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2009-09-19 15:20:26.000 – Mary Ellen Dunn,  Summit Intern

De-icing the tower

So, I finally got a small taste of the crazy, extreme weather I have been waiting for! With the passage of a strong cold front from Canada, strong winds, colder temperatures, and rime ice has hit the Summit in the past 24 hours or so. Winds began picking up yesterday afternoon and stayed strong through the night into this morning. Winds were averaging around 60-70mph with a peak gust of 91mph here on the summit. It was definitely hard not to keep an eye on the hays wind chart waiting for the next strong gust. Last night as temperatures began to fall below freezing, glaze and rime ice started to accumulate. This morning, rime ice had covered the summit and I learned how to de-ice the tower. We also went out on the deck early and I got to experience being out there in hurricane force winds for the first time. It was definitely an experience! As the day has progressed you can definitely notice the high pressure taking control, skies have begun to clear, visibility increase, and winds steadily decrease. This cold front passage was a great introduction to the extreme that the ‘Home of the World’s Worst Weather’ has to offer!

Mary Ellen Dunn,  Summit Intern