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Dear Joe,

A few weeks ago staff, trustees and members gathered in North Conway for our 2019 Annual Meeting at the Weather Discovery Center to reflect on the past year. This year we presented some of the changes that have come out of our Strategic Plan including my title to Executive Director and a reorganizing of staff responsibilities to support a crucial part of the strategic plan: sustainability. This new organizational flow will allow most of the day-to-day operations to be handled via two Directors. Brian Fitzgerald has taken on the role of Director of Science and Education and Brenda Sullivan’s title is now Director of Finance and Administration. This new structure allows me to get out more, meet with members and interested organizations and raise awareness of our mission and subsequently our funding levels.

The meeting also included a special presentation from Dr. Eric Kelsey on his current Snowpack Sensing research project. Eric’s work studying snowpack began last summer with a number of Plymouth State University students who set up sensors at various elevations on Mount Washington to monitor and measure snowpack profiles throughout the season. After the presentation, Eric led members on a hike to the lowest snowpack sensing station off the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. 

Thank you to everyone who attended and we look forward to another wonderful year with your support!

Sharon Schilling
Executive Director

State Representatives at the Summit

NH State Representatives Visit MWO

Observatory staff recently hosted a group of NH State Representatives from the Science, Technology and Energy Committee. Delegates toured the weather station and took part in a presentation on current research from Director of Research Dr. Eric Kelsey. A lively Q&A followed with a discussion about our work in observation, education and research with particular interest in investigations examining our changing climate and the resources needed to sustain our work at the summit. Given the group’s experience with renewable energy projects, wind energy was on everyone’s mind however, realistically the technology needed for wind turbines to withstand 200+ MPH and heavy icing may be a ways off!

Interns Arrive for the Summer

With summer in full swing and thousands of visitors planning to visit Mount Washington State Park and the Observatory, we are grateful for the extra help of our summit interns. During their week-long shifts, interns learn to take hourly observations, assist with weather station tours, and conduct summer long research projects. This year, our interns arrive with areas of interest in Meteorology, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Environmental and Energy Resource Management, Earth and Planetary Science, Geography-Meteorology and Emergency Management. Visit our About Us page (scroll to the bottom of the page) to read about our current interns and learn more about our Internship Program online. 

'Science in the Mountains' Lecture Series

We love being able to bring science programs to our community every year with our free summer lecture series Science in the Mountains! Lectures cover a broad spectrum of topics including bee decline in New Hampshire, connecting people to science through photography, and a visit from the notorious Marty Engstrom about his time on the summit working for WMTW-TV. (Check out the full schedule here!)

These programs, held every Wednesday from July 17th through August 21st at the Weather Discovery Center, are family friendly and free for all, but we are always looking for sponsors to help bring in high quality speakers for our community. If you or your business are interested in supporting Science in the Mountains, please reach out to our Education Department!

Jack Middleton (left) with Chuck Henderson and Chairman of the Board Gary MacDonald

Jack Middleton 

At our Annual Meeting, Chuck Henderson, Special Assistant for Policy and Projects to New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, read a congressional record honoring Jack Middleton with a tribute celebrating his 62 years of dedicated service to MWO after deciding to step down as the Secretary of the Board of Trustees this year. Many may know Jack as the president of McLane Middleton, one of the largest law practices in New Hampshire, but we know him as the devoted former observer who diligently takes notes at board meetings, attends nearly every event, and who continuously supports our work. His dedication is unparalleled and we can't thank Jack enough for his leadership & guidance!

Dear Joe,

Seek the Peak is in our sights and we are giving a final shout out for your support! Next weekend we will gather with hundreds of hikers who are participating for many reasons beyond supporting our non-profit. This year, we have heard from "Seekers" hoping to feel empowered after overcoming medical hurdles, families forming teams in memory of loved ones who were passionate about the mountains, and hikers of all ages who have set their sights on Mount Washington for the first time after months of preparation. All these hikers are setting goals around STP and we know there are many other stories of what has drawn our supporters to participate in this amazing weekend. What will your story be?

We would love to have you join us and take part in this weekend that creates many special memories. We love to celebrate all of our hikers and participants and with the help of our many incredible sponsors, we reward them with a party and a wealth of prizes.

Please consider taking part in this important fundraising event by registering for Seek Your Peak or supporting one of our hundreds of participants*.

Krissy Fraser
Director of Marketing and Events

*Marty the cat hopes you participate and catch up with him on the summit next weekend but if not would encourage you to support his fundraising page here…or maybe one of our Observers on Cirrus Contenders or Cap Cloud Captains!

Backpacker Magazine's Randy Propster talks with Retail Manager Samantha Brady at STP 2018

Join us at the Vendor Expo

Not registered but want to get a feel for the Seek the Peak vibe? Join the festivities at our Vendor Expo on Saturday, July 20th! From 2:00pm-5:00pm, stop by the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road to visit our many sponsors and partners. Eastern Mountain Sports will be on hand with their prize wheel, AMC is raffling off a few memberships, Backpacker Magazine's Get Out More Tour will be there with loads of gear giveaways. The Vendor Expo is free for all so come grab some freebies, talk shop with our vendors and you may even win a raffle or two! And if you are hiking, make sure to hike early so you can join in the fun before dinner!

Awards and Turkey Dinner - Oh My!

Our weekend finale is a celebration featuring great giveaways and a Hart’s Turkey Farm dinner starting at 5pm! Hundreds of prizes worth thousands of dollars are given away to hikers thanks to our many sponsors like Oboz, Adventure Medical Kits, NEMO Equipment, Hyperlite and many more. We announce the top fundraiser, 1st and 2nd place teams, and thanks to Mason & Mason Insurance we have a special raffle for kids ages 12 and under who raised their $200 minimum. Bring the family and plan to stay until the end; this is one event you don't want to miss! Participants who have raised at least $200 get free dinner passes and guests can buy dinner tickets for $20 here.

 
Roy Prescott (left) with Observer Tom Padham, live from the Observatory's Weather Station in 2016

Three Cheers for WMWV!

We are so grateful to have an amazing group of volunteers and sponsors with us during Seek the Peak weekend. One aspect of our Vendor Expo and awards ceremony, which sometimes goes overlooked, is the sound and music that is provided by the Mount Washington Radio Group and our favorite DJ Roy Prescott. Roy is not only a DJ for our sponsor WMWV, but a huge champion and friend of the Observatory. At Seek the Peak, you can see him setting up with his awesome colleague Mark Johnson, making sure our emcee Randy Propster is properly mic'ed as he interviews vendors, and happily checking in with all our observers that he talks to for the morning weather show. Three cheers to Roy and the Mount Washington Radio Group for your incredible support of Mount Washington Observatory and Seek the Peak! 

Dear Joe,

Seek the Peak weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year because of the incredible camaraderie, excitement and support generated through our hikers, partners and volunteers! Despite oppressive heat, we drew nearly 500 participants to the White Mountains of N.H.

We are pleased to announce that with pledges & sponsorship, we have crested the $180,000 mark and couldn't be more thankful for all of the support that got us there! As a private non-profit, we rely on this fundraiser to support our mission in weather observation, research & education.

A special thanks goes to our presenting sponsors Eastern Mountain Sports, Oboz and Mt. Washington Auto Road and a huge shout out to Kristin and Dave Karl of Sky Ambitions for bringing a few more great partners into the mix this year. Every year many of our sponsors step up to reward our hikers and we cannot thank you enough!

Mark your calendars for Seek the Peak’s 20th year slated for the weekend of July 17-18, 2020* and we hope to see you all there! 

Krissy Fraser
Director of Marketing and Events

*Registration opens December 1, 2019 at www.seekthepeak.org

MWO Awarded Education Grant

After several years of development and almost a full year of waiting, Mount Washington Observatory, along with researchers and developers at the Education Development Center (EDC), the University of Maine, the University of Washington, and The Concord Consortium have been awarded a three-year federal grant to promote data science education in rural middle schools in New Hampshire and Maine. The project, called “WeatherX” for short, aims to help eighth-grade students learn data analysis and modeling skills by exploring extreme weather events that have occurred on the summit of Mount Washington and in their local communities using web-based tools. To learn more about the recent project and award, read our joint press release here.

Interns the night before their final
shift change

Science in the Mountains

With the end of August looming, our summer interns are looking to wrap up their time working at the Observatory. Before heading out on their next adventure, many will be presenting at our free summer lecture series Science in the Mountains today: Wednesday, August 14th at 7pm. MWO interns devote their summers to weather and climate on the Rockpile through various research projects working together with Observers and Science Committee members. Join us to learn about current projects related to winter meltout, the NextGen Pitot and the Fluxtower project. Science in the Mountains lectures are held at the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway.

REU Students on the summit

Undergrads Visit the Summit

In July, MWO hosted a number of students at the weather station in the Mount Washington State Park Building as 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. Meteorology faculty at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Plymouth State University, including our own Dr. Eric Kelsey, run the program and mentor students as they work on various research related to meteorology and similar sciences. Intern Anna Smith visited the summit as one of these students in July of 2018 while she worked on a project analyzing the summit’s weather data which spurred her to get an internship with the Observatory the following summer. She writes about the experience in her blog “A Year Ago Today".

Meet Your Windswept Editor!

Our member magazine Windswept is distributed 3 times a year and each issue includes information about the work of the Observatory, the people who love it, Mt. Washington and the White Mountains. While many staff, members and friends contribute to Windswept, we’d be lost without our editor of more than 10 years, Marty Basch. Besides being a talented writer with work often appearing in local, regional, and national publications he is also an avid outdoorsman and cyclist. Just this summer Marty biked the new 83-mile long Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail with his wife Jan, adding to his long list of cycling and hiking accomplishments. Read more about Marty on our Staff Bio Page and if you are interested in a subscription you can sign up as a member today!

Dear Joe,

For many of us, fall means back to school, crisp, sunny days and beautiful New England foliage. For our observers on Mount Washington, fall means winter is finally at their doorstep! Why else would you work at the “Home of the World’s Worst Weather”?

The transitional season we see in September means higher elevations may experience summer temperatures one day and frosty, winter conditions the next. The morning of September 16th brought the first icing event of the winter season, with glaze forming an inch thick. As Observer Tom Padham wrote: 

“Glaze ice is formed near the freezing mark, from liquid water that has settled onto surfaces and then slowly freezes. This is the same as ice we see with freezing rain, and can be very slick and also a pain to remove from our instrumentation. It’s my least favorite type of weather up here, but it’s still wintry!”

Read more of Tom's blog here and check out Observer Adam Gill's blog on when we typically see our first snowfall of the year. Can you tell we're ready for winter? As always, keep an eye on the higher summits forecast and Mount Washington weather if you are headed into the mountains this fall!

Next Generation, Wind Vane and Pitot 19 on the instrument tower (L-R)

Pitot Updates

Back in 2011, Pitot 11 (a pitot static anemometer that we use to measure wind speed) was installed on the summit as a replacement to Pitot 97 and has remained the primary Pitot Tube Anemometer until this year. In August, Pitot 19, the sister to Pitot 11, was officially deployed in its place. Pitot 11 has now been retired to a backup that we hope not to need. Why? Because our Next Generation Anemometer, that was tested last winter, was recently reinstalled after some modifications this summer. Our observers and research team are now able to conduct side by side testing on the new design and configurations of both pitots. It is our hope that within the next year the Next Generation Anemometer will be validated and deemed ready for official wind speed observations!

Teachers on the Summit

Last month, the Observatory hosted the professional development program "Climate Change in the NGSS Classroom” for K-12 teachers. In total, eight northern New England science teachers joined Director of Science and Education Brian Fitzgerald as well as Observer and Education Specialist Ian Bailey to learn about weather vs. climate, climate change and how to present information to students within the Next Generation Science Standards. Teachers also had the opportunity to meet our Weather Observers and learn first-hand about our work and how it can relate to their classrooms. You can read more about the program in Ian’s blog post here.

Winter Summit Trips

Our education staff is gearing up for another year of winter trips! Our ever-popular EduTrips are selling fast with a few dates already sold out. There are still many DayTrip spots available from January through March, so don't miss your chance to travel to the summit in our snowcat, meet our observers and experience the summit in winter. We're also excited to bring back Arctic Wednesdays, our professional development program for teachers looking to incorporate real-life weather and meteorology work from the summit into their classrooms. For information on any of these winter offerings or other learning experiences, visit our Educational Programs page. 

NCON3 in downtown North Conway

Cheers for Volunteers!

You're probably familiar with our summit weather station but did you know we also operate many remote weather stations across the White Mountains including one in the valley? NCON3 is a weather station located across from the Weather Discovery Center in downtown North Conway and is part of the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Program. This program is run by thousands of volunteers nationwide who do daily temperature and precipitation observations. While we have dedicated staff who help take these observations, we would not be able to complete this daily task without the help of our volunteers. We would like to thank Larry Martin, Hank Dresch, Greg Fitch & Kevin Bennett who make their way to the station to check instruments and take measurements rain or shine! If you're Interested in volunteering with us visit our volunteer page.

Dear Joe,

October is a special month at the Observatory, since it is in this month that we commemorate the establishment of the Observatory back in 1932. With Founders’ Day, we show our respect for those early staff members who “re-occupied” the summit for science. Just as those four – Joe Dodge, Bob Monahan, Alex MacKenzie, and Sal Pagliuca – acknowledged their debt to the even earlier summit observers who kept watch from 1870 to 1892, we also must honor our dedicated predecessors who dared the hardships and the dangers of Mount Washington in order to know more about the mountain’s weather and environment.

Many things have changed on the mountain since the 1930’s. With today’s technology, from transportation to communication, operations aren’t quite as challenging as they were 80 or more years ago. But the fog is still thick, the winds are still strong, and the weather can still rank with the harshest in the world. And – the staff still remains dedicated to documenting and better understanding the mountain’s weather, and how this piece of the global puzzle fits into our planet’s dynamic weather and climate systems.

Dr. Peter Crane
Curator 
Gladys Brooks Memorial Library

 
MWObs founders (l-r)
Bob Monahan, Sal Pagliuca, Alex MacKenzie and Joe Dodge

Founding Day Celebration at the Weather Discovery Center 

We invite you to celebrate our Founders on Monday, October 14. Enjoy free admission to the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway where you can learn more about our work atop Mount Washington. 

Participate in a "Live From the Rockpile" session where you will hear from Observer & Education Specialist Ian Bailey as he communicates live from the summit of Mount Washington. We hope to see you there!

Pete Gagne working on a mesonet station at Cannon Mt.

Preparing the Mesonet for Winter Assurance

While many of you are shaking the dust off of your winter parka and gloves our Hardware Systems Specialist Pete Gagne is working in the field to prepare our 17 remote weather stations to ensure operation throughout the winter. His work in the field spans the White Mountains and involves cleaning solar panels and checking weather probes, battery voltage levels and any potential wire damage. Our mesonet stations create the backbone of our climate data collecting infrastructure, not only used for forecasting and research but as a critical tool for anyone utilizing the backcountry.  An invaluable resource at your fingertips!     

A classic image from the early 80s of a dump truck encased in rime ice during the construction of the Sherman Adams State Park building

It's Rime Time!  

The foliage is peaking and all is beautiful here in the Mount Washington Valley as we head into Columbus Day Weekend. True to form things are changing fast on the summit with Sunday, October 6 seeing the first incident of rime ice this season on the summit.  Although this seems early to most this rime incident is actually the latest occurence since we began specifically recording rime formations in the 1950s.  Fall intern Laura Kee enjoyed the rime and shared the excitement of her first week on the summit in her recent blog post.  

 
Executive Director Sharon Schilling presents the 2017 Valley Volunteer award to Bill Housum 

Accolades for our friend Bill Housum 

We wanted to send out three cheers to our longtime volunteer Bill Housum for his recent induction into the Fryeburg Academy Hall of Excellence. See the full article here. We already know how amazing Bill is and thank him for his well over a decade of volunteering and generous support of the Observatory. In fact we also "inducted" Bill into our hall of excellence so to speak a few years back awarding him with the Valley Volunteer award. He carries his kind spirit everywhere he goes and his good karma follows - in fact he once found a $100 bill during a volunteer clean-up day at the Weather Discovery Center and then donated it back to the Observatory always paying it forward!   

Dear Joe,

Winter is settling in on the summit of Mount Washington and with it comes a major shift in the protocols we follow at the Mount Washington Observatory.

With the seasonal closure of the Mt. Washington State Park’s Sherman Adams building, Mount Washington Auto Road and Mount Washington Cog Railway, we become isolated from the valley below. The only summit visitors have arrived by foot and any interaction with them is outside the building.

Preparing for winter is no easy task for us as extreme conditions move into our forecasts.

Our entire summit “world” needs to transition.  

Rebecca Scholand
Summit Operations Manager

Read further as you follow the story below related to our Oboz Footwear partnership and visit Becca's recent blog post on the Oboz site in her role as an Oboz Ambassador!

Oboz and MWO Lace-Up for 2020

As we move into our extreme winter season we are pleased to announce that Oboz has signed on as our footwear provider for another year.  A few highlights of the partnership include:

• The latest winter boots for the observers
• Oboz continuing as a presenting sponsor for the 20th anniversary of Seek the Peak
• Samantha Brady & Rebecca Scholand representing MWO and Oboz Ambassadors

Please continue with Becca's narrative from the introduction letter here at the Oboz Ambassador blog site. 

Valley Volunteer of the Year recipient Marietta Deegan with husband Bob (former MWObs employee and Marietta's poster hanging chauffeur!) 

Volunteers of the Year

We celebrated our many volunteers at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Party last month which was held at the beautiful Glen House Hotel. Marietta Deegan of Albany, NH was honored as our Valley Volunteer of the Year and Charlie & Jeanine Kinney our Summit Volunteers of the Year. Marietta has been a trusted Valley Volunteer for years helping with monthly mailings and Seek the Peak including hanging hundreds of flyers. Charlie and Jeanine filled many summit volunteer weeks over more than ten years indulging staff with incredible eats and a generous spirit. Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers from the last year!

