Nice Summit Days

2014-11-30 06:21:03.000 – Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist

Yesterday was the first “nice” day we’ve seen on the summit in quite some time. I say ‘nice’ in quotations because, of course, when we’re talking about weather on the summit of Mount Washington, everything has to be taken in context. Temperatures were still below average yesterday, only reaching around 10 degrees during the afternoon after starting out below zero in the morning. The summit remained clear all day however, with mostly sunny skies and good visibility. Winds also remained breezy, averaging around 30 mph, but nowhere near as gusty as things can be this time of year.

 

With November coming to an end, it’s one of my duties as staff meteorologist to review our monthly weather data. This month has been a cold one for much of New England, with the average temperature for November on the summit being about 4 degrees below average with only 1 day left in the month. November also has ended up being above average for snowfall, with 46 inches accumulating this month, about 9 inches above average. The recent Nor’easter just a few days ago certainly helped, with over a foot of snow falling on the 26^th-27^th.

So what should we expect for December? More cold and snow is a very safe bet on the summit, with December averaging 45.5 inches of snow (more than New York City’s yearly average), and temperatures frequently dropping below zero. As can be expected for winter on the summit, powerful winds are commonplace during December, with the record wind for December on the summit clocking in at 178 mph. Hopefully this December has plenty of exciting weather in store for the summit!

Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist