Up-And-Down Week

2013-04-08 14:39:09.000 – Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist

Wavy Clouds on Sunday Morning

We’ve had some fairly up-and-down weather this shift.

When we arrived (a day late, no dollars short) on Thursday, the summit was fully in the clear, with temperatures about normal (mid to upper teens), and breezy west winds. After rising up into the 20s later on Thursday and Friday, a cold front brought us back down into the negative numbers by Saturday.

While Saturday started out as one of those typical Mt. Washington mornings–summit firmly in the fog, visibility less than 100 feet, and consistent rime icing–the sun made a return during the afternoon, providing our overnight guests with some spectacular views!

Now, we are awaiting a big warm up. Temperatures today have already broken above freezing, and we’re expecting a period of rain and freezing rain tonight and tomorrow as we hover right around the freezing mark.

So, we could see a significant melt-out, or we could see every structure become encased in a layer of glaze ice if temperatures fall just a degree or two shy of what models are predicting.

Here’s hoping for the former!

Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist