Historical Posts Archives - Page 3 of 378 - Mount Washington Observatory

February 2022

Half a Year Back with the Obs

2022-02-04 10:38:08.000 – Stephen Durham, Weather Observer & Education Specialist

We are in the heart of winter at the summit, experiencing a succession of storms… Hooray! Last weekend’s nor’easter delivered a few inches of snow and wind gusts up to 118 mph. Observers are now seeing a flow of moisture streaming northeast, resulting in heavy periods of snowfall that will deliver a foot of new snow for several of the summits and neighboring valley locations.

Some of the southern summits could see totals exceeding a foot, especially in areas where several heavy bands passed overnight and into early Friday. A wind chill advisory will go into effect Friday evening and remain through Saturday, so be sure to check our Higher Summits Forecast for updates. We’ll have some of our team at Ice Fest this weekend. If you’re in the area, stop by our table at Ledge Brewing!

Heading out with Weather Observer Sam Robinson to exchange the precipitation can on Nov. 10, 2021.

Over the past seven months since I rejoined Mount Washington Observatory and returned to the top of New England, I’ve experienced a variety of excitement, from the always extreme weather, to the rewarding education programs with schools, and the challenges of working with different instrumentation at our summit weather station.

The education programs that I help produce, such as Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live, the “Chat with a Scientist” portion of WeatherX, and meeting in person with school groups during the warmer months remind me how much I enjoyed learning about the weather, the environment, and climate when I was growing up. Now it’s my turn to help others enjoy learning about these topics.

WeatherX is focused on inspiring middle school students in rural areas to study weather and data science. The program helps kids gain experience with larger amounts of weather data to investigate extreme weather events that occur at the summit and in their own communities.

Getting to chat with middle schools this school year has been amazing. Students ask great questions about the observatory, the weather, my experience, and much more. I’ve always taken it to heart when I have the opportunity to talk about being a meteorologist, as many kids or adults are so fascinated with the weather.

Leading a Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live virtual classroom program.

My own anticipation for winter weather is particularly high. This is my favorite time of year for big snowstorms. One of my dreams as a kid was to see snow on my birthday in late September, and I came within three days last fall at the summit. Both shifts of weather observers experienced the first snowfall of the season on September 29, as it fell during a shift change day.

Witnessing the aurora borealis in October was one of the most fascinating events and definitely a bucket-list experience. We all stayed up until midnight watching the northern lights get stronger and brighter and dance through the sky. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

This winter, while not huge in the way of snow so far, has had its exciting moments. I enjoy completing hourly observations in challenging weather, like during a nor’easter, freezing rain, or a blue bird day with gusty winds, which make monitoring the Hays Chart extra exciting. A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to observe 141 mph, 142 mph, and a 144 mph wind gusts, beating the highest record when I was an intern here in January 2019.

The sound that the wind makes as it roars past the weather room windows or across the observation deck is thrilling, making me appreciate and love weather even more. I’m excited about 2022 at Mount Washington Observatory, and I can’t wait to continue creating great education programs each and every shift. It isn’t just an opportunity for others to learn; it helps me continue studying weather, the environment, and our climate.

The auroral borealis (northern lights) on Oct. 12, 2021.

Stephen Durham, Weather Observer & Education Specialist

A Highlight of My First Shift: Warmer Temps at Summit Caused by Inversion

2022-01-25 13:22:33.000 – Will Gabbert, Summit Intern

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work and live atop Mount Washington? My longtime desire to answer this question has led me to become the observatory’s newest summit intern as of last Wednesday.

Upon my arrival on the “rockpile,” I was welcomed by an enthusiastic, smart, and wonderful team, along with the Observatory’s notorious cat, Nimbus. My first few days have been much more than I ever imagined. Top experiences so far include snapping photos of rime ice formations at the summit and on Tuckerman’s ravine trail, learning from the crew about history and daily life at the Obs, and experiencing what is known as temperature inversion last weekend.

We had to change gears halfway through the week-long shift as the observers on duty brought me up to speed on their forecast calling for the inversion. The conditions we experienced Friday night into Saturday morning, Jan. 21-22, caused the summit to be warmer than temperatures in the valley. This inversion actually began happening in the late afternoon to early evening before sunset on Friday and continued through Saturday’s sunrise.

