B&H: Breaking and Hiking! 2015-05-08 19:21:21.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Co-director of Summit Operations   Today was one of those days that begged you to get outside, and I couldn’t pass it up! We started off under nearly clear skies and by 7AM the temperature was already 47 degrees. The wind was practically non-existent, allowing for the sound of trickling water from the melting snow to be clearly heard as it rushed through the rocks below; searching for the most direct route off the summit. After a productive morning, I headed out for an afternoon hike over to Mount Clay.    Looking

One Last Sunrise 2015-05-07 15:57:49.000 - Adam Freierman, Summit Intern   Wednesday was the last day of my winter internship at the Observatory, and so I felt obliged to get up to see the sunrise for a final time. I’m usually upstairs in the weather room by 6:40 for our morning radio weather report to the AMC, but the last time I was able to really sit and watch a sunrise was probably back in March, right after daylight savings began. Wednesday’s show wasn’t spectacular, but it was crisp and quick and struck me because of how far north the

Snow... No Snow 2015-05-05 15:40:10.000 - Michael Kyle, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Another week (well just about another week) has passed, and another amazing change of scenery for the White Mountains. At the beginning of the shift I wrote a comment talking about how winter has taking back control of the higher summits. Now it is safe to say that spring has taken back the higher summits, as 15 inches of snow has melted, leaving the summit almost bare of snow. Thanks to gorgeous, sunny, warm weather all weekend, followed by above-freezing temperatures and fog, the summit’s 19 inches of

Quiet Times 2015-05-04 16:15:57.000 - Mike Carmon, Co-Director of Summit Operations   It's been a quiet week on the summit. There aren't many quiet times working at the Observatory's summit station, but late April-early May is one of those times. Because of that, it’s been a bare-bones crew up here. There’s myself, Kyle, Tom, and our intern Adam. And Marty, of course!   We certainly appreciate all of the visiting guests and summit volunteers throughout the year, as it gives the staff a chance to get to know our members and supporters of the organization. However, it's also nice to

Photography From The Winter Of 2015 2015-05-02 21:03:20.000 - Adam Freierman, Summit Intern    Truly talented photographers can probably make incredible shots anywhere, anytime. But for the rest of us I think its all about being in the right place in the right time. The summit of Mount Washington is definitely the right place, and over the course of this past winter I was fortunate to come across some stunning scenes. Maybe pictures don't quite convey -90 wind chills (so glad its almost summer...) but they are a great reminder of some of the reasons we are all so thrilled to

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