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The following is the entire collection of web comments written by Bill Ozanne during his internship at the Mount Washington Observatory.
October 30th
Mount Washington at night can be an
intimidating and dangerous place. Last night, under a nearly full moon, the
summit was calm and peaceful. Lingering haze and the occasional contrail were
our only obstructions to the clear sky. I was able to walk down the Auto Road
without a headlamp enjoying the city lights stretching from North
Conway to Portland. A
truly rare evening as winter will be tightening its grips on the mountain
shortly.
This morning's weather has proved more typical for the season. The atmosphere
quickly saturated and the summit is once again in the fog. Wind speeds are
rising and damp conditions today will give way to icy conditions by Monday.
November 4th
It is amazing what dry air and wind can do.
A little less than 24 hours ago the summit was heavily rimed over with long
strands of feathery ice. The product of super-cooled water droplets contacting
any exposed freezing surface. When the fog cleared last night the winds
continued as dry air invaded the region from the north. Our modest snowfall
from Tuesday was quickly blown off the mountain while dry air ate away at the
rime. Even as temperatures remained below freezing all day the ice sublimated
away. Instead of melting, the ice turned directly into vapor, a common occurrence
under cold and dry conditions.
In the next few hours the process will begin all over again. Clouds are on the
increase and fog cannot be far behind as our first significant snow maker of
the season moves into the region.
December 1st
With today's ongoing storm we had planned to move shift
change to Tuesday. The summit crew was packed and ready to go, the truck was
only 10 minutes from reaching the top when it ran into trouble. The ice was
just too hard, and they were forced to turn around at the hairpin turn. It
looks like we will be using the snow tractor from here on out. The valley crew
will make another attempt at shift change today, but we are all well prepared
to spend an extra night or two at the observatory.
Right now it is snowing on the summit and the pressure is falling rapidly. When
the snow ends later today the winds will continue to increase. One weather
model we use for guidance in wind forecasting uses a two digit number to
describe the speed. The model is forecasting 99 knots. Just for reference,
during the big wind back on November 5th the same model was forecasting 97
knots.
Yesterday's sunshine and calm winds allowed us to pound away at the thick ice
still covering the summit. Several 50+ pound blocks came crashing onto the
observation deck below. It was hard work, but worth it to keep everyone safe
when the ice finally begins to fall on its own.
December 12th
Accumulating snow on the summit of Mount
Washington is no easy task even though we receive over 300 inches
annually. Dry powder does not stand a chance here. Except for a few hiding
places the snow is easily blown off the top. This year has been quite
different. Winds from the southeast have brought heavy, wet snow that sticks to
everything. Eleven inches may sound like a modest depth, but it is at least
that deep over the entire observation deck, one of the most wind-scoured
locations on the summit. We are all looking forward to seeing what the rest of
the White Mountains look like when the fog breaks.
Sunday is the 11th day of the month we have recorded snow. Monday will easily
be the 12th before the coldest air of the season enters the region.
January 17th
Just after 4pm on
Sunday I walked outside and watched the steam from our chimneys climb
vertically into the sky. At ground level the winds had made a rare drop to near
calm. All day light snow and temperatures around zero greeted scores of
climbers to the summit. The peak relented for the second day in a row allowing
the holiday weekend hikers a chance for a winter ascent of Mount
Washington.
As the winds died in the late afternoon the sun emerged from the overcast for a
surprise sunset over the Green Mountains. A strong
coastal low slid by well offshore last night leaving the summit with only a
dusting of snow, but colder air is moving in behind the storm. The summit could
see temperatures as low as –30 on Tuesday, a brief reminder of the record lows
set last year.
A great group of Edutrippers headed down the mountain yesterday. They learned
about mountain meteorology and climatology while experiencing some great
weather on the summit. We hope to see them all again on an Edutrip next winter.
January 18th
Something had to be done. Temperatures on Monday were
falling out of control, often more than a degree or two an hour. By midnight it was -25F with a wind chill around
-70F. We made a bold decision to ransom Tucks, our summit penguin, for warmer
weather. Several tense hours passed. Our demands were met early this morning
shortly after the temperature dropped to -29F.
The valleys have another frigid night ahead, but the coldest air of the season
has already begun to moderate over the higher peaks.
February 2nd
Groundhog Day! For meteorologists, a very sacred day indeed.
You would never guess that six more weeks of winter are still to come if you
visited the mountains Wednesday. During today’s shift change we climbed out of
the frigid valley to the spring-like conditions on the summit. Although last
week's shift had eventually grown bored with the tepid conditions, everyone
welcomed the bright blue skies and calm winds for a shift change day. There was
even talk about breaking out the barbecue. A lack of grill-able meats on the
summit thwarted that idea.
While the rest of the country is cringing at the thought of six more weeks of
winter (thank you very much Punxsutawney Phil) the summit staff laughs at that
thought. Winter is far from over in the White Mountains.
Some of the snowiest and windiest months still lie ahead. Nope, spring is
definitely more than six weeks away from Mount Washington.
February 7th
Sunday saw some of the most extreme weather on Mount
Washington in years. That's right, good weather on the summit can
be considered extreme. At 42F we smashed the old record high of 33F set in
1938. Just one degree shy of the all-time monthly record. Monday's record high
has also been exceeded. Daily records are broken quite regularly though, often
several times a year. The extreme event happened around 9am when the winds became completely calm. Even the
slightest breath of air could not be found on the summit. If you visit the top
of Mount Washington in the winter you are more likely to
experience 130mph gusts than calm winds.
With all the nice weather in the mountains there was a flood of activity on the
Rockpile this weekend. Scores of people reached the summit on both Saturday and
Sunday. At times the Observation Deck was as crowded as a summer afternoon, and
the summit crew could be seen playing baseball. In the late afternoon I found
corn snow skiing the east snowfields. What a weekend!
While most hikers made an early retreat from the summit to catch the game a
sports writer from ESPN.com was making his way to the top. He made an overnight
visit to feature the Observatory on unusual places to watch the Super Bowl. There
was no shortage of excitement during the game as our resident Eagles fan
cheered on his home team. A little disappointed with the Philadelphia loss we are all happy to see New England win.
February 13th
Anticipation is growing. Foggy skies are turning from light
gray to shades of yellow and orange. These are the signs that the sun is just
moments away from breaking through the clouds. This is always an exciting time
as our world inside a ping pong ball opens to views stretching 100 miles. While
standing on top of our tower it can be frightening when the shelter of fog
gives way to vertigo inducing heights.
We are looking forward to the imminent clearing to see re-winterized peaks of
the Presidential Range. Mount Madison’s
talus fields should be filled in with the 27" of new snow we have received
since Thursday. Adams and Jefferson will reveal their pillow-like snow drifts,
and maybe a small cornice will have formed in the Clay Col. It can't be long
now. Our various webcams show only a thin veil of clouds over the summit.
February 14th
There is nothing like shoveling the same snow four different
times. Since last week's storm we have been hammered from all directions. A
moderate easterly flow to start, hurricane force gusts from the north and west,
and now southerly winds ahead of the next storm. Snow has been scoured from
every corner of the summit, and deposited into our favorite spring skiing
stashes. Today, the blowing snow is climbing 600 feet into the air over Mount Clay and slowly settling into the Great Gulf.
While yesterday's clearing was exciting, today's re-enclosure has been
dramatic. Clear skies this morning gave way to high clouds on the western
horizon. By noon a low stratus layer
had snuck in from the southeast. Thin, opalescent fibers danced above Nelson
Crag. Lenticulars soon appeared, capping the higher peaks as upper level
moisture began increasing. First high, now just a few hundred feet above the
summit the lens shaped clouds are clamping down on the mountain.
February 16th
Typically the jetstream snakes its way across the country.
Diving south in some regions while ridging north in others. Over the past few
days the upper-level winds have been mainly zonal. Racing straight across the
country from west to east. This weather pattern has brought several quick
storms to the northeast followed by brief clearings. Monday night’s storm
brought another 4 inches of snow to the summit followed by a 12 hour period of
crystal blue skies. Like clockwork another front is streaming in from the west
promising both rain and snow for the valleys.
March 7th
I’m not sure if this weather pattern could be more
progressive. Yesterday’s clipper dropped over five inches of snow and brought
an unexpected period of hurricane force winds late last night. High pressure
quickly built in this morning bringing three hours of clear skies. Then, like
clockwork, the weather deteriorated. Clear…cap cloud…fog…snow!
Light snow is now falling ahead of the next storm that promises to bring some
exciting weather to the summit. While there is still uncertainty in the track
we are confident that some of the highest winds of the year could be recorded
in the next few days.
At 11AM this morning, we met Michael
Lang and Dan Wekselblatt on the observation deck after their successful 'Climb
for a Cure'. Congrats on a successful
climb for a noble cause!