Our Current Summit Conditions with Auto Road Vertical Profile, pictured above on Jan. 22 at 9:43 a.m. EST, show the inversion on Saturday morning as temperatures increased from 1600 to 6,288 feet in elevation. These temperatures are continuously collected and updated as part of our Mount Washington Regional Mesonet.

The observers predicted the inversion correctly while teaching me how to compile all the data and complete proper Mount Washington forecasts, which I have read countless times, like many of you who love adventure in the White Mountains’ higher summits.

Within the troposphere, where most of our weather takes place, temperatures usually get colder with a rise in elevation, just as you would expect during a hike to the summit. A reversal of this normal behavior happens during temperature inversions, also called thermal inversions. When skies are clear and winds are low, oftentimes under high pressure, daytime heating slows and stops as night falls. Air at the surface cools more quickly than it does aloft, especially in low-lying areas, like mountain valleys. As the warmer heated air from the daytime rises, cooler denser air remains and becomes trapped underneath the “cap” of warmer air aloft until the next morning when heating resumes or a new air mass mixes in.

In the case of last weekend, neighboring valleys had cold, light, northern air flowing down with ample snow cover and clear skies, which allowed for radiational cooling overnight. The buoyant warm layer of air aloft kept the denser, colder air near the surface until it began to warm through the morning with ample sunshine under the exiting high, as demonstrated above by our Current Summit Conditions with Auto Road Vertical Profile, showing the range of temperatures on Jan. 22 at 9:43 a.m. EST.

I took full advantage of the resulting prime conditions at the summit, enjoying a walk outside and talking with some hikers who remarked how much warmer it was than when they started out that morning. The temperature difference from the valley to the summit was about 25 degrees Fahrenheit! This set up a perfect morning to take photos while visibility was on my side at about 120 miles.

During my weeks off the mountain, I live near the Belgrade Lakes region in Maine. I simply love anything that has to do with nature and extreme weather, and what better place to experience these things than on Mount Washington, in pursuit of a career in meteorology? As a volunteer firefighter/EMT who has also worked for the Forest Fire Service, I’m not your typical 9-5 guy. In my free time, I like to head up to Baxter State Park, or “upta camp” in Aroostook County, to go snowmobiling, boating, fishing, hunting, and hiking with my girlfriend Jill and our dogs Baxter and Cope.

It’s great to be here, and I can’t wait to come back for my next week-long shift at the summit weather station!

Standing at the summit of Mount Washington during my first shift as a summit intern.

Will Gabbert, Summit Intern

Reflections on my first year at the Mount Washington Observatory

2022-01-11 19:42:18.000 – Jackie Bellefontaine, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Last Thursday marked my first full year at Mount Washington Observatory. I joined the team as a winter intern last year and became a Weather Observer & Education Specialist in March.

The past year has been very formative for me professionally and personally, a lot of which I credit to my life at the Observatory. I’ve been exposed to so many unique experiences, from taking weather observations in harsh conditions to chatting about my work from the summit with students.

I’ll never forget my first experience with hurricane-force winds on the summit. Just two weeks into my internship, winds gusted to 157 mph! That feeling of opening the tower door to sustained 130 mph winds and hearing what that kind of wind sounds like was incredible. Though we haven’t hit a wind gust that high since, I still look forward to high wind events (even the relatively “unimpressive” 80 mph days!). Every day at the Observatory is always so unique and I’m grateful for each one I get to experience.

When not working at the weather desk or taking measurements outside on the observation deck, my co-workers and I have a lot of fun in our spare time on the summit. My favorite memories so far include hiking down to Lakes of the Clouds Hut, hanging out with State Park, nightly dinner conversations, playing and getting very excited over Mario Kart, and simply watching our favorite shows on the couch. We’re all big ol’ nerds on our shift, which makes deciding what to watch very easy. Star Wars? Of course! The Witcher? Absolutely!

I’ve also had some of the best times giving virtual programs as our shift’s Education Specialist. It’s fantastic seeing students from both local schools and across the country joining in and engaging. I’ve fielded some great questions from curious minds and been able to present on topics that I’m passionate about. It’s very rewarding seeing students and general audiences get excited about science and our work at the Observatory.

I consider myself a life-long learner, and there isn’t one person at this Observatory that I haven’t learned from. For that, I’m so grateful. Seeing my fellow observers and valley staff carry out their work and handle situations with such dedication, especially while also grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, is inspirational. Being able to learn from my colleagues and witness their own experiences has helped me grow as a Weather Observer, and as a person. Looking forward to all the incredible experiences yet to be had up here on the Rockpile!

