Historical Posts Archives - Page 14 of 378 - Mount Washington Observatory

January 2020

My short time here on the summit!

2020-01-07 11:23:27.000 – Nicholas Rousseau, PSU Summit Intern

Hi, my name is Nicholas Rousseau, and I am a research intern from Plymouth State University. It has been thrilling to spend the past 10 days at the Mount Washington Observatory. During my time on the summit, I worked with the observers learning about the operations here at the observatory and working on a research project for Dr. Eric Kelsey. The research project I have been working on involves understanding why the summit of Mount Washington is warming slower than lower elevations of the Northeast. For my project, I wrote a Python script to Identify transitions of the planetary boundary layer during Mount Washington Observatory‘s nearly 88-year climatology. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity to do research somewhere so beautiful and with such extreme weather. I got to experience the strong winds that Mount Washington is so famous for and also enjoyed the amazing views of the mountains when visibility Is high. The picture below I took on the morning of December 19^th when doing the building walk around.

All the observers have been amazing mentors during my time here on the summit. They have taught me all about the hourly observations, forecasting, AMS radio call, de-icing the instruments, and much more! This internship has taught me many skills that will advance me in school and a future career. I will never forget this amazing experience and I will miss staying up here on the summit. In the spring, I’ll be going back to Plymouth State University to finish my junior year of college and continue my research with Dr. Kelsey.

Nicholas Rousseau, PSU Summit Intern

Final Week on the Summit

2019-12-27 08:40:19.000 – Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist

This week is my last week here at the Summit of Mount Washington. I have been here for almost 4 and a half years and have experienced many storms as well as learned many new skills. My fascination with the Mount Washington Observatory actually began many years ago when I was still in grade school and we had to watch the Voyage of the Mimi, which was a kids show that was aimed at teaching science. One of the episodes came up to the summit of Mount Washington and got to do an overnight with the crew up here in the early 80’s. I was already obsessed with weather at a young age and being able to work at a place that saw bad weather all the time was a dream. My favorite type of weather growing up was thunderstorms and big snow storms.

Ironically growing up in the front range of Colorado, we lived in a dry spot where we missed out on most snow and would only get a good snow storm once or twice a year. I decided to end up going to school at the University of North Dakota for Atmospheric Science after finishing high school because I wanted to learn more about snow storms and blizzards. The winters in North Dakota made the winters in Colorado feel like a tropical paradise, with temperatures rarely getting above freezing between Thanksgiving and the spring equinox.

I had been keeping an eye on the weather occurring on the summit. I would usually check it out whenever there was a big east coast storm to see what the winds were getting up to. After graduation, I finally applied for the fall internship because I had originally wanted to take a year off of school before going to graduate school for Atmospheric Science. I ended up getting the internship and starting in August of 2015. Below is a picture of the first sunrise I got to see from the summit.

Part way through the fall internship, one of my co-workers got a new job and was leaving and that gave me the opportunity to apply for a full time position. I did get the position and started full time in the February of 2016. This was also when I experienced my coldest ambient air temperatures in my life, even colder then North Dakota. I was working nights and got to record a low temperature on February 13^th, 2016 of -40°F. The winds were only around 40 mph during the coldest temperatures so the wind chill was -83°F, which was the coldest up to that point but ended up experiencing colder wind chills multiple times in 2017 and 2018.

March 14^th, 2017 was my favorite snow storm that I got to experience while working here. I unfortunately was not up for the 171 mph event last year which I am still to this day really bummed about. The PI day blizzard had it all, with heavy snow and high winds from the east which is unusual. The winds started off almost calm in the morning and then ramped up to sustained over 100 with gusts into the 130’s then falling back to near calm. During the peak of the storm, it was so gusty that my ears would pop between the gusts and the lulls as the pressure fluctuated in the building. The snow was blowing through every single nook and cranny and we ended up getting several feet of snow inside that we had to shovel out by hand into 5 gallon buckets to bring outside. The peak wind ended up being only 138 mph which is now my second highest wind speed I have been up here for but it was the most exciting high wind event I was up for.

The coldest wind chill that I experienced here coincided with the second coldest air temperature I was up here for, which was January 6^th, 2018. Winds were sustained around 100 mph with temperatures down to -38°F. The coldest 1 minute wind chill for that day was -97°F, so close to seeing -100°F! My camera was broken during this time period so I did not have any pictures from this event. We did upload a few videos of freezing objects and boiling water on our youtube page.

Lastly I have the highest winds I saw in my time here, which was 142 mph on April 16^th, 2019. This storm was the 3^rd and final 140 mph even of 2019. It is possible that winds got even higher during this storm because it was the worst icing that I have ever seen here. Ice was growing at about 9 to 12 inches per hour and the night observer Jay and I were going up to deice every 10 to 15 minutes to try and keep the instruments clear. In the hays chart below, you can see the times when we deiced with the winds suddenly jumping up, but almost as soon as it was reading correctly, the winds started to lower again as ice built back up on the pitot tube. I was also able to be on the tower deicing during a wind gust to 137 mph.

I will remember the experiences over the last 4 years for the rest of my life. I will miss this place when I leave in a few days but at the same time I look forward to moving on to something new. I will be headed to Binghamton NY to work at the National Weather Service office after the first of the year. I will be helping forecast for an area much larger then what we forecast fore here. Eventually I will be able to help out with issuing weather warnings like a winter storm warning or a severe thunderstorm warning. Another aspect I am excited for is being able to go home every day. Living on the summit for a week at a time was fun at first and the commute to work was easy, just going up a flight of stairs. After a while of putting some of my hobbies on hold, I look forward to being able to grow plants again and have a garden that I can have time to take care of again.

I plan on visiting the area and still helping out at big observatory events like Seek the Peak. I will also have to come back for the skiing in the area since there is not too much skiing in Southern New York. I have really gotten into backcountry skiing and want to continue to do that whenever I can.

Until next time, Mount Washington.

Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Summit!

2019-12-26 11:17:41.000 – Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Season’s Greetings everyone! If you celebrate the holidays, hopefully you had a safe and happy time! Or perhaps it was a super nice Wednesday in general! Here at the top of New England, it has been a wonderful time this past week. Our crew is most of the way through a 10-day stint to make sure the other crew has ample time to be with their families. And it certainly has been a mix of emotions! Christmas at the Observatory tends to be a bit peaceful as we quietly continue our work. But we’ve also been excited about all of the wonderful gifts our members have donated! And we were excited to exchange gifts with each other! But it has also been a bit sad, as this is Adam’s last shift on the summit. We’re very happy that he is taking the next big step in his career! But we are certainly sad to see him leave. And while we take pride in our work here, we certainly did miss spending time with our loved ones at home. So yes, a rollercoaster of emotion for sure!

But on the whole, this holiday season has been wonderful. Especially thanks to our amazing volunteers and members who have gone out of their way to give us a spectacular Christmas here on the summit! So let’s be sure to give credit where it is due, and thank those who have helped us feel so special!

Once again our incredible volunteers Mike and Sue Zlogar joined the summit crew at the beginning of the month to decorate and get this place in tip-top shape for the holiday! They brought up the tree, decorated it full (with Adam’s help putting on our very unique tree topper) and decorated the rest of the living quarters as well. They cooked and baked their hearts out, and cleaned out extra equipment so we’d have more space to work in! As always, we love having them up with us and really appreciate all of their hard work. So a big thank you to you both for going above and beyond to get our Christmas season off and running!

A number of people sent us Christmas Cards, cookies and other little surprises over the weeks! We certainly appreciate the thought and effort put into that, as it is a welcome reminder that people are thinking about us and our well-being during these crazy winter months. So to those who sent those along, thank you all so very, very much.

We’ve also had lots of kind comments and messages on all of our social media platforms! Just like the cards, it’s really nice to know that you guys are thinking about us while we are up here, and it continuously reminds us that the work we do is important. Regardless of the time of the year, your messages let us know that the work is appreciated and makes all of our hearts feel warm. So thank you all very much!

And we had presents as well! Delivered by Santa from the WDC to the summit, there were lots of packages for us to open! Thanks to our members Carol Anderson, David MacKenzie, Dawn Bailey (my wonderful Mother!), Dennis Marrotte, Janet Rain, Tom & Liz Shepherd, and even a few presents from “Santa” himself! Thanks to you all and your gracious donations, we now have lots of brand new equipment that we very much needed! We have a smartphone stabilizer to help with our Facebook Lives and video recordings! We also got lots of great new food containers, pot holders and over mitts, utensils, office supplies, a new toaster oven, humidifiers to combat the incredible dryness, a new coffee pot, a new pair of binoculars for obs, and treats, broth and plenty of kitty litter for Marty! We all must have been very good Observers this year! Thank you all so incredibly much for these donations. Please know that your very thoughtful contributions will go to great use, and have very much improved our lives and living conditions on top of this crazy mountain. Again, thank you all very much!

So despite being apart from my loving family and my wonderful fiancé, my Christmas time here at Mt. Washington has been quite pleasant and happy. Thanks to everyone’s generosity and good will, my heart has felt full as my work has continued through the holidays. From myself, my crew and everyone else who works here at the Observatory, thank you all very much! Your support in any form allows us to not only continue the good work we do up here, but to do so comfortably and safely as we can. We hope that you’ll continue to support us as we head into a new decade, and continue to follow our forecasts, check our data, and enjoy our pictures and posts. May the rest of your 2019 be safe and happy, and may you have a prosperous start to the turn of the decade!

P.S. I’ve been in such good spirits this week, I decided to modify a famous Christmas poem to reflect our Christmas here on the summit. I hope you read it and enjoy! Happy Holidays everyone!

Twas the Night Before Obs Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the Obs,

Not a creature was stirring….except Jay, taking obs…

The parapet Christmas lights lit up the sky,

In hopes that St. Nick wouldn’t just fly by.

Adam and Ian we’re snug in their bunks,

Dreaming of eating some roasted lamb chunks.

Marty was washing, cleaning up with a lap,

Before settling down in his chair for a nap.

When up on the deck there arose such a clatter!

Jay ran to the window to see what was the matter!

Adam and Ian stayed soundly asleep,

As that 6 a.m. wake up would make anyone weep.

The moon lit the peaks and the ice covered rocks,

Jay whipped around and checked all the clocks.

Midnight had fallen, and now was the time

For Santa to land and destroy all the rime.

He rushed up the tower, quick as a whip,

Poked his head out the door to look for St. Nick.

The darkness was deep, his eyes must adjust!

And he nearly fell over from a sudden wind gust.

But once he was steady, he saw quite a scene!

On the deck was a sleigh, and a full reindeer team!

Santa was here, and already downstairs,

Delivering presents from the members with care!

Jay rushed back inside, down the stairs in spiral

Trying to take video he hoped would go viral.

He burst through the door, dropped his phone is surprise,

At the sight of St. Nick and his twinkling eyes.

The donations were stacked in a mountainous pile.

Santa motioned his hand, “Please, stay a while”.

Jay slowly sat down, not sure what to do,

As Santa passed over a fresh coffee brew.

“You’ve been a great Observer, like the rest of your crew!”

“Tom and his shift-mates do fantastic work too!”

“So of course I’d deliver these gifts from below!”

“And with your forecasted clouds, I made sure to fly low.”

They chatted about weather and good times on the Rockpile

For what felt like hours, or at least a long while.

Jay’s heart felt so warm, but he suddenly snapped to!

It was 12:45, and there was much work to do!

“I’m so sorry Santa, it’s time for the ob!”

“If I don’t get upstairs, I could lose my job!”

Santa let out a laugh “Oh ho ho ho ho!”

“Lucky for you there isn’t much snow!”

Back up he ran and donned all his gear,

Then grabbed the precip can sitting quite near.

Claus entered the weather room, waved his big hand,

And the two of them dashed to swap out the can.

With little inside, Jay’s heart sure did sink.

“I wish there was more.” Which caused Santa to think.

“Merry Christmas Jay, and to the rest of the Obs.”

“I have one last gift that should brighten your job!”

He walked back to his sleigh, with Jay and the can,

Reached in his sack, then threw up his hand.

Jay looked above to see a bright flash,

Which ruined his night vision, his sight was quite trashed.

When his eyes normalized, Santa had gone,

Flying off to the east, headed towards dawn.

“Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!” he yelled.

Jay stood in wonder, not sure what he beheld.

The night went on, with Jay working fast,

To finish his duties before his shift passed.

Adam and Ian came upstairs before dawn,

Both letting out a gargantuan sized yawn.

Jay in a tizzy told them what had occurred,

And both of them laughed. “Jay, that’s absurd!”

He knew it was true “Just you wait and see!”

“He promised a gift, said it was something we’d need.”

Christmas Day passed peacefully, and after the meal,

It was time for some games, which were played with great zeal.

Jay, back on obs, had started to doubt,

“So much for that gift” he mumbled with a pout.

But once he stepped out, he immediately observed,

That Santa had definitely kept to his word.

He noticed snow falling! His heart filled with elation!

There was no snow forecasted for this part of the nation!

He ran back inside, submitted his work,

Then dashed back downstairs like he was going berserk!

“Guys! It’s snowing! I told you he came!”

“His last gift was snow ‘cause our weather’s been lame!”

Adam and Ian stood in there in awe,

As unforecasted snow was all that they saw.

They knew Jay was right, and their hearts sure did swell,

Santa had saved them from the high pressure spell.

They opened their gifts as the snowfall progressed,

Thankful for Santa and members who made them feel blessed.

It was a wonderful Christmas up here at the Obs,

Happy Holidays to all! Now we’re back to our jobs!

Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Ending My Internship With Some Extreme Weather!

2019-12-17 10:20:03.000 – Laura Kee, Summit Intern

My time as an intern on the summit has flown by and I couldn’t be more grateful to have had such an incredible opportunity to fulfill this dream of mine. In addition to the wild weather, beautiful views, and wonderful people I got to work with, I was lucky to learn so much about forecasting and how the Observatory operates. It was exhilarating to be up on the summit to witness triple digit wind speeds, record breaking temperatures, shooting stars, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets that painted the sky a gorgeous array of colors.

Living and working up here with such extreme weather conditions brought new adventures every day. Whenever I got off the mountain at the end of my shift up here, I was always eagerly anticipating our next trip up, wondering what type of exciting weather I might get to experience next. Being in an environment with such dramatically changing weather patterns allowed me to witness some pretty remarkable events that this mountain is famous for.

I am fortunate to have gotten some exciting weather for my last few days of my internship. This week coincided nicely with some strong storms that moved through the region, which brought sustained winds that gusted over 125 mph – a perfect sendoff!

When I wasn’t outside soaking up the wonderfully crazy weather, I learned a lot from all that I go to do inside. Working on research allowed me to delve into analyzing how wintertime melting events are changing over time on the mountain, which gave me the chance to work with weather data from the summit. I also enjoyed starting my days by reading forecasts for the AMC Hut Call each morning. Creating and recording the Higher Summits forecast each day gave me experience learning about the nuances of mountain meteorology, especially with the frequent storms we receive up here!

As summer transitioned to winter, I became fully aware of just how truly powerful water and wind can be in an environment as extreme as Mount Washington. It was quite the thrill to be outside on the tower in winds that were gusting to 130 mph, causing my ski goggles to vibrate from the sheer force as I stood into the wind. I enjoyed all the chances I got to head outside in hurricane force winds while attempting to stay upright enough to walk across the observation deck. From thunderstorms one night and seeing a fogbow another morning during my first week up here, to experiencing nor’easters that brought snow, rime ice and wind chills down to -50°F, I am lucky I got to be on the mountain during the fall to experience this incredible range of conditions. Watching the Observatory go from buzzing with activity from visitors during foliage season to witnessing the summit become encased in snow and rime ice after the building closed down to the public, I feel lucky that I got to be up here on the summit of Mount Washington during such a perfect time of year for an experience beyond what I could have ever imagined!

