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2009-11-30 09:43:39.000 – Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist

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Weather and this mountain never cease to amaze me. The amazing amount of snowfall and the incredible winds whipping the snow off and around the summits created a winter-wonderland landscape; dangerously beautiful. Rime formed on every surface, making the buildings appear to be blanketed in snowy clouds. In one day, on a previously snow-less summit, the Yankee Drift is back to normal and the brilliant sunlight peaking through the clouds and reflecting off the newly frosty summit and hurts your eyes.

After spending much of the shift week in fog since Wednesday, we were ecstatic to glimpse sunset through a sporadic bank of clouds. While explaining to Mary Ellen that it surely must be winter, since we were braving the west winds, chilly temperatures, and eventual retina destruction, we were able to capture some of the summit’s winter splendor.

As I write this comment, a cold front is fast approaching, though it will only be a minor storm compared to the monster we experienced this weekend. It will bring some of the coldest temperatures we’ve experienced since last April. In October, we saw temperatures dip to 8 degrees, but if the forecast models are correct, we’ll see temperatures close to 5 degrees. It may seem petty, but the constant battle for weather bragging rights continues to rage. In our past week we’ve experience a deluge of snowfall, the strongest winds since March of 2008, soon to be the coldest temperatures since April, and a complete transformation of the summit! It looks like we win (for now) and Mary Ellen will get her snow-cat ride after all!

Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist