Winter visits the summit

2014-10-20 18:09:00.000 – Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist

Winter has made a brief return to the higher summits, with temperatures bottoming out in the lower teens last night and the summit receiving some light snow accumulation along with over a foot of rime ice. Winds were also more typical of the winter season, with a peak gust of 80 mph, which made de-icing last night even more exciting. This morning we were treated to fantastic views as the higher summits cleared out of the fog, with a stark difference in color from the white summits of the Presidentials to the hues of fall in the surrounding valleys.

Unfortunately, this wintry scene across the summit will likely be short lived as a very slow moving Nor’easter brings heavy rain to New England. Temperatures will likely climb just above freezing for the majority of the event as warmer air surges in off the ocean. Tomorrow night into Wednesday morning could be interesting, as some of the models have the summit sitting just below freezing instead of just above. If this becomes the case, then heavy rain would likely be heavy freezing rain and sleet, with a significant ice storm for the summit of Mount Washington. Keep an eye on our higher summits forecast and current conditions page to see how this plays out!

Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Meteorologist