Mount Washington Observer Comments

Mon, 20 May - Adaptation

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:10:31 EST

Things have been very busy at the observatory this week, with this weekend feeling like

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Sat, 18 May - An Icy Trip

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:26:38 EST

I have returned to the summit for a couple of days and as usual, no two trips are the same. Early Friday morning was a nice day in the valley but on the summit it was snowing and in the fog. Before I drove up the Auto Road, I stopped and spoke with Sue at the base about the road conditions. She told me the bottom half was fine but the top half may be icy and chains were advised. The road was closed to the public, and rightfully so. I drove up the road by myself and at halfway decided to put the snow chains on all four tires, in the snow and rain of course.

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Fri, 17 May - Just Another Spring Day

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:18:26 EST

Winter is back...again!

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Thu, 16 May - Wind Speed on Mount Washington

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:17:01 EST

You may have heard about our extreme weather here on the summit, including our previous world record wind speed of 231 miles per hour recorded in April of 1934. Many other observatories in less extreme environments use propeller anemometers or other spinning anemometers to determine wind speed, but this does not work on Mt Washington, thanks to a weather phenomenon called rime ice. Rime ice builds on every exposed surface on the summit when we are in the clouds and below freezing, forming feathers of opaque ice. This would quickly build on the moving parts of traditional anemometers and easily make them inaccurate and break them.

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Tue, 14 May - Volunteer Week

Tue, 14 May 2013 23:59:18 EST

Why do we come to Mt. Washington? We come because we love the views, the sunrises and sunsets, the diversity of the weather, and the winds. It's called the Rockpile, but it is much more than a pile of rocks. The day before we arrived, a new daily record high of 57 degrees was set. Today the temperatures were in the upper teens and the wind chills hovered around zero or below. This is a place of extremes, fog and sunshine, warmth and cold, mountains and valleys, technology and nature, high winds and calm, young and old (the crew is young, we're old!). All of this combined to make this volunteer week an amazing experience.

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Sun, 12 May - Happy Mothers Day

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:39:23 EST

Happy Mother's Day to all of our MWObs Moms! Throughout my three years here (and today marks three years) there have been many 'Moms' on the summit. For one, my own Mom who has always supported my dream to work here and has been my continued best supporter, but all the volunteer 'Moms' on the summit. Throughout the past few years countless women have spent time on the summit lending a huge hand to the summit staff. They have cooked us soup when we didn't feel good, cakes when it was our birthday, and made plates of cookies just because. They have helped enter data, organized our workshop, worked in the museum, and shared in our summit lives. Without their help and support, life and work on the summit would be an entirely different story. So, thank you from all of us on the summit.

Sat, 11 May - Winter 2013 Internship Recap

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:38:24 EST

After five awesome months of being a summit Intern at the Mount Washington Observatory's , my tour is rapidly coming to a conclusion. My time here was nothing short of amazing. The experiences that this Internship offers are one of a kind. From working and living on the summit for a week at a time, to working on each step of the meteorological process my experience has included it all. I have met and gotten to know all our guests, visitors, and employees of the observatory. My time at the Observatory has not only giving me a great experience that will transfer to my professional life, but has given me new friends and stories that will remain with me in my personal life.

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Fri, 10 May - Summer is upon us

Fri, 10 May 2013 21:19:00 EST

The Cog has been coming to the Summit for the past couple of weekends and today was the first day the Auto Road was open to the public. Tomorrow will be the first day that the Stages will be bringing guests to the Summit.

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Thu, 9 May - When Thunder Roars

Thu, 9 May 2013 18:52:47 EST

With spring time upon us the weather in the White Mountain Region is getting nicer. Hikers are making their way back on the trails that have been covered by snow all winter. Don't let the nice weather deceive you. Spring and summer can have dangerous weather that hikers and any other participants of outdoor activities should monitor. Thunderstorms, especially severe can have a variety of threats that endanger anyone outside during the storm. These threats include hail, lightning, flash flooding, strong winds, and tornadoes. Each of these threats causes multiple injuries and deaths every year. On a 30 year average the top three causes of weather related fatalities are flash flooding, tornadoes, and lightning. The safest and smartest thing to do during a thunderstorm is to seek shelter in an enclosed building, away from any windows that could break if hit by debris kicked up during the storm.

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Wed, 8 May - Changes on the Way

Wed, 8 May 2013 06:22:44 EST

An incredible stretch will come to an end later today.

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