Laura Kee, Summit Intern

The Polar Vortex, El Nino, and This Winter’s Outlook

2019-12-07 14:31:28.000 – Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Recently I did an interview with New Hampshire’s WNTK News-Talk radio that was a lot of fun! I spoke with Jason the interviewer at length about several “buzz word” terms you might hear quite often during the winter season, as well as what it is like living and working here on the summit during the winter time. If you have a second, you should give it a listen! >https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-ixu5u-c91023 (You might have to download an app to listen as it is a podcast).

With the intent of the interview being to clear the air regarding the Polar Vortex, El Nino, etc. I felt as if a blog post addressing the same topic could be quite useful! So with the Northeast diving head-first into the Winter season, let’s take a second to discuss what exactly these terms are, how they relate, and what this year’s season could look like (as of current, at least).

So what exactly is the Polar Vortex? And what’s involved in leading to a Polar Vortex Event for the United States? You have probably heard about it before listening to the news. And unfortunately, with many broadcasters over-hyping storms in recent years, the term has often been found to have been used incorrectly, leading to confusion.

A “Polar Vortex” really is just a large region of low pressure that swirls over the poles. Under normal atmospheric conditions, the rotation of this large low pressure region creates a Jet Stream, a high-velocity river of air high up in the atmosphere, that flows in a circular path completely around the planet. A Jet Stream then acts like a boundary between air masses; everything North of a jet stream is generally colder, and everything South of a Jet Stream is generally warmer, with “warmer” and “colder” being terms relative to where you are on the planet. As such, the air mass that is trapped over the North Pole by the polar Jet Stream has some very, very cold air associated with it. And when that really cold air wanders too far South, that’s when we get that buzzword “Polar Vortex Event”.

So then what leads to a Polar Vortex Event? What would causes the Jet Stream to dip down into the United States, leading to cold snaps across the country? It may seem counterintuitive, but a strong Polar Vortex Event is actually related to an overall weaker Polar Vortex. Under normal conditions, the polar jet stream winds are strong enough to keep the flow relatively circular around the pole, keeping that cold air trapped in the North. The weakening of those winds causes the flow to become less circular, taking a more North-South waving path. The image above demonstrates this, showing the difference in flow between a stable (strong) and wavy (weak) flow pattern. Then you add in some blocking high pressure systems within that path, and that North-South flow can become amplified and force that cold air really far South. The intensity of that amplification determines how far South that air will flow, and in turn how intense the Polar Vortex Event will be for various parts of the country.

So what causes the weakening of the Vortex? Quite a number of things really, and probably a decent number of things we can’t even measure or account for yet. However, there are a few things we can account for. There have been recent studies published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society and Nature that have found that melting sea ice in the Artic may play a big role (https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms5646). Normally that sea ice can trap heat energy and stop it from being released back into the air, allowing for a greater contrast in temperatures between air masses, and allowing for strong winds. Less sea ice means more heat energy escaping into the atmosphere, less of a contrast in air mass temperatures and weaker polar jet stream winds, allowing cold air to dip further and further South. So that certainly can be one piece of the puzzle. And it can certainly be difficult to predict more than 10 days out, making forecasting for PVEs quite difficult.

What about El Nino? And is it related to PVEs in any way? Well, it’s definitely another piece of the puzzle. El Nino is a fluctuation of warm sea surface temperatures back and forth across the Pacific Ocean. When warmer water lies from the central Pacific to the Americas, that dictates what we call an El Nino weather pattern. And when the warmer water lies further West, near Asia and Australia, that dictates a La Nina weather pattern.

In an El Nino pattern in regards to the U.S., there is increased warming from the Pacific that leads to what we call Sudden Stratospheric Warming, or an increase in temperatures far up into our atmosphere, pushing North toward the pole. The effect is similar if not greater than the melting sea ice effect I mentioned before, and additionally it greatly promotes the formation of those North-South wave patterns in the Jet Streams. As such, a weakening of the Polar Vortex is certainly more likely during a strong El Nino event than in other conditions. Fortunately, we are a bit better at monitoring/predicting El Nino events that allow us to predict seasonal climates with decent accuracy. But again, it’s only one piece of a very complicated puzzle with many pieces we haven’t accounted for yet.

January 2014 SSW and consequent PVE during a strong El Nino pattern

So that’s what the Polar Vortex is, how PVEs come about, and El Nino’s role in it all! Hopefully that helps clear up some of the confusion. And with that, what does this winter season look like and what is the current potential for any PVEs?

It has been difficult to predict things climatologically over the last few months, as climate models really haven’t had much agreement up until recently. As it stands currently, there has been a small dose of sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) over the past couple of weeks. And in turn, the PV has weakened a bit and will allow for some frigid temperatures to march South into the North/Central Plains and other parts of the Midwest for a couple of days next week. But models also agree that currently, the SSW doesn’t appear to be very strong or will be likely to grow any stronger, and will only provide the previously mentioned conditions intermittently for at most another week or so. After that, conditions will become similar to how they were last year. Ridging across the U.S. will actually allow for a fairly mild Winter across most of the country. The current 3-month outlook has most of the country experiencing slightly warmer than average temperatures, similar to last year. And with a neutral/weak El Nino climate outlook for the next 3 months, it’s unlikely that you’ll have the influence from that which would have weakened the polar vortex with any relative frequency. You can check out the Climate Prediction Center’s 3 month outlook below!