Jackie Bellefontaine on her first day as an intern in January 2021.

Jackie Bellefontaine, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

2021 By The Numbers

2022-01-05 20:22:40.000 – Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist

2022 has arrived, so it is a perfect time to look back and summarize the year that was (2021 in this case). If I were to use adjectives to summarize 2021 weather conditions on the summit, they would be: warm, dry, foggy, and windy. To find out why these words were chosen, let’s look back at some of the stats from last year.

Our average temperature for 2021 was 29.7°F (-1.3°C), which is 1.7°F above the 1991-2020 30-year normal for our station. This would make the annual average temperature of 2021 tied with 1938 for the third highest in our dataset, which started in 1932. Our warmest temperature recorded in 2021 was 67°F (19°C), which occurred on August 12th and again on August 13th. Our coldest temperature recorded in 2021 was 28°F below (-28°F/-33°C), which occurred on March 2nd.

In terms of total liquid precipitation, from January to December of 2021, the summit of Mt Washington received 77.41 inches, which was 13.82 inches below the 1991-2020 30-year normal for our location. From January to December of 2021, the summit received 222.5 inches of snow, which was 59.5 inches below the 1991-2020 30-year normal for our location.

In terms of winds, for 2021 our average was 34.9 mph, which was equal (+/-0.0 mph) to the 1991-2020 30-year normal for our location. Our highest gust recorded for 2021 was 157 mph, which occurred on January 24th. From January to December, we had 135 days which had gusts of 73 mph or greater and of those days, 38 days had gusts that were 100 mph or greater.

As for our weather during 2021, we averaged 35% of the possible sunshine. The summit had 16 days that were noted as clear or mostly clear, and there were 44 partly sunny days, with the remaining 305 days being filed under mostly cloudy, cloudy, or obscured (fog). We had 321 days with at least some amount of fog recorded during a 24-hour period. We had 145 days with rain and 156 days with snow.

If interested in additional weather data, please check out our F-6 page (updated nightly), our Normals, Means, and Extremes page, our Current Conditions Page, our 48-Hour Higher Summits Forecast, and our Annual Temperature Graph (an update with the 2021 data included will be coming in the next day or two). If you need data for research purposes, you can submit a request HERE. If interested in supporting the work we do at our weather station, please consider donating or becoming a member. 

Moonlight on the northern Summits at dusk from November 2021

Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist

Thank You!

2021-12-27 20:18:53.000 – Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist

Thank you to all the secret Santas who sent the summit crew Christmas gifts this year. I say “secret” because this year, the valley staff took inventory of who sent what then wrapped all the gifts prior to sending them up to us here on the summit. So, thank you for the candles, refrigerator notepads, pen holders, pizza stones, blender, pans, gift cards, candies, assorted teas, assorted cocoas, and darts. If there is something not listed that you might have sent, it is possible that it might not have made it in time for our previous shift change. But rest assured, it will arrive in the coming shift changes.

As we head towards the end of 2021, our year-end campaign is currently underway. To everyone that has donated already – THANK YOU from all of us on the summit. Your contribution is what allows our non-profit weather station to operate. If you are interested in supporting us, there is still time this week and you can do so HERE

Finally, thank you to everyone that purchased one of our 2022 Calendars, which also support our cause. I have been the one behind putting them together over the past years and am always excited to see them hanging up in various places. If you missed out on receiving one for Christmas, they are still available HERE. And, if you use the code NEWYEAR15 at checkout, you can save 15% off you purchase through December 31st (2021).

Christmas Cairn from Nelson Crag Trail on Ball Crag looking up at the NH State Park Sherman Adams Building

Christmas Cairn from below the summit cone

Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist

A Winter Outlook as Ski Season Begins in New Hampshire

2021-12-22 10:18:13.000 – Stephen Durham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

During a recent virtual reception hosted by Ski New Hampshire, I had the opportunity to present and talk with ski areas of the region about the winter we can expect in the White Mountains. With over a dozen ski areas across New Hampshire, knowing what could be ahead for our winter in terms of snow and cold is important as ever for their industry.

What We’ve Seen:

October was an above average month in terms of temperatures across the region, including the summit of Mount Washington, and multiple lower-elevation weather reporting stations. Once we got into November though, winter seemed underway at the summit at least with temperatures getting below average for the majority of the first week thanks to a middle level trough over the region.

