Observer Comments

18:25 Sun Sep 7th

Island in the sun.

Yesterday was a return to the days of early August, when rain and fog were a daily occurrence. Even the temperature was reminiscent of August, peaking just below 60 degrees. At the morning synoptic today, our first rain of the month had already accumulated to 2.07 inches over the preceding 24 hours. The average monthly precipitation for September is 8.55 inches, so we received nearly a quarter of our quota in one day. This wet weather was brought to us by the remnants of Hurricane Hanna (and the letter H?) as it passed quickly through the northeast.

Many people expected the summit to experience high winds as a result of the hurricane, but actually the highest winds of a hurricane occur at the surface of the earth, near sea level. Since we are higher up in the atmosphere, we're above the highest winds in the storm. For example, at 5:00 AM this morning Hanna was a tropical storm centered off the coast of Massachusetts with winds at 50 mph. At the same time, winds on Mount Washington were averaging around 30 mph.

Later this morning, however, the winds did pick up and the temperature dropped due to the passage of a cold front on the back side of the storm. We also cleared out of the fog unexpectedly and were treated to a phenomenal undercast under a sunny blue sky for much of the day. Seeing the northern presidentials covered in clouds reminded me that that a few hundred vertical feet can make the difference between beautiful views and dreary fog.

The undercast didn't last, however, and we were back in the fog by mid-afternoon. As high pressure builds behind the cold front, we expect to dip into the mid 30s tonight with a nice chilly breeze in the 40-60 mph range. Surely this is mother nature's subtle reminder that the August weather isn't here to stay. I noticed also that the average monthly snowfall for September is 2.20 inches, so I'm optimistic that rain won't be the only thing falling from the sky this month.

Jeff Wehrwein – Summit Intern

20:34 Sat Sep 6th

Hello there – this is Jordan Scampoli and I am the newest fall intern here on the summit. I graduated last May from St. Michael’s College in Vermont with a degree in mathematics. Now I know you may think this is strange - a mathematician where a meteorologist should be, but I assure you, they’ve got some work cut out for me up here!

Today was my third full day on the summit, and I must say that I believe that my first few days have been a little more relaxing than Mike’s were. With school in full swing and the fall foliage not yet here, it seems to be an in-between stage for the summit.

I feel like a kid again up here. When I’m walking around the deck or climbing up to the parapet, I find myself with a huge smile on my face and giddy with excitement. Yesterday, when Steve and I attempted to paint into an “average” breeze I was completely covered in paint. I felt as though someone should have yelled at me because I made such a mess of myself. And to think, this is my job!

I am extremely excited to be a part of the Mount Washington Observatory staff for the next few months. I knew I couldn’t be confined to an office just yet (if ever), so this appears to be the perfect melding of my interest in weather and my interest in not wearing a tie. Being able to have this unique experience is such an honor and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you throughout the fall! Hasta la vista!

Jordan Scampoli – Summit Intern

21:38 Fri Sep 5th

Mount Washington summit from Lakes of the Clouds

With summer rapidly drawing to a close we are taking every opportunity to finish off our outside task list. Since it was warm and mostly fog free today we were all busy with outdoor painting tasks. Jordan and I spent a few hours this afternoon giving the top of the parapet a fresh coat of safety red paint. After a winter of being hit with a crowbar, to remove rime and glaze ice, it was certainly in need of a touch up. We soon found out that 30 plus mph winds certainly makes painting harder and forces you to be very careful otherwise the paint is blown clean off the brush. The Stevenson screen also received a new coat of paint today and is once again ready for the new season. We’ll soon be moving our painting efforts indoors especially since the weather will be deteriorating soon with the approach of Hanna later this weekend. It will be interesting to see what this system brings although we aren't expecting anything too severe.

This evening Stacey, Jeff, Jordan and I hiked down to the AMC hut at Lakes of the Clouds. The hut will be closing for the winter soon and, since the weather was so good, we took the opportunity for a quick visit. We couldn’t stay long since the sun is setting early now and we also had pizza waiting for us when we got back. The hike was a really nice end to a good day.

Steve Welsh – IT Observer

17:01 Thu Sep 4th

It is that time of year. Ever since I was five, nothing has ever been more exciting than starting a new school year. New teachers, new people, new subjects, new books, new supplies, and of course, the back to school outfit. Once I got older, supplies began to include scientific and graphing calculators as well as kitchen appliances and dry food goods that would last a semester (about forty boxes of Ramen Noodles). Every year, since beginning kindergarten, the night before the first day of school has been a restless night. Anticipation produced happy butterflies and the worry that I wouldn’t awake on time and miss the first day of school always kept me waking up at least once an hour, if not more often. Now, for the third year in a row, I will not be able to participate in the first day of school. Beginning a new job alleviated that disappointment last year. Talk about sleepless nights and butterflies!