So a mild temperature outlook, and along with that and the forecasted ridging, there appears to be a chance for slightly above average precipitation for most of the Northern half of the country. The Midwest in particular, extending over to parts of Southwestern New England. So for New England specifically, mild winter temperatures and fairly average to slightly above average amounts of precipitation as the climate outlook stands currently. Not bad for those who aren’t big fans of the Winter season. That certainly doesn’t mean that PVEs wont happen, and there is always the chance for these cold snaps depending on the multitude of other factors at play. But the major climate players we understand currently are dictating fairly mild conditions for the next 3 months or so.

Phew! This has been a long post (and to be fair, I haven’t posted in a while), but I do love talking about this and helping educate people about the weather and other climatalogical forcings! If you ever have any questions, you can always reach out to us through email, social media, etc and we’re happy to chat! But hopefully you enjoyed this explanation, and I thank you for taking the time to read through! Until my next post, thank you all!

Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Dear Santa…

2019-11-29 05:19:26.000 – Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist

Dear Santa-

Another year has flown by here on the summit of Mt Washington. I hope all is going well with you, the missus, and all your helpers up at the North Pole. I know that this time of year is quite hectic for y’all but I hope that it is going smoothly as you get everything ready for those on your “Nice List.”

Speaking of that “Nice” list, I am hoping we grace its pages once again this year… I like to think that we acted kindly and respectfully to all our interns, guests, friends, families and pet (Marty Kitty). Speaking of Marty, he once again sends his regards. He looks forward to receiving the special scoopable litter you traditionally bring him. We are eternally grateful that you have listened to our request to stop bringing him toys and catnip; we were running out of space to store it all since he is not a huge fan of either of them. And he has requested no cat treats or cat food this year as he has enough to last him for years and storing excessive amounts attracts rodents. If looking to lighten your load and ensure he gets what he can use, you can make a donation on his behalf so we can buy supplies that might be needed in the coming year.

When you arrive at NH State Parks Sherman Adams Building, you will find a similar layout to last year. If you are having trouble remembering, your scout the Elf on the Shelf has been creeping on us and can give you a preliminary report and guide you to your milk and the freshly baked cookies for a quick in and out.

This year, we will snail mail the list to you next Wednesday after shift change but in the meantime, we have set up a digital list below that you can utilize today, and to streamline things even further, we have set up a WHISHLIST on Amazon to consolidate it all at one page and add last minute items to. Of course, anything listed is just for reference and alternatives can certainly be substituted.

So, if it is not too much trouble; could you get us one or more of the following?

1. Kitchen supplies – while we have a fully stocked kitchen, in talking with our volunteers we found that we need some cereal containers as several of our current ones have broken lids. A replacement 12-cup carafe-style coffee pot. Assorted large storage containers for flour, sugar, pasta, etc to keep them fresh and rodent free while being stored. Spatulas would be useful as well as a few of ours have seen better days. And a few oven mitts and/or pot holders as a few of them look like someone was juggling with fire or something. And a whetstone for sharpening our various knives would help out.

2. Office Supplies – We work like an office, so anything you can send that will cut costs for us is great: mechanical pencils, lead refills (0.5 or 0.7mm), erasers, pens, multi-colored sharpies, dry erase markers, average or small post-it notes, printer paper, etc.

3. Humidifiers – preferably ones that are easy to clean and don’t require wasteful paper cartridges replacement. I know the summit is in the fog over 60% of the year but when a parcel of air is warmed, it’s RH drops and that can sometimes mean while the outdoors is 100% RH, the indoors in winter can be anywhere between 5-20%. We need one to four small room humidifiers. If not new ones, we could certainly use some replacement filters for our current unit.

4. Binoculars as these can (when clear) assist with Search and Rescue efforts; so the stronger the magnification and clearer the optics, the better.

5. A gimbal for our smartphone that we use to shoot Facebook Live with as these will improve the stability of our shots.

6. Shovels – while we prefer steel ones as they last better with ice, aluminum or poly-types are also welcome as all of them will better assist us in keeping our fire exits and areas around our instruments clear.

7. A Roku or other media streaming option as ours is listed as possibly losing support in the upcoming year.

8. Video on Demand gift card – Since we don’t have cable, satellite, etc up here, we use Netflix or Disney Plus video on demand to provide us occasional entertainment for an hour or two in the evening to unwind.

9. Candles – Preferably the soy-based, large jar type or tumblers like the ones from Soyfire for example. They liven up our living quarters and make it feel more like home.

10. Candy and gum – Since I know you eat a lot of cookies and sweets, I know you can relate. Can we ever really have enough?

11. Surprise us yet again! – Sometimes the coolest gifts are the ones you didn’t think you needed.

Also Santa, if you are looking for gifts for other individuals on your list (while supporting us too), a few ideas for you are:

1. Gift Donations – This will help lighten your bag of toys and help us out in our bold step forward in the coming years.