Supporting MWO & Mountain Safety - Ty Gagne 

Friend to MWO and respected author Ty Gagne is going above and beyond in finding unique ways to show his appreciateion for our work. In 2017 Gagne launched his book Where You'll Find Me and it quickly became a respected work in the mountain community. Gagne has generously donated 50 books to our retail outlets and all proceeds from the sales will be donated directly to a restricted MWObs fund related to mountain safety. Learn more about his book and purchase yours here today. Gagne will also lead an Observatory EduTrip later this winter called, "Stories from the Mountain: Risk & Decisions in Wild Weather".  

For the MWO Champion

For a gift that will last all year long, give the gift of membership! Members of the Observatory receive benefits like free tours of our weather station, discounts on education programs, free admission to our two museums, a subscription to our magazine Windswept, access to over 300 science museums through the ASTC Passport Program and more!

As an added plus, those who give a gift membership or join as members themselves will also receive a free custom ornament as part of our annual member drive. These laser cut mobiles are created and hand assembled in Maine and are only available through December 31st or while they last. So don't wait - Give a Gift or Sign up today!

For the Adventurer

Give the gift of the most unique experience imaginable. Our winter trips offer an amazing experience for the adventurer on your list and there are still spaces open on our 2020 Winter Day Trips!

This unique gift will allow visitors to meet Observers and learn about the infamous weather on the summit of Mount Washington. For more information regarding this once in a lifetime opportunity, including travel in our Snowcat, check out our Summit Adventures page here!

For the Day Dreamer

Our observers are in one of the most beautiful places on earth 365 days a year and the views never get tired.  They capture breathtaking sunsets, epic ice formations, endless mountain views and they are available for you in all shapes and sizes! Order your print or special keepsake puzzle, playing cards, mugs and more at our Smug Mug site and take advantage of two holiday special offers using these codes:  

Holiday25 = 25%Off your entire order November 15 - December 2, 2019

BLACKFRIDAY25 = Receive $25 Off a purchase of $50 or more. November 29-December 1, 2019

Dear Joe,

Down in the valley….. When most folks think about the Mount Washington Observatory they think about our station on the summit of Mount Washington. But valley operations are essential to the mission of the Observatory. 


It's here where we educate on weather and climate in the Weather Discovery Center...


It's here where we base all the critical IT infrastructure so that weather reports, data transfer, webcams and more operate and make our data collection and sharing possible... 


It's here at the base of the auto road, not in the valley, but certainly at lower elevation, we have our maintenance operations -- supporting our motorized, mechanized transportation to the summit -- vans and snowcat...


Yes, our lower elevation operations are critical to all we do at the Mount Washington Observatory. Your support keeps us running!

 Thank you,

Sharon K. Schilling
Executive Director

P.S Thank you to those who have already made a recent contribution to our Year End Campaign and the Observatory. We are grateful for your support!

Dear Joe,

We all have a connection to our environment – where we live, where we work, where we play - and it is changing.  We watch shifting seasons and observe more frequent storms. We see changes in water levels, notice variations in crop cycles, spot wildlife habitat changes. Here at the Mount Washington Observatory, our job is to record weather data every hour – facilitating a data-driven approach to the science of a changing environment. We are THE source for mountain weather and climate data as well as the research to understand these changes..

We make sure that critical data is available because we do the daily and hourly things that are vital to good science. Having the technology to record weather observations 24/7, publishing meaningful forecasts, installing instruments that enhance our data set and having the human presence to observe and validate the accuracy of weather recordings -- all are crucial to continuing our incredible climate record. Our daily operation is science and an 87+ year ongoing research project!




Please assist our data collection and mountain weather science by supporting the critical everyday activities that make mountain weather and climate research possible!

Sharon K. Schilling
Executive Director

P.S Thank you to those who have already made a recent contribution to our Year End Campaign and the Observatory. We are grateful for your support!

Dear Joe,

On Giving Tuesday consider a gift to support science!

On Mount Washington we find that temperatures are increasing. Through our ongoing data collection and research we will continue to delve into this issue and work towards understanding how it affects our future and the mountains around us. 
 


Help us be a part of the solution by giving to science today.

 Thank you,

Sharon K. Schilling
Executive Director

P.S Thank you to those who have already made a recent contribution to our Year End Campaign and the Observatory. We are grateful for your support!

Dear Joe,

We are 1/3 of the way to our goal of raising  $77,000 to help fund the day-to-day work that goes into providing exciting science! Two of our current projects in the White Mountains involve our mesonet and snowpack sensing sites.  Learn more below and consider supporting this important science today. 



What is a mesonet and why does the Mount Washington Observatory have one? A mesonet is a network of automated weather "stations" that work together to gather data across expansive and varied terrain.