Well, even though I won’t be going back to school this year as a student, I am directly involved with the Observatory’s exciting plans to launch a distance learning program. I won’t divulge all the details in this comment, but our Outreach Educator, Michelle Cruz, is the primary developer of this project. She will be dedicating most of her time to the distance learning project, but the organization would really like to continue going on the road with our outreach programs. So, the Observatory has a new position that has opened up, for an Outreach Educator. If you have any questions regarding our outreach programs or the Outreach Educator position, email Michelle Cruz at mcruz@mountwashington.org or outreach@mountwashington.org.

Stacey Kawecki – Observer

10:49 Wed Sep 3rd

Posing with the tower in the background

If you have ever climbed the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to summit Mount Washington or visited here via the auto road or cog railway, then you already know how fickle she can be. Visibility of over 130 miles with 4 - 6 mph winds and 60 degree temperatures can change in a day to zero visibility, 80 - 85 mph winds, and 40 degree temperatures. That is her true beauty. However, this note isn't about the mountain, rather it's about spending eight days with four employees and one additional volunteer.

As volunteers, John Raines and I are required to try our best to make an edible dinner for the others. On the ride to the summit it soon became clear that these four would rapidly become new friends and our "dinners" would become breakfast, lunch, and dinner. John and I both enjoyed the challenge. When the cooking was done between lunch and dinner there was time to hike to Mount Clay or the Lake of the Clouds or simply around the complex but more than that, there was time to watch these young folks perform their duties in a manner as professional as any senior manager I have ever worked with and they did it with a smile and a quick answer to our ever interrupting questions.

There are those few things in life that we do and carry with us forever. My trip to the summit as a volunteer has been one. I am proud to be a member of the Observatory and blessed to have had the opportunity to spend a week at the summit with five new friends.

Jim Lobley – Summit Volunteer

15:06 Tue Sep 2nd

Holding the famous Marty

In this brief space I would like to make some comments about my week volunteering at the Mount Washington Observatory. I will skip comments about the natural beauty, the sunsets and the awesome power of nature. That is a given and that is what has drawn me back to this place time after time for more years than I wish to tell. Rather, I want to tell you all how impressed I am with the total professionalism of the summit staff, the science they perform on a daily basis, and the educational mission that is fulfilled here daily. The weather observers, Brian and Ryan are on duty during their week-long shifts 24 hours, every day they are up on the summit, year round. Their work ethic is second to none I have seen and their dedication to the missions of the Observatory is unparalleled. Even in the case of bringing on, Mike the new intern, the intensity of his training, and his ability to pick up a share of the workload to the extent of actually guiding tours and welcoming members/visitors.

A special word needs to be said of Sharon, who keeps the gift shop running. She starts early, long before the first trainload of tourists has reached the summit, making sure the store is fully stocked and in pristine condition. She is the personification of excellent customer service and also runs the small museum the Observatory has up here. Any enterprise would be lucky to have a person like her.

Finally, I should also mention the staff from the New Hampshire State Parks system who welcomed us and Walter, the fellow who is both the postmaster and ticket master for the Cog Railway.

Without the hard work and dedication of all these people, my experience would have been far less than the rich learning experience that it has been. I thank all of you!

Oh, and the scenery ain't too bad either!!

John Raines – Summit Volunteer

16:12 Mon Sep 1st

Yesterday was a fairly breezy day on the summit. The combination of high pressure building in and low pressure departing to the northeast has been creating an increased pressure gradient over the region and therefore some moderate wind speeds on the summit.

Moderate by our standards, that is.

I mention this because yesterday was one of those days that showed me how much my standard of extremes has changed since I started living and working on Mount Washington. Winds yesterday afternoon were sustained around 50-55 mph with gusts up to 65 or 70. The peak gust for the day was 82 mph. For me, this is nothing special or extreme. In fact, during the winter this would be considered a fairly typical day.

I was reminded very quickly by members who we gave tours to yesterday, as well as random people from the public that I watched while on the deck taking the hourly observations, that to them those wind speeds are fairly extreme. Your average person has not likely even experienced a wind gust to 50 mph, much less sustained winds that high.

It was very cool to see people playing in the wind and having so much fun with it. It made me remember how lucky I am to get to be up here on a regular basis to experience the kind of weather that probably 99% of the population will go an entire lifetime without experiencing.

Brian Clark – Observer