(Al Roker...thanks for the shout out this morning)
March 10th
The intense nor’easter that tore up the New
England coast Tuesday night is now long gone. In its wake the
summit was hammered by 100mph winds late into Wednesday. It was an easy
decision to delay shift change until Thursday. The replacement crew is now
heading up the mountain in much nicer conditions, with clear skies and light
winds.
The biggest story of the storm was not the winds (a mere 117mph), but the deep
low pressure. The debate is still out on who had the lowest readings and
records should fall. On the summit our lowest sea-level pressure was 28.79
inches. Deep enough to drop our barograph as well as many others around New
England off the charts.
Our wonderful volunteer, Judy Richardi, is now safely down the mountain after
keeping us well fed and entertained throughout the week.
March 14th
MISSING
Please help! Tucks...our penguin and summit mascot has been missing since late
January. 13” tall, mainly plush with
yellow feet and plastic eyes was last seen on the observation deck. Although known for stealing ice cubes and
leaving the doors open he was an asset to the Observatory.
SUSPECTS
Jon Cotton: Former intern and current hut master is our prime suspect. Well
known for propeller stealing was last seen sledding down the Auto
Road. Cotton did time in the late 90’s after his
cock fighting ring was broken up during a sting operation. His motives remain
unclear but we are working several leads.
Jeff DeRosa: Senior Weather Observer. Last seen in Berlin,
New Hampshire. An admitted penguin fanatic,
Jeff’s new job at the South Pole will provide an excellent opportunity to
return Tucks to his native land.
Pete Sweeney: Summit Manager. Its rumored that Pete’s sailing adventures on the
high seas involve smuggling exotic animals. Last seen near the Quebec border.
Nin: Summit Cat. You can cut the
tension between the two of them with a knife. Nin once indicated that as long
as ‘that penguin’ remained upstairs things would be just fine. He was last seen
sleeping...and well fed.
March 31st
I wasted no time yesterday after arriving on the summit. We
unloaded the snow tractor, put away the groceries, and headed straight for the
East Snowfields...skis in hand. Perfect weather on Mount Washington is rare and I wasn’t going to waste this opportunity. The snow was a little
hard on top, but it quickly gave way to excellent corn conditions all the way
to the Alpine Garden.
Yet another perfect day is in store for the White Mountains before a warm spring storm makes its way into the region.
April 18th
Wow, what a weekend! On Saturday alone over 2,500 people
ventured to the slopes of Mount Washington to enjoy some
amazing spring weather. The vast majority of them, including myself, headed
straight for the best party in New Hampshire...Tuckerman
Ravine. I skied down the snowfields and over the lip early in the morning to
secure a perch on Lunch Rocks. From there the crowd enjoyed the antics and
misfortunes of daring skiers and riders who challenged the steep headwall. I
don’t want to leave out the courageous sledders who were coaxed ever higher by
the cheering crowd before rocketing to the floor of the ravine.
Despite the tranquil weather on Saturday we were surprised that most of the day
was spent under a thin veil of high clouds. The cirrus were not the forerunners
of an approaching storm. They were the man made variety, contrails. Ideal
atmospheric conditions meant that as each plane crossed high above us their
contrail persisted for several hours. Although, the overcast layer was so thin
it was easily penetrated by sunlight.
Temperatures climbed even higher on Sunday, especially at lower elevations.
Spring skiers again scattered across the mountains leaving no slope untouched.
It felt more like summer as thick haze began obscuring visibility. By late
afternoon mountains as close as 20 miles were no longer visible through the
suspended particulate matter.
May 4th
It looks like a perfect day to end my internship on the
summit. Even though thin fog obscured sunrise the opaque sky was filled by all
the colors of early morning light. A few hours later our thin cap cloud broke
to reveal a stark contrast between green valleys and snowcapped peaks.
For my last week Mount Washington did not disappoint.
Expecting to coast through nice springtime weather we were hammered by late
season storms. Significant ice accumulations were followed by heavy rains and
intense snow squalls. I’m glad to see the mountains are putting up a good fight
against the changing seasons.
I remember my first day on the summit. On our drive up the Auto
Road we stopped to see the sun glint off the Atlantic
Ocean. The bright reflection seemed so close as it illuminated Portland 70 miles away. Before my internship I had been here many times hoping to see
just that site. During my time here I saw so many other amazing things, not to
mention all the great people I met while working here. This morning as I
traversed the observation deck I caught another glimpse of the Atlantic and thought, ‘it doesn’t get much better than this.’
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