Reflecting On My Summer in the Clouds

By Maya Hartley

Arriving at the summit of Mount Washington for the first time ever just a couple of months ago was a moment I will never forget, and after spending 6 weeks living, working, eating, and having so much fun up here, I know that saying goodbye to the summit will be unforgettable as well. Not only have I greatly expanded my knowledge of meteorology, but I have also learned so much more about the Rockpile itself than I ever thought I would. Thanks to Alex, Charlie, and Alexis, the observers on my shift, my days in the summit office have been spent improving my forecasting skills, broadening my knowledge of the atmosphere, and getting a feel for what real extreme weather feels like.

In between my time spent working on research and forecasting, the people that come and go through our red double doors have made each day a unique experience. Just yesterday, the Storm Scouts, an incredible group of future meteorologists, had their graduation celebration, complete with dancing, bubble blowing out on the observation deck, and, of course, play time with Nimbus. In addition to touring our next-gen scientists, having been able to invite the public into our lives for Observatory tours gave me the opportunity to meet hundreds of new people from all over the world, and each time our visitors said goodbye, it was absolutely enlightening to see in their eyes that they all left a little bit more in love with the incredibly dynamic mountain I have been able to call home.

Hanging out with Nimbus in the weather room.

Before the work day begins and after it ends, when we are the only ones atop the usually-crowded summit, finding a place to lay down and stare directly into the sky has been the most indescribable experience. While the aurora borealis never quite showed itself during my shift, the unobstructed views of the Milky Way never disappointed, and our shift just so happened to be on the summit during every single full moon of the summer. In addition to the naturally occurring nighttime views, clear skies on the Fourth of July allowed us to see a 360-degree view of fireworks across the entire state.

Enjoying the view from the instrument tower, the highest point in the northeast.

The research done for my project while on the summit is a continuation of an analysis of wind trends on Mount Washington first investigated by the Appalachian Mountain Club. This aforementioned study concluded that there were no notable wind trends atop the Mount Washington summit, however, this project aims to investigate summit winds more meticulously with a primary focus on the frequency of summit big wind events, which are events in which sustained winds exceeded 100 mph. Wind direction and velocity data were analyzed from 1941-1980, and then separately analyzed from 1981-2023, after the anemometer used to record summit winds was moved 1/10th of a mile across the summit, and 25’ higher from the previous location.

Results from this research showed that summit infrastructure has a significant impact on the recorded wind velocities and direction. Records show that the average annual frequency of 100+ mph wind events at the new location of the anemometer is 2.4 times greater than that of the previous location. There were also significant differences in recorded wind direction between the two locations, with the new location receiving ~22% more NW winds than the previous location. Despite these discrepancies, analysis of winds from 1981-2023 does show a significant decline in the frequency of annual 100+ mph events, which could have a major impact on alpine biology. Revealing this downward trend can also help further our understanding of global atmospheric dynamics.

To conclude, no other experience could have taught me more, and I remain beyond grateful to have been chosen to spend the summer among the entire MWOBS staff. After this final week, I will be leaving the cold and clouds to move back to Hawai’i for my final year at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. While I will be leaving New Hampshire, the research I have done here this summer will allow me to keep in close contact with MWOBS and the Appalachian Mountain Club, with whom I hope to work alongside in furthering everybody’s understanding of the unique winds we have here atop Mount Washington.