It’s here where we get the different temperatures of the auto road vertical profile. It’s the mesonet that allows us to observe large-scale and complex weather like frontal passages or freezing rain events. We use this data to study and improve our forecasts.  



Another ongoing research project of the Observatory is snowpack sensing. Multiple sites are used for tracking snow accumulation, sublimation and melting through technology and observation. Building an understanding of the variations in snow accumulation in the White Mountains will aide in predicting flooding events.  



The mesonet and snowpack sensing locations are not readily accessible. Keeping them up and running requires moving people, materials and technology to remote locations.

That's where you come in. Help us continue to gather accurate, timely weather and climate. Your support means we can continue to service, repair and replace these essential pieces of our weather data story.

 Thank you,

Sharon K. Schilling
Executive Director

P.S Thank you to those who have already made a recent contribution to our Year End Campaign and the Observatory. We are grateful for your support!

Dear Joe,

Oops...It is never a good thing when you send out a fundraising newsetter with non-working links to the donation page! For those of you that enthusiastically clicked the donate button to no avail...have no fear they are now fully operational.  I truly apologize for having to send this second email and hope it will not discourage you from supporting our work.  Sincerely - Krissy Fraser 

We are 1/3 of the way to our goal of raising  $77,000 to help fund the day-to-day work that goes into providing exciting science! Two of our current projects in the White Mountains involve our mesonet and snowpack sensing sites.  Learn more below and consider supporting this important science today. 



What is a mesonet and why does the Mount Washington Observatory have one? A mesonet is a network of automated weather "stations" that work together to gather data across expansive and varied terrain.

It’s here where we get the different temperatures of the auto road vertical profile. It’s the mesonet that allows us to observe large-scale and complex weather like frontal passages or freezing rain events. We use this data to study and improve our forecasts.  



Another ongoing research project of the Observatory is snowpack sensing. Multiple sites are used for tracking snow accumulation, sublimation and melting through technology and observation. Building an understanding of the variations in snow accumulation in the White Mountains will aide in predicting flooding events.  



The mesonet and snowpack sensing locations are not readily accessible. Keeping them up and running requires moving people, materials and technology to remote locations.

That's where you come in. Help us continue to gather accurate, timely weather and climate. Your support means we can continue to service, repair and replace these essential pieces of our weather data story.

 Thank you,

Sharon K. Schilling
Executive Director

P.S Thank you to those who have already made a recent contribution to our Year End Campaign and the Observatory. We are grateful for your support!

Dear Joe,

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2020! 

Thank you all so much for your amazing support in helping us surpass our goal for the 2019 Year End Campaign! Thanks to you, we raised $78,070 and counting as gifts continue to arrive in the mail!

We are excited about the year ahead. To give you a quick sneak peak, here are few highlights: 

• We will kick off the year at the American Meteorological Societies 100^th Anniversary Annual Meeting with several staff attending and presenting at our booth as well as presenting papers on educational & research programs.
  
• Our Discovering Life in the Alpine Tundra exhibit at the Weather Discovery Center as well as our Weather Wall on the summit are nearing completion. 
• The observers are fully immersed in winter on the summit maintaining the instrumentation and are underway with intern research.
• Planning for Seek the Peak 2020 is off and running with nearly 50 participants already registered in anticipation of the 20th anniversary event. 

We hope to see you throughout the year whether on a summit tour, visiting us at the Weather Discovery Center, participating in educational programs or joining us for STP 2020! We absolutely couldn't do it without your support.

Best to you in this New Year. 

Thank you,

Sharon K. Schilling
Executive Director

Dear Joe,

We are storming into 2020 in perfect form: with a foot of snow piling up on the summit!
We need to raise $24k in the next 24 hours to reach our  $77k year-end goal.
Please consider Mount Washington Observatory in your year-end giving.    





 Thank you for your continued support of weather observation, research and education in the
"Home of the World's Worst Weather!" 

 Thank you,

Sharon K. Schilling
Executive Director

P.S Thank you to those who have already made a recent contribution to our Year End Campaign and the Observatory. We are grateful for your support!

Dear Joe,

Highs, lows and a lot of winter ahead. Whatever the weather, be ready for it to always change!

This month, our observers have experienced some daily record high temperatures on the summit. January 11th had a high of 42°F, beating the previous record of 40°F, set back in 2014. January 12th had a daily record high of 45°F, equaling the daily record high first set back in 2018. With all these high temperatures, warm rain and dense fog, the summit’s snow pack took a major hit. But all this is changing as winter returns this week. Observer and Education Specialist Tom Padham writes about the upcoming forecast:

"After seeing record-breaking warmth on the summit over the past weekend and a huge reduction in our snowpack, it looks as though the longer-term models are showing a turn for the snowy. We certainly could use the snow, with only 3” of mostly solid ice as an average for our current snow depth. This snow cover is deeper in more sheltered areas and between rocks, but in many other open areas we mostly have bare ground."

