News

An Analysis of Hurricane Dorian So Far 2019-09-02 08:57:45.000 - Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   This past weekend we had our final Summer Edutrip for the season on the summit. And the theme for this trip, coincidentally, was Hurricanes and the Science of Tropical Cyclones. As such the observers and the trip group were closely following the progression and evolution of Hurricane Dorian. As of early Sunday morning, Hurricane Dorian reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and began to make landfall in the Bahamas with sustained winds around 185 mph. With the catastrophic damage being done and the

Fall is Just Around the Corner 2019-08-30 11:02:38.000 - Benjamin Charles, Summit Intern   August will shortly come to an end, wrapping up what was a great summer here at the summit of Mount Washington. So as the end of the 2019 summer grows closer we will begin to see a considerable shift in our weather this next month of September. Typically during the summer is when the Summit of Mount Washington experiences its calmer conditions, warmer temperatures, and foggiest months.  August is actually the first month that the average temperature begins to decrease by 1.0°F to 48.1°F. However the

The Air Was Filled With Laughter: A Letter to Our Fall Interns 2019-08-25 07:25:39.000 - Anna Smith, Summit Intern Graduate   The air was filled with laughter. One last shift change for this set of interns and honestly, it was probably my favorite yet. We were bouncing around the agenda, getting through the important details while trying not to dissolve into laughter amidst flying squirrel jokes, Jay zoning out in his preparation to go to bed before his night shift, and Marty just being weird. Finally Rebecca begins to take out mail from the WDC, and to my surprise, I

Sunrise Drive Tips 2019-08-24 06:06:24.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Sunday, August 25th will be the third (of three) Mt Washington Auto Road Sunrise Drive of 2019. For information about when their road will open, their rates, vehicle restrictions, etc, head HERE. The Mount Washington Observatory operates independently from the Mt Washington Auto Road, so if you have questions about their event, please contact them directly via the information provided HERE or through their various social media offerings. If driving up tomorrow morning, here are five things to help in your planning: 1. Dress Warm! Pack a coat/sweater,

Mount Washington Auto Road Hillclimb 2019 2019-08-20 09:41:39.000 - Benjamin Charles, Intern   Every year the Mount Washington Auto road holds various races to the summit of Mont Washington. I was lucky enough to witness the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb this week. The race took place Saturday August 17, 2019 and began at 8:30 am at the base of the Auto Road and finished at the very top of the Auto Road. Making this a relentless 7.6 mile climb with an average grade of 12% and an astonishing maximum grade of 22% for the last 50 yards. To

The Season's End (My Internship in Review) 2019-08-18 16:54:57.000 - Austin Patrick, Summit Intern   It feels just like yesterday that it was the end of May and I was making my first trip up to the Summit on the once slushy, icy Auto Road. It is now my final week and I have had a while to reflect on my experience working for the observatory and I would like to share it with everyone.   I have been a part of or have experienced many forms of extreme weather from supercells to impressive snowstorms, but Mount Washington was and

Climate Change in the Classroom 2019-08-16 18:48:18.000 - Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   This weekend, we will be conducting our first ever Climate Change Professional Development program! We have invited 8 teachers from multiple different schools and classrooms to join us on the summit to learn about Climate Change and develop tools/resources they can use to present the topic in their own classroom. Our hope is that we’ll be able to effectively communicate a very large, very complex topic (one that could be broken up into 3 semesters worth of material) and help teachers feel a bit more comfortable

May the Mind-Opening Experiences for Science Undergraduates Continue! 2019-08-13 04:59:09.000 - Eric P. Kelsey, Ph.D., Director of Research   A few weeks ago, Intern Anna Smith posted a great blog about the group of undergraduate students who visited the summit on July 12th for an in-depth summit experience with our observers and interns. These students were a part of the 2019 summer Northeast Partnership for Atmospheric and Related Sciences (NEPARS) program, a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) funded by the National Science Foundation that is run by meteorology faculty at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Plymouth State University. This

A Chilly August Weekend Ahead 2019-08-09 09:50:28.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   The weekend ahead looks to feature some of the first “fall-like” weather on the summit, even though the calendar only reads mid-August! There’s even a chance we could see our first freezing temperatures of the new snow season (which runs from July to June). We’ll take a look at the larger scale weather features responsible and also put this into context compared to our historical records on the summit. GFS model 250 mb (jet stream level) winds showing a large trough, or dip in the jet

My Summer Internship In Review 2019-08-04 17:49:27.000 - Ethan Rogers, Summit Intern   “It just doesn’t feel real”. That was my reaction after learning that I had been offered a position as an intern for the summer here on Mt. Washington. I was about to work at a place I had never been to before, and live in a region I had never dreamed I would ever live at. I was assigned my first research project, something I had been pondering doing at Penn State, but it was never something I had time to follow through with. The project that