Where Weather Meets Wonder

By Peter Edwards

Hello everyone! My name is Peter Edwards, one of the interns for the Mount Washington Observatory this winter and I’m psyched to be here!

I’ve had a fascination with the weather extremes and especially winter weather phenomenon for as long as I can remember. In fact while I sit here writing this I can’t think of something that exhilarates me more. Growing up in the Worcester Hills of northern Massachusetts I realized at a young age that during nor’easters we’d almost always be colder and get more snow than surrounding areas. These observations led me to ask questions about why these differences existed, and my drive to understand the intricacies of weather and microclimates has grown steadily ever since. So, getting the opportunity to be one of the winter interns at MWOBS is both an honor and an unparalleled opportunity to further satisfy those curiosities. 

Mount Washington sunrise selfie.

My first couple of weeks of have been nothing short of eventful. I’ve experienced firsthand the force of 100mph sustained winds and gusts of 115mph out on the observation deck. We also recorded a 142 mph gust in the midst of a 5 day run recording 100 mph winds. The staff was sure to remind me how fortunate I was to be able to experience that for my first week up here and I couldn’t agree more. 

Tucks, sun and undercast.

I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric Science last spring from the University of Massachusetts Lowell last spring and am currently pursuing my masters. While I’m on the summit I’ll be researching orographic snow showers, more commonly known as upslope snow. They are of importance to the White Mountains snowpack, hydrology and ecosystems yet often get overlooked. My goal is to build out a climatology of the events to see if they have changed in frequency and magnitude over time. 

As I wind down (pun intended) towards the end of my second week here on the summit I’m reflecting on how much I’ve already learned, yet excited for what’s ahead.

Saying “cheese” at the summit sign with fellow winter intern Frank and Sponsor Cabot Cheese.