2. Observatory Memberships – Not for the Observers, but for other boys and girls on your list around the world. Since we are membership supported, these gifts would be the gifts that keep giving over the year. And this year, when you sign up or give a gift membership, you receive a FREE limited edition Observatory ornament for you and the misses to enjoy (or re-gift if you so choose).

3. Trips – There are still available spots for EduTrips, Day Trips, and Partner-led Climbing Trips if you are looking for someone seeking a new experience on New England’s highest peak.

4. Shopping for Mt Washington items, weather instruments, calendars, books, pictures, etc – Not for us, but if you could purchase some from our online shop, it gives individuals on your list a great items or wall decor while providing us some financial support (two birds, one stone).

5. EMS gear or Oboz Footwear – Again, not for us as they have provided us with everything we need to stay warm and dry up here. This is a recommendation for if you plan on using outdoor clothing/boots/gear for gifts for others on your list.

6. If you shop Amazon during the holidays (or the rest of the year), you can use AmazonSmile. You get the item you want at no extra cost and in return The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases towards MWO. If signing up or switching between groups, search for and select “Mount Washington Observatory” then bookmark and make sure to use smile.amazon.com any time you make a purchase to support your favorite charity. They have even rolled this option out to some of their smartphone apps. Learn more on how to enable it in a browser HERE

That’s about it Santa. Remember that we don’t mind second hand items so long as they are in good, clean and usable condition. This helps out the environment and extends the life on perfectly usable stuff. We are really not picky and are just thankful for anything. Also, if you want a particular type of cookie and drink, like last year, you can post/DM your preferences on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages. We will try once again to keep the plate full, but you’ve had our summit volunteers cooking, it’s hard to pass up sometimes; so delicious!

Like usual, we will ensure that we have everything in order for your arrival: a clear observation deck and path to the door, well greased hinges (so we can’t hear you coming/going), deiced stairs, clean living quarters, decorated Christmas tree (maybe another real one like last year?), and a full plate of cookies next to a glass of milk/nog/soy. And we will keep you posted on the forecast leading up to and on the night of your arrival. Safe travels and we look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.

Thank you and have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays –

Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist

My Internship Comes to an End

2019-11-26 10:40:13.000 – Ben Charles, Summit Intern

It felt like just yesterday was my first day as an intern driving up the road with chains on the truck with my face glued to the window in awe. It has now officially come to my final day on the summit and I could not have asked for a better experience.

As a meteorologist mountain forecasting on the summit is never an easy task, but forecasting every day this fall and learning so much from the observers I feel I have truly advanced my skills in forecasting. Being on the summit has really boosted my confidence and reassured me that meteorology is the right field for me. Mountain forecasting really makes you think more and dissect every weather variable and how the various variables interact through different levels of the atmosphere interact. Being an intern also improved my social skills as a meteorologist, improving my ability to explain different types of weather phenomena and forecasts to the public through daily tours during the summer, Facebook lives, and curious customers in the museum gift shops.

I thought I have seen some crazy weather before I came on the summit from seeing tornadoes and hail cores storm chasing, to seeing incredible snowfall rates during lake effect snow events on Lake Ontario. Nothing is even comparable to the various extreme types of weather that I saw these last 7 months. The internship began with a bang, I was lucky enough to experience a 105 mph wind gust and snow for my first shift. Then a few different shifts during the summer thunderstorms would pass over the whites brining direct lighting strikes to the radio towers which was so exciting. However nothing is comparable to the weather I was able to experience this week my last shift on the mountain. This last Friday I was lucky enough to experience what a real wind event is like on the summit of Mount Washington, where I was outside deicing during a 124 mph wind gust. Then just two days later the summit received nearly a foot of snow with moderate winds creating massive drifts around the summit cone. Let’s not forget about the incredible amounts of rime ice formation for nearly half of the shift.

The internship at the Mount Washington observatory internship was a once in a lifetime experience and it was everything I expected and much more. I learned so much about forecasting and became an all-around better meteorologist. I even picked up hiking, exploring the summit and the various mountains in New Hampshire. This internship further fueled my passion and fascination for extreme weather and allowed me to fall in love with the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

I want to thank everyone at the Mount Washington Observatory for making this an incredible experience especially the observers on my shift Ian, Jay, and Adam. Also thank you to anyone that has supported and is still supporting the Mount Washington Observatory, all of the great observations and research that we do cannot be done without you.

Ben Charles, Summit Intern

The Snow Storm that Overproduced

2019-11-25 17:28:18.000 – Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist

Under predicting snow is pretty rare thing to do up here, especially with the winds that we see, blow over will usually prevent us from getting the full sample of snowfall in a 6 hour period. Yesterday, we had a strengthening costal low that moved into the Gulf of Maine with heavy precipitation wrapping around the back side of the low. We were stuck between a low in Canada and the coastal low, keeping the winds fairly light for our standard which allowed more snow to fall on the can and also stack better rather than being compacted by the wind. The storm also ended up being slightly further west then originally predicted so we ended up being under the heavier band of precipitation. There was a sharp cut off on the back edge of the precipitation and we expected to be more on the lighter side but luckily we got impacted by the heaviest band. Being up here it is always fun to get worse then expected!