After this cold period, we saw a moderation in temperatures, where they warmed to near or just above average. We saw this type of fluctuation through the entire month at the summit with short periods of warm-ups, followed by colder periods.

	Average Temp	Avg Max Temp	Avg Minimum Temp
KMWN(summit) Nov 21’ (Departure)	24.8°F (-3.6°F)	12.1°F (-1.0°F)	18.4°F (-2.4°F)
1990-2020 Nov Average	28.4°F	13.1°F	20.8°F
NCON3(North Conway) Nov 21’	48.6°F (+2.4°F)	27.4°F (+0.1°F)	38.0°F (+1.2°F)
1990-2020 Average	46.2°F	27.3°F	36.8°F

Table 1: Mount Washington and North Conway Weather Stations for November 2021 and month’s average from 1990 to 2020

With the increased fluctuations of the jet stream due to these changing temperatures, there was increased storminess, but we saw the departure for precipitation to be below average, while recording above average snowfall. This can be correlated to the summit seeing below average temperatures, and seeing higher ratios of snowfall (drier snow) during the periods when we had weak storms. For lower elevations, such as North Conway (NCON3), below average snowfall for November included only a trace.

The flow of the jet stream over this period was very quick, with an active polar jet stream into the United States. The active polar jet stream can be related to the ENSO conditions being monitored in the Pacific Ocean with the occurrence of La Niña. With the jet stream being active and fluctuating, this allowed for a typical weather pattern where we saw periods of colder temperatures and at times warmer temperatures. We can compare this to the image below on La Niña winters, which shows periods of colder temperatures coming in from Canada, and warmer air moving in from the south when the jet stream is varying.

Figure 1: El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) for El Niño and La Niña winters. Credit to NOAA Climate

What Can Be Expected:

December started off temperatures at both the summit and North Conway being below average. There have also been two periods of warmth for the region where temperatures were well above average and broke two daily record highs at the summit. For the month, temperatures are above average for both locations. Snowfall for the North Conway station has been above average for the month by .5 inches, but below average for the season. For the summit, snowfall is on pace at 25.1 inches as of December 21. The December average for snowfall is 47.7 inches.

As we head into the final days of December, I see the potential for another brief above-average period for temperatures. The trend to the start of winter has entailed fluctuations and a battle between what we observe in temperatures. In comparison to La Niña, we continue to see an active polar jet stream. This brings periods of colder and below average temperatures compared to our 1990-2020 climate period. In the coming months, we can also expect the other side of the token where we see brief stretches of warm-ups across the region.

As I mentioned in my presentation to Ski New Hampshire, a year to which we can draw a comparison is the winter of 2017-2018. The image below shows the temperature anomalies for the United States from November 2017 to March 2018. That winter was a second La Niña Winter, similar to this winter where we have a second year La Niña. That winter, we saw near to just-below average temperatures and just around average precipitation. It’s always important to keep in mind that there are other influences on the weather pattern that dictate which direction our winter will go.

Figure 2: Temperature anomaly for Nov 2017 to Mar 2018. NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory

Looking at the precipitation for that winter, we saw right around average for the periods from November until March of 2018. This can be seen in the figure below for the anomaly of precipitation for November of 2017 to March of 2018 in comparison to the 1991-2020 climate range.

Figure 3: Precipitation Anomaly of Nov 2017 to Mar 2018. NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory

Influences that we should be concerned about is ridging or high pressure over the southeast of the United States, this can send warmer air into the northeast and being on the warmer side of storm systems. Another influence is how the jet stream is tracking across the United States, if it is more zonal or west to east, we have a lesser chance of storms redeveloping off the east coast. If we see more troughs, or low pressures able to develop near or off the east coast, this can lead to a slightly better chance of a storm impacting the region.

In the end, my belief in what can be expected is, we will likely see a transient and fluctuating weather pattern in the coming weeks. There is potential in the right circumstances we see a period of storminess, where we see more snow over a period, compared to other weeks, but we could also be on the other side of temperature equation with warmer periods as well. I see the chances for overrunning events, where we see warm air moving in over colder air or cold air damming events. This is when we see storms start off as snow, changing to a wintry mix of sleet or freezing rain, to eventually plain rain. This prediction can be related to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center outlook for the next 3-4 weeks where we have equal chances of seeing either above or below average temperatures as we head into January.

