From Florida Heat to the Rockpile By Alek Libby Hi everyone! My name is Alek Libby, and I am one of the summit interns here at Mount Washington Observatory this summer! I recently graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Meteorology, and after spending the past several years in Florida, living on the summit has been a pretty dramatic change for me. I am originally from Minnesota, but I moved to Florida when I was 11. Even after years of heat, humidity, and sweating immediately after walking outside, I have always preferred colder weather. Also, I have

Summit Summer By Aspen M. Hello everyone! My name is Aspen, I’m one of the summer weather interns here at the Mount Washington Observatory. I fell in love with weather at a young age after I watched a hailstorm decimate my mom’s vegetable garden. Such a simple yet tragic event really set off my infatuation with learning how the world works in quite a literal sense. Five-year-old me would be in awe seeing that I became a meteorologist and now pursue what I truly love. It feels like a dream getting to work at the location of some of

From the Sunshine State to the Home of the World's Weather By Kristen Mihalcik Hello Everyone! My name is Kristen Mihalcik, and I’m one of the Summer interns here at Mount Washington. Enjoying one of many sunsets on the summit. Just a little bit about myself: I spent the first 18 years of my life in Connecticut, but migrated South to Florida, where I spent the next four years of my life attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. One of my proudest accomplishments thus far was graduating in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in

The Precip Can: Measuring Rain, Snow, and Everything Else on Mount Washington By MWOBS Staff Averaging 281 inches of snow per year, the Observatory is no stranger to measuring precipitation. While it might be easy to measure rain or snow at home, collecting official precipitation measurements at the Home of the World’s Worst Weather can be more difficult. At the summit, the Observatory uses a precipitation can to collect the water falling from the sky. The precipitation can is a large metal bucket which rain, snow, and other precipitation types can fall into. The can sits in an open

Meet MWOBS’ 2026 Seek the Peak Teams By MWOBS Staff Another year, another epic Seek the Peak! As of June 2026, there are 430 hikers signed up for Mount Washington Observatory's annual summer fundraiser and 54 teams, an incredible accomplishment for the Observatory community. This year, in keeping with tradition, the staff at Mount Washington Observatory have created their own fundraising teams, embarking on some friendly competition. Meet the teams below, and, if you’re feeling in the spirit, we invite you to make a donation to their team to show your support (in June 2026, all gifts up to $20,000

Watch Our 2026 Annual Meeting and Read About the Highlights By Drew Bush United States Representative Maggie Goodlander headlined Mount Washington Observatory’s 2026 Annual Meeting, and she set the tone right from the start. She talked about the importance of our work to not just the nation but the world as we push the boundaries of weather science. Goodlander spoke to a full house, including more than 60 members, supporters, partners, Trustees, volunteers, and staff that gathered in-person to complement the 20 others who joined virtually via Zoom Video Conferencing. Those who attended in-person got a first glimpse of

Seek the Peak Spotlight: The Middleton Family By MWOBS Staff Every summer, the White Mountains offer no shortage of reasons to get outside. Trails stretch in every direction—endless miles of terrain, summits that each offer something different and moments above the treeline that make you stop and think, is this really New Hampshire? For the Middletons, a family who has been in the region for “forever,” dating back to the 1800s, that feeling hasn’t worn off. “Every time you’re in the White Mountains,” Ben, 35, explains, "you realize how special, how high and how extreme this place really is.”

Lots of Digging, but Never Enough By Ryan Tanski Over the past four months, I had the privilege of working with the Mount Washington Avalanche Center and Mount Washington Observatory, deepening my understanding of mountain weather and the way that it shapes the surrounding backcountry terrain. When I arrived in mid-January, I immediately got to see dynamic snow conditions following a historic November for snowfall and a December without the significant melts that have hampered early season development the past few years. Within the first week, I felt reactive wind slabs collapsing beneath my feet in a sheltered, low-angle