Read more on his blog post and stay updated on the changing winter weather with our Higher Summits Forecast.

 
Fall intern Laura Kee at the Tip Top House in November 2019

Intern Experiences

We may have been seeing winter conditions for months on Mount Washington, but our winter interns are just getting started! Eve Cinquino and Caleb Buchler have joined our observers for the winter, where they'll help with daily observations, work on research projects and shovel a lot of snow. Eve writes about her first few days on the summit in her blog post "Hello from the Summit of Mount Washington!".

Besides our winter observers, we also welcomed Nicholas Rousseau, a junior from Plymouth State University (PSU), as a two-week Research Intern on the summit as part of our partnership with the school. Nicholas’ is working with Lead Scientist Dr. Eric Kelsey at PSU and discusses his project in his blog post, “My short time here on the summit!”.

Trip participants enjoying
high winds in 2019

Winter Day Trip Seats Available!

Don't miss your chance to head to the top of New England with one of our educational Day Trip Programs! These trips, led by a member of the MWO's team, allow you to visit our mountaintop weather station via our snowcat to learn more about us, the mountain, and why weather is so unique at the summit. New Hampshire State Park’s Sherman Adams building is usually closed to visitors during the winter, but participants are invited in to meet our observers, tour the Jack B. Middleton Weather Room and have a meal with our weekly volunteers. Space is still available on many dates, but filling up fast, so book your trip today! If you have any questions, contact our Education Department. 

Windswept Online

Members: Have you visited Premium Content recently? We are excited to announce we have added the last 4 years of our member  magazine Windswept to our digital issues and will continue to add more as they are published. These new issues are in PDF form so you can revisit or search for old articles and stories with ease. MWO members of any level have special access to content on our website including extra camera views and special videos. If you’re not a member: join today!  

*As we add more issues, you can make the choice to continue to receive Windswept by mail or find each new issue online. Let us know if you'd prefer to read Windswept online instead of getting a copy in the mail by e-mailing Membership.

 
Peter is also known for starring in our famous "Breakfast of Champions" video

Resident Historian - Peter Crane

If you’ve been involved with the Observatory at all in the last 30+ years, you have probably heard of Peter Crane. Peter is the curator of the Gladys Brooks Memorial Library at the MWO, but he has also held the title of Weather Observer, Museum Manager and Director of Programs. We are so grateful to have Peter around as he is not only a wealth of knowledge when it comes to our own history but also the history of Mount Washington and all the White Mountains. As our resident historian, Peter will be contributing some historical stories and anecdotes to upcoming monthly newsletters, so keep an eye out! If you have questions about our library and archive, contact Peter here.

Save the Date: 
Open House & Ribbon Cutting!

Monday, February 17th, 2020
5pm-7pm at The Weather Discovery Center

Join us as we celebrate the opening of our new museum exhibit
"Discovering Life on the Alpine Tundra" a virtual snowcat trip to the summit of Mount Washington. The evening will feature a live presentation from an observer on the summit about the Alpine Zone. Free admission and refreshments. 
More details to follow! 

RSVP by replying to this email or
calling (603) 356-2137 ex. 223  

The Weather Discover Center
2779 White Mountain Highway
North Conway, NH 03860

Mount Washington Observatory
Open House!

 Monday, February 17, 2020
5:00pm - 7:00pm at The Weather Discovery Center

Join us as we celebrate the opening of our new museum exhibit
"Discovering Life on the Alpine Tundra"
a virtual snowcat trip to the summit of Mount Washington

5:00pm 

“Extreme Adaptation: Flora and Fauna in Mount Washington's Alpine Zone” 
A special presentation from the summit of Mount Washington with Weather Observer and Education Specialist Ian Baily. Baily's program will highlight how Mount Washington’s infamous weather and climate, shape the living environment at and above treeline. 

6:00pm
Ribbon Cutting for "Discovering Life on the Alpine Tundra" 

Join staff, trustees, members and project contributors as we celebrate officially opening our new exhibit. Narrator and local Mount Washington Radio Group DJ Roy Prescott
will cut the ribbon!

Free admission, light refreshments and fun
giveaways from our friends at Eastern Mountain Sports start at 4:00pm

RSVP by replying to this email or
calling (603) 356-2137 ex. 223

The Weather Discover Center
2779 White Mountain Highway
North Conway, NH 03860

Dear Joe,

An eventful start to 2020. 

Earlier this week MWO announced the resignation of Sharon Schilling as Executive Director. After three and one-half years at the helm of our research and education institution, Schilling plans to pursue other interests.