Figure 4: NOAA Outlook for the 3-4 Weeks for Temperature Probability

Stephen Durham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Inspiring Curiosity in Weather and Climate

2021-12-14 21:04:14.000 – Jacquelyn Bellefontaine, Weather Observer & Education Specialist

One of my favorite parts of the week occurs on Tuesdays at 11:15 am, when our Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live! program takes place. This free virtual classroom series was developed in 2020 as a way for young students (and any life-longer learners!) to engage with Mount Washington Observatory staff as we present on a variety of weather and climate topics.

The program was met with great enthusiasm from school systems as well as the general public, and it has become something the Observatory’s Education Specialists look forward to with great anticipation each week. The 2021-22 series is my first full season delivering the programs since I started as a Weather Observer and Education Specialist last March.

Funny enough, Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live! played a major role in inspiring me to join the summit staff. Before becoming an Observer, I was a summit intern learning about our summit operations and shadowing other Observers. I quickly became curious about the educational outreach that the Education Specialist at the time, Nicole Tallman, participated in, and I began to assist her in developing program materials. I was then able to co-present on one of the programs, which further sparked my interest in science education, and the rest is history!

I very much enjoy developing and presenting our weekly virtual classroom programs. Some of my favorite topics that we have covered so far (from the past and current seasons) include Wind Patterns, Cryosphere-Atmosphere Interactions, Our Changing Cryosphere & Hydrosphere, Timeline of Global Climate, and Climate Change Solutions.

My background is in Climate Sciences, and I have a particular interest in our cryosphere (all the ice on Earth!), so it makes me incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to teach others and inspire excitement about the science that excites me! What is even more exciting is seeing young students really engage with the material and ask fantastic questions about Earth’s weather and climate systems. Their curiosity is inspirational.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming programs, and if you’d like to join me (and Education Specialist Stephen Durham), check out mountwashington.org/classroom for the Zoom registration. Hope to see you there!

Jacquelyn Bellefontaine, Weather Observer & Education Specialist

Dear Santa….

2021-12-10 20:10:48.000 – Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist

Dear Santa-

Where did the year go? It seems like just yesterday I was writing to you and yet, here we are once again with me in charge of writing to you with our Observatory Christmas List. Since this will be the fifteenth time I have written to you in my (nearly) sixteen years up here, I have the process down to an exact science: 1. Hand written note mailed out to you no later than November first. 2. Email sent to you no later than Thanksgiving. 3. A preliminary New Hampshire forecast for Christmas (hopefully it’ll be a snowy one) no later than December first. 4. A reminder on my calendar for a follow-up forecast no later than 48 hours out from December 25th. And now this shift, (5.) I am sending you our list via our Observer Comments since I know you follow them weekly to check if we have been naughty or nice.

Once again, in my opinion, we all have been good lil’ Weather Observers. We have acted kindly to all our interns, guests, friends, families and pets. Even Nimbus, our cat, has been acting abnormally nice recently. While I have your ear Santa, if you’re going to give him anything this year, like in years past, please make it scoopable cat litter or food. I know our previous cat enjoyed cat toys and treats, but our newest buddy does not enjoy them. So, please do not bring them this year.

When you arrive at NH State Parks Sherman Adams Building (where MWO leases its space), 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.

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

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

2. 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.

3. Coffee – Since we observe the weather 24/7/365, we like to stay caffeinated. While we typically brew pots of Coffee we occasionally will pop in a K-cup for the one-off cup as well.

4. Tea – sometimes we want to shake it up and have a nice cup of caffeinated or decaffeinated tea. So, a variety of tea bags would be great. Or even hot chocolate if you know of a good sampler pack.

5. Darts – when we are unable to go outside to recreate in our off-time, we turn to indoor activities like darts. The pair we have currently have seen better days, so we are looking for a pair of weighted darts to replace them.

6. Pizza equipment – Tuesday night is pizza night on the summit and an extra pizza stone would make baking the pizza even better. And a pizza rocking cutter would make slicing up the final product a bit easier.

7. A blender – we take turns cooking on the summit and a few times this past year, my soup recipes called for a blender. While a food processor works in a pinch, a good blender would have certainly sped things along a bit better.

8. Magnetic notepads – we like to stick these on the fridge to pass kitchen related notes to the various crew members and make note of items we might need to pick up in our next shopping trip.

9. A large stainless steel frying pan – while we typically go for a seasoned skillet, every once and awhile, we need to use a stainless steel frying pan and the one we have has a dent in it. So a nice, solid and large replacement would be welcome.

