Meet Summer Interns Zakiya, Max and Maddie

By MWOBS Staff

We are excited to welcome six teammates to the summit of Mount Washington this summer! During their internship, these students and graduates will play a key role in supporting weather observation and data collection, engaging with the public and media and sharing weather information with visitors, and diving into a research project about mountain weather and meteorology. Below, meet three of the six team members as they reflect on their first few weeks on the summit.

Zakiya Johnson

Hey y’all! My name is Zakiya Johnson and I am one of the interns this summer at Mount Washington Observatory. I graduated from Jackson State University with a bachelor’s degree in Meteorology, originally from Atlanta, Georgia. My love for meteorology began in elementary school, asking my 4th grade teacher college level questions about the water cycle! Where I grew up, we always felt the effects of major storms more than direct impacts but seeing the devastation elsewhere still affected me. I wanted to be able to understand the weather so that I can help people be informed and know how to navigate the unpredictable outcomes of weather. 

On the first day, our shift was greeted with hazy skies at first but Mount Washington gave our southern intern crew a warm, pleasant welcome. We seized the opportunity and enjoyed the still-amazing views throughout the day and evening. My fellow interns and I have been on a few hikes which were definitely different from hiking Stone Mountain back at home. Only after the hike did I find out the White Mountain trails are some of the most challenging trails in the country! More recently, the crew watched as the mountain got up to 124 mph gust winds, which tied for the 4th highest gust for any day in June since the 1930s. Hearing about extreme conditions is one thing but actually experiencing those hurricane-force winds was thrilling and intense; however, I would not recommend doing this anywhere without supervision and an enclosed space.

My project for the summer will be focused on looking at the fatalities that have occurred on the Presidential Mountain Ranges and seeing if and how those fatalities were weather related. The change in climate from the valley of Mount Washington to the summit can be a huge shift, even for experienced hikers. My goal is to find common variables forecasters can be aware of to improve recreational forecasts for hikers and tourists. This is the farthest north I’ve ever been, I’m excited for the experience and I am super grateful to embark on this journey with you lovely people!

Maddie Smith

Hi everyone! My name is Madelynn Smith (Maddie), one of the summer interns here at Mount Washington Observatory. I am a recent graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, earning two Bachelor’s of Science in Meteorology and Earth Sciences. I was raised in Kenly, North Carolina —a small town located in the eastern part of the state. Growing up in the South, I was well accustomed to severe storms and landfalling tropical systems, and have been fascinated with all kinds of weather phenomena since I was a toddler. That childhood fascination has since transformed into a true passion for further understanding of our Earth’s atmosphere, which is why I’m so excited to be interning here at the Home of the World’s Worst Weather!

My first few days on the summit have been a wild ride so far! From breathtakingly beautiful mountain views, to actual breathtaking major hurricane force winds, almost every day has been different. We got lucky enough to experience 124 mph gusts, which not only broke the daily wind speed record, but tied for 4th highest wind gust ever in the month of June for Mount Washington! Walking outside in these winds was definitely one of the most difficult but exhilarating things I’ve ever experienced, although I absolutely wouldn’t recommend others try to do it anywhere else. The other interns and I also got to hike around the
summit and explore, where we found out that they call the White Mountains some of the hardest terrain in the United States for a very good reason. Still working on building up my trail legs!

For my summer research project, I’m working on a methodology for fall foliage forecasting for parts of New England. I’m developing a climatology for peak season timing across the region, looking into different meteorological factors that affect foliage such as precipitation anomalies and cooling degree days, as well as examining overall weather patterns in that timeframe. This research will aid operational forecasts here at MWOBS, which is really exciting to be a part of! Overall, these first days living up here have been truly incredible, and I’m thrilled for what the rest of the summer has to offer!

Max Sasser

Hello my name is Max Sasser, and I am one of the summer interns. I am a recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma where I received my Bachelor’s in Meteorology, and will be returning to Oklahoma to complete my Master’s in Data Science & Analytics. I am interested in exploring the intersection of meteorology with other disciplines, so the summit internship at Mount Washington Observatory was a perfect fit for me!

I am originally from North Texas, so I am not too familiar with driving around in mountainous terrain or dealing with so much snow. During my first week on the rockpile, I experienced more snowfall than I ever did back home. It was also my first time experiencing rime ice. The thick fog, along with the rime ice, made the summit look like the planet Hoth from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. It was simultaneously spooky and cool. During my second week, the summit became nice enough to do a few light hikes around the area. It was my first time hiking in the White Mountains, and I learned why they earned their reputation as some of the roughest trails in the country! This is my third week on the summit and Mount Washington gave us such a treat: 100+ mph sustained winds and a gust of 124 mph. The other interns and I wanted to experience the winds, and they literally blew us away! It was so hard to stand up and I kept getting blown to the opposite end of the observation deck when I was trying to return to the A-frames! One of the best and scariest experiences of my life!

Although I am having lots of fun on the summit, I am also working on a research project. My project focuses on the environmental variables that may be influencing the increase of convective activity in the White Mountains. As the global climate shifts, so do local weather patterns. I hope my research can help start discussions on convective phenomena in the White Mountains. Spending my whole life in Texas and Oklahoma, I have experienced many severe thunderstorms. It is my passion to help as many communities as possible prepare for severe weather.

From forecasting, to experiencing hurricane-force gusts, to giving tours, to hanging out with my pal Nimbus, and so much more, I am having a great time on the mountain! I cannot wait to see how the rest of my internship unfolds!