort of career paths exist in the field of meteorology? What do ridges and troughs on a weather map indicate? If you’ve found yourself pondering any of these questions, or anything related, we have the answers for you! This Saturday, at the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway,

Things Seem To Have Gone Backwards 2015-04-29 17:04:32.000 - Michael Kyle, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   After some extra days off the summit to report for jury duty back in New Jersey, I am back on the summit today. It has been quite a change in scenery upon returning to New Hampshire and even more so, on the summit. When I left the summit last week it really looked like spring was melting away the winter vistas across the White Mountain National Forest. The Sunday I left (4/19), conditions were looking like it would be the best day of spring skiing

January Conditions in Late April? 2015-04-28 00:27:04.000 - Mike Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   We’ve been in the fog for almost a week now, and I’m starting to go a bit stir-crazy. With over 14 inches of freshly fallen snow in the last week, the summit is all but in springtime mode.  Impressive drifts are forming all over the summit, some 6-10 feet deep!  Being in the fog since last Wednesday, we’re also seeing some impressive rime formations as well!  The daggers of rime on the deck have grown the length of my arm, which makes for challenging travel.  To

Time for a Rime Lapse 2015-04-26 18:19:07.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Co-director of Summit Operations   You've probably seen our time lapse photography in the past, (if you haven't check it out here!) but have you ever seen rime lapse photography?    Yesterday, our north view camera captured some incredible rime ice growing on the window as well as on the exterior wall of the building.   Rime ice occurs when we have temperatures below freezing and foggy conditions. Supercooled water droplets suspended in the fog freeze instantaneously and form long feathery strands of rime that, perhaps counterintuitively, grow into the

Still Socked In... 2015-04-25 14:45:09.000 - Nate Iannuccillo, Summit Intern   Around 2pm last Wednesday, the summit sank into the clouds and we’ve been thoroughly stuck in the fog ever since. Low pressure sitting idly over the Canadian Maritime Provinces has produced unwavering conditions and seemingly repetitious forecasts for the latter half of this week. But as crazy as it’s been living in the fog for the past 3 days, the wildest part is that I don’t expect us to break out of the fog until Tuesday night! Take a look… Here we see the low pressure moving in to our

What a Peaceful Place to Work! 2015-04-23 15:32:11.000 - Ed Bergeron, Interim Executive Director   My office is in the valley at the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway. I’ve been faithfully manning my desk since I started on January 5th and decided it was time for a change! A few weeks ago I decided that I had a good understanding of staff functions in the valley so I should spend a week on the summit in order to better understand how our staff works and lives together for eight days at a time. Besides, most of the valley staff would

A Week on the Summit 2015-04-22 15:52:25.000 - Barbara Marino, Summit Volunteer   Where did the week go? When I arrived the volunteers from last shift kept me company till they were ready to go down. Thanks to John Donavan and Gates Ingram for leaving the living quarters in great shape and even leaving dessert for the evening. Once they were gone it was time to figure out dinner and my shift began!   This is my third time as a volunteer on the mountain, and it never gets old. Baking, cooking, and planning meals is oddly satisfying for someone

Sleet vs. Hail 2015-04-21 15:45:40.000 - Mike Carmon, Co-Director of Summit Operations   Non-meteorologist: "It’s hailing outside."Meteorologist: "No, it’s actually sleeting."Non-meteorologist: "What’s the difference?"Meteorologist: "Uhhh…" This is an exchange I've had with friends, family, and peers alike. I always wince a little when hail is mistook for sleet or vice-versa; and I really cringe when it’s assumed there is no difference at all. That's because both are very distinct precipitation types that form under very different meteorological circumstances. It's true both sleet and hail are forms of solid precipitation. But that's about the extent of their commonality. Sleet is actually a common slang

Gazing Into the Rockpile's Icy Past 2015-04-20 15:41:36.000 - Adam Freierman, Summit Intern   It is late April at the end of a long cold winter and the ravines on Mount Washington are just about full to the brim with snow. More snow may be on the way this week and it’s almost hard to imagine that it will all melt before the snow flies again in the fall. That will probably seem foolish come July, but there have been times in local memories when small pockets of snow endured the summer months tucked away in hidden corners of the