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 well behaved 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.

3. 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).

4. 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.

5. If you shop Amazon during the holidays (or the rest of the year), you can use AmazonSmile online or in your smartdevice app. 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 make sure to use smile.amazon.com any time you make a purchase to support your favorite charity. Learn more 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 of 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.

Like usual, we will ensure that we have everything in order for your arrival: a clear deck and path to the door, well greased doors (so we can’t hear you coming/going), deiced stairs, clean living quarters, decorated Christmas tree, 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.

Thanks and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays –

Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist

Thoughts On My Time At the Summit

2021-12-06 16:05:30.000 – Sam Gawel, Summit Intern

As one of three interns this fall, it hurts to acknowledge these next few days are my last on the summit. I have been working here since September, and these months have proved to be some of the most formidable of my life. The experiences have greatly shaped the long-term vision of my future, as I now move forward with great confidence that I will pursue graduate education in meteorology upon completing my BA in environmental and earth sciences in 2023, and aspire to a career in snow science or mountain meteorology.

I now understand the weather and climate in a far more holistic sense, taking into account each aspect of the atmosphere in the context of others. By experiencing the most extreme weather firsthand, I can better understand how unique factors can create such unique weather. For instance, a large part of what creates our particularly high winds is the local topography, as the Presidential range forms a v-shape that funnels westerly winds to Washington at its center.

In such a short time at this observatory, I have seen the northern lights dance across the horizon, Milky Way illuminate hikes across the Presidential Range, sunsets melt the sky a blinding red, and clouds cover the earth below me making the summit an island in the sky. Among these endless surreal experiences, perhaps the ones I will hold most dear are simply sitting down for a meal with the other observers at the end of a long day. I have met wonderful humans here and will truly miss them.

While I am sad to be leaving the observatory, I am grateful for the time I was able to spend here. It has been a privilege to get my foot in the door and gain understanding on how I want to spend the rest of my life. On my first ride up to the summit, I remember looking out the window in awe and wondering “do they ever get used to this?” After three months here, I can safely say that I am leaving with just as much amazement.

Sam Gawel, Summit Intern

What in TARNation?

2021-12-01 16:29:25.000 – Jackie Bellefontaine, Weather Observer & Education Specialist

Have you ever wondered why there are small lakes scattered throughout the White Mountains? Examples such as Hermit Lake, Lonesome Lakes, and the Lakes of the Clouds are actually glacier features called tarns.

Tarns are defined as lakes, ponds, or pools that from in glacially carved cirques. Cirques are erosional features that have an amphitheater-like shape, such as Tuckerman Ravine. Obviously, there are no glaciers found in the White Mountains today, but until about 12,000-14,000 years ago, a large continental ice sheet known as the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) covered the region.

There is some debate today in the geological community over whether these features are solely from the LIS or from local glacier formation and recession post-LIS. However, we’ll save that discussion for another time.

Cirque glaciers erode and deepen the hollows by subglacial plucking and abrasion.
(source: Wikipedia)

As defined above, tarns are bodies of water that form in glacially carved cirques. Cirques are formed through the gradual growth of mountainside hollows. When snow accumulates within these hollows, gradual expansion occurs through a group of erosional processes such as freeze-thaw activity and chemical weathering. Eventually, enough snow accumulates and compacts to form glacial ice, which further expands the cirques through subglacial abrasion and plucking of the cirque floor and headwall.

Once the glacier recedes and melts, it leaves those familiar bowl shaped ravines seen throughout the White Mountains and here on Mount Washington. After the glacier has melted, water collects in the deepened hollow forming a tarn. So, you can thank glaciers for those picturesque alpine lakes throughout the White Mountains and the great turns skiing down the headwall of Tuckerman Ravine.

Lakes of the Clouds (tarn) on the south side of Mt Washington

Jackie Bellefontaine, Weather Observer & Education Specialist

Previous 234 Next

February 2022

Half a Year Back with the Obs

January 2022

A Highlight of My First Shift: Warmer Temps at Summit Caused by Inversion

Reflections on my first year at the Mount Washington Observatory

2021 By The Numbers

December 2021

Thank You!

A Winter Outlook as Ski Season Begins in New Hampshire

Inspiring Curiosity in Weather and Climate

Dear Santa….

Thoughts On My Time At the Summit

What in TARNation?