“It has been a special time for me having the honor of sharing MWO with our members, supporters and event participants, all who have the same appreciation and love for the mountain, weather, MWO staff and the important work of the organization” said Schilling.

Observatory Board Chair Gary MacDonald announced Sharon’s decision and relayed “our appreciation for Sharon’s strong commitment and effort” on behalf of the Observatory’s Board of Trustees.

MacDonald announced that Donna Dunn of Jackson, NH would serve as Interim Executive Director, while the Trustees conduct a search for a permanent replacement. “We are fortunate to have Donna Dunn’s expertise available to us as the Observatory moves forward” MacDonald said.

Thank you, Sharon! We wish you the best of luck in your future pursuits. 

 
Summit Operations Manager Rebecca Scholand met many MWO enthusiasts at AMS 2020

MWO at 100th Annual Meeting of American Meteorological Society

In January, MWO staff brought the “Home of the World’s Worst Weather” to the 100th Annual Meeting of AMS in Boston. For the first time, MWO tabled at the public outreach event “WeatherFest” as well as in the AMS exhibit hall, showcasing our anemometers including the “Heated Number 2”, a replica of our current pitot based system and a model of the NextGen anemometer being tested on the summit. Additionally, staff members presented posters and gave presentations. You can now listen and find out more about these presentations on the AMS site:

• Robust Solutions to Maintaining the Mount Washington Regional Mesonet through Extreme Weather Conditions
  Information Systems, Keith Garrett
  
  
• Arctic Wednesdays Professional Development for Teachers Director of Science & Education Brian Fitzgerald
  
  
• Developing Low-Cost Arduino-Based Snowpack Sensing Stations on Mountain Slopes to Improve Flooding and Avalanche Risk Assessment
  Lead Research Scientist Dr. Eric Kelsey

Mount Washington: A Natural Laboratory 

For MWO, the 100th annual meeting of AMS represented a significant opportunity to connect with colleagues throughout the weather, water and climate communities and to introduce the prospect of collaborating in product testing & research on the summit of Mount Washington. Since our founding, countless companies & universities have chosen to execute research initiatives in this accessible, natural, manned laboratory. The opportunity is unique and results have given manufacturers utmost faith in the application of their products; if they can survive Mount Washington, they can survive anywhere. Learn more about this natural laboratory and our product testing capabilities with our new 2020 updates here.

 
Roy Prescott, narrator of the new exhibit, cuts the ribbon to officially open Discovering Life on the Alpine Tundra

Discovering Life on the Alpine Tundra now at WDC

On Monday, we celebrated the opening of our new museum exhibit Discovering Life on the Alpine Tundra at the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway with a special Open House. The event kicked off with a live feed from the summit for a presentation on The Alpine Zone from Weather Observer and Education Specialist Ian Bailey. Following Ian’s presentation, the audience gathered for a ribbon cutting of the new exhibit where Director of Science & Education Brian Fitzgerald thanked the many supporters* and staff members involved in making this project a success. More than 75 MWO members, trustees, and enthusiasts gathered for this event that included free admission and gear giveaways from our partners at Eastern Mountain Sports.Thank you to everyone who helped make this such a special evening! 

*This exhibit was made possible due to the generous support of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Dorr Foundation, McIninch Foundation, Goldberg Charitable Trust and HAM Charitable Foundation. With support from: Tom Guilmette, Videographer; Roy Prescott, Narrator; Doug Weihrauch, Alpine Ecologist, Appalachian Mountain Club; Mt. Washington Auto Road; Mount Washington State Park

History from Dr. Peter Crane

This winter marks the 150th anniversary of the two-month winter occupation of the summit of Mount Moosilauke by Joshua Huntington and Amos Clough. Moosilauke, a peak in the western White Mountains with a nearly 5000 ft summit and, in 1870, a simple summit building, served as a testing ground for Huntington and Clough, in advance of the next winter's occupation of the summit of Mount Washington. They were able to test clothing, equipment, and meteorological instruments, and learned valuable lessons which helped make the Mount Washington expedition so successful -- and which led to today's Observatory.

Dear Joe,

Our Annual Meeting looked a little different this year. Instead of gathering in person, our members joined staff and trustees online through Zoom to hear about the recent changes at MWO and how we are navigating this new landscape during the pandemic. Zoom may have been a positive for this virtual annual meeting. Board Chair Gary MacDonald noted that online accessibility made it easier for more people to attend.

The annual meeting is a time to talk about creative initiatives. Director of Science and Education, Brian Fitzgerald shared our excitement with a presentation on our free educational program “Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live” which wrapped up this month. This