If you lived south of the White Mountains, you most likely missed out on much of the snow since with the more westerly track, the warm front made it further inland. This caused the precipitation to chance over to sleet, freezing rain and even rain. Being much closer to the front and being at elevation helped out with lift over the White Mountains with snowfall rates being much higher than expected and the precipitation lasted for several hours longer. The rain snow line on Mt. Washington looked to have gotten up to about 4500 feet based on our vertical temperature profile and which ones got above freezing. Luckily towards the end of the day, the atmosphere cooled below freezing all the way to the base with a foot of snow at Wildcat and 10 inches of snow at Pinkham notch.

During the height of the storm, some of the observers and interns went outside to explore around the summit and find the deepest snow that we could find. By about 9 pm, there were several drifts, especially up near the summit cone and off the edge of the building where the snow got to be 3 to 4 feet deep. Much of the summit had knee deep snow so it is possible that we got more snow then the 11 inches measured. Winds unfortunately picked up overnight with a lot of the snow blowing off of the summit cone and probably into the ravines and down near tree line.

The good news is that it will finally be snow cat season for us and we will not have to take the truck and van anymore with chains on them. We may have to use them again if the snow at the base melts then we would take the truck and van at least part way up but the middle and upper sections of the road now have enough snow. We had a few of the snow cat drivers out earlier today and they successfully made it all the way to the summit with the snow cat. This should also make for e quicker trip up and down the mountain on Wednesday with the road work already done. It is not looking like we will get more snow for the rest of the shift so we will be good to go!

Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist

Cooking Up A Storm on the Rockpile

2019-11-16 08:30:48.000 – Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Adding to Adam’s post from this past week, I thought I’d write about some of our favorite meals here on the summit and our cooking set up. I personally enjoy cooking very much, and this time of year it’s nice to make use of what we have in our pantry and attempt to make some great meals for the crew. This time of year especially we do tend to favor more hearty, warming meals, although salads and fresh veggies do accompany most dinners.

Blueberry pie baked by former Weather Observer Taylor Regan for National Pie Day 3-14-2018.

Some of my go-to favorites to cook up here are pizza and a whole roast chicken. It’s fun being able to make pizza dough from scratch in the Observatory’s stand mixer (I don’t have one at home), and there’s so many different possibilities of toppings. Buffalo chicken is my personal favorite, and it’s a little different than the traditional pizza. The secret is the sauce, *cue Julia Child voice* which is all thanks to butter! The sauce is a blend of melted butter and normal cayenne hot sauce, which then cooks into the dough and helps make it crispy and delicious.

Whole roast chicken from our last shift just prior to carving 11-3-2019

Sunday on weeks that we don’t have volunteers I often cook a whole roast chicken, which is really a pretty simple, but comforting meal. A 3 or 4 pound chicken is pretty perfect for the 4 of us up here on these weeks, and it normally only takes about 90 minutes in an oven at 425°F. I’ve tried doing more fancy or extravagant dressings for the chicken but plain with just some kosher salt and pepper turns out really good and is usually the one we do most often. Sides with this are often mashed potatoes and stuffing, so it’s almost like a mini Thanksgiving! Definitely a great meal to unwind with after a long day, and Sundays tend to be a bit more of a relaxed day up here in terms of work load which lends to having a bit more time in the kitchen to prepare for the feast!

Quick-pickled veggies which served as a side with pulled pork 11-15-19

Although there’s often the staples I’ll cook up here that doesn’t mean we don’t often try some new things. This past few shifts I’ve attempted using the slow cooker a bit more, and found a great recipe for sesame orange chicken that turned out really great! Corn starch in the sauce aided in almost candy-coating the chicken with an orange marmalade, and it really turned out pretty similar to what you’d get a good Chinese restaurant. Another new avenue I’ve been exploring is pickling vegetables. We sometimes have a surplus of extra veggies on hand towards the end of the week, and instead of letting them go to waste I figured pickling would be a great option. I’ve tried the classic dill pickles so far, but also done some mustardy-pickled carrots that turned out good and a garlic-dill batch of radishes, red onion, and cucumber that turned out surprisingly well! We have a great variety of appliances and ingredients here in our kitchen especially if one thinks a bit outside of the box, it’s really fun trying experimenting with some new recipes or techniques.

Chocolate peanut butter bars baked by Weather Observer AJ Grimes last shift. They were delicious!

I am admittedly a pretty novice baker, but luckily I’m not the only one doing all the cooking and baking up here. AJ is a great baker, and we all take turns with meals or pitch in for a different dish. Even if cooking isn’t your strength or even an interest there’s still always setting the table or dishes to be done from the cooking frenzy. Science may be our career and our passion here at the Observatory, but so many of us here have many other talents. Every once and awhile these talents shine through a bit more. Bon appetit!

Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

A Veterans Day Homage To The Most Important Weather Forecast In History

2019-11-11 06:17:42.000 – Jay Broccolo, Weather Observer and Meteorologist

Veterans Day is a time for us all to pay our respects to those who have served this country with bravery and honor. Our veterans should be remembered every day for what they have sacrificed for the rest of us. I currently have a couple of family members serving in the armed forces and am extremely proud of both of them. I have friends that serve in different branches with many of them serving in the National Guard. I’m sure each of us can think about a family member/s or friend/s who deserve recognition. For my Eagle Scout project, I created a documentary of WWII veterans from my hometown and gave it to the local school system and library. I was even fortunate enough to be able to interview a couple of the Doolittle Raiders, whom were involved in the first air operations to strike Japan on April 18^th, 1942. At the time, I had no idea I was going to enter the field of Atmospheric Science, but it was fascinating that a number of the veterans I interviewed with talked about the weather forecasts involved with their missions. This brings me to today’s blog post where I would like to share how a weather forecast proved to be a monumental factor in the Allied forces success in WWII.

Arguably, the most important weather forecast ever made was the forecast made for the invasion of Normandy on June 6^th, 1944, otherwise known as D-Day. A little known fact about D-Day is that it was originally scheduled for June 5^th. Operation Overlord, the codename for the Battle of Normandy and Operation Neptune, the actual Normandy landings involved more than 160,000 Allied troops. They stormed the 50 mile stretch of fortified beaches and their bravery and courage was the start to the turning point of WWII. The Allied forces, under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, were stationed In Portsmouth, England or heading towards France preparing for the amphibious invasion of Normandy for the morning of June 5^th. It took years of planning to organize the operation. They wanted to have a bright full moon and land on the beaches during low tide. They decided on a span of time in early June between the 5^th and 7^th based on historical trends, but on May 29^th, weather observations taken in Newfoundland indicated changing conditions that would potentially arrive on the proposed selected date of the 5^th. At this point, it was up to a team of 6 meteorologists, two from the U.S., two from the Royal Air Force (RAF), and another two from the U.K. Met Office, headed by RAF meteorologist Captain James Stagg.

A low-pressure system was moving east, followed by a secondary Low. High winds and seas from the storms would jeopardize the operation. Planes would be unable to fly and the boats carrying the troops could potentially capsize. At the time, there were no satellites, no radars, and obviously no computers. Meteorological data was far sparser compared to today. It would take an entire day or so just to create a synoptic map for a 6 hour period, which today is completed in hours using computer models and is far more detailed. At any rate, American weather studies and meteorology was still in its infancy. America had the advantage to be able to track storm all the way from the west coast to the east coast. The U.K. was less fortunate in that regard. The American forecasters forecasted based off of historical trends whereas the English meteorologists relied heavily on the observational data and used historical trends to justify their forecasts.

By June 3^rd, all six meteorologists knew that the 5^th would involve unfavorable conditions for a landing. Between the 3^rd leading up to hours before the original time of deployment on the 5^th, some disagreement in the forecasts rose. The American forecasters believed that the storm was only going to get worse and thought that an earlier deployment would be better. The English meteorologists believed that there would a break between the two systems. After, much debate and reluctance, Captain Stagg persuaded General Eisenhower to postpone the invasion 24 hours. What is most interesting to me is the process of how they came to this decision and in my mind, it is fortunate that they were situated in a geographical position that gave them a massive advantage. Weather stations on the west coast of Ireland proved to be of immense value. A weather station at a post office at Blacksod Point helped detect the lull between the two systems. With this new data, all six meteorologists reluctantly agreed. As this happened on the 4^th, while Portsmouth was battered by the arriving Low, Stagg relayed this information to Eisenhower, forever changing the course of history.

On the morning of the 5^th, winds were blowing around 30 mph, with rough seas. These conditions persisted through the day and into the morning of the 6^th. The seas were still rough with increased wind speeds along with cloud cover. The rough seas caused boats carrying troops to capsize and mortar shells to miss their intended destinations. High winds and cloud cover cause paratroopers to land miles away as well as bombers to also miss their targets. Later that day, the skies did clear. Stagg’s forecast validated and even though the Allied forces suffered extreme losses, the beaches of Normandy were secured and the Germans abated the region. The element of surprise was heightened by the forecasting on the other side of the channel.

While the Allied forces were no doubt anxiously forecasting for the invasion and making crucial decisions, the German forecasters were not privy to the same data that the Allies were lucky to have and used less sophisticated methods. They still forecasted stormy conditions, the Luftwaffe’s meteorologist forecasted that rough seas and adverse conditions would persist through mid-June. Because of their forecast, German forces believed that Allied forces would not occur. Many commanders left their posts along the coast to attend nearby war games. They technically weren’t wrong either. Unfavorable conditions persisted for the first half of June, but what the Germans missed was the lull between the two systems that the Allied forces had picked up on, largely due to their more detailed forecasting techniques and the information that the Blacksod Point Weather Station recorded. Turns out that June of 1944 was one of the windiest months in the 20^th century. During the actual invasion, the weather prevented German forces to reinforce their lines, securing bridges and roadways. It also left them with few options for egress.

It always amazes me just how fragile human history is. Years later, a book written by John Ross “The Forecast for D-Day: And the Weatherman behind Ike’s Greatest Gamble”, describes a conversation between President-Elect John F. Kennedy and then President Eisenhower why the Normandy invasion had been so successful. Eisenhower’s response was “Because we had better meteorologists than the Germans!”

Sources:

https://www.history.com/news/the-weather-forecast-that-saved-d-day

https://weather.com/news/news/2019-06-05-d-day-weather-forecast-changed-history

The Forecast for D-Day: And the Weatherman behind Ike’s Greatest Gamble” – John Ross

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/d-day-anniversary-how-the-weather-forecast-changed-the-tide-of-war/359733

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145143/forecasting-d-day

Jay Broccolo, Weather Observer and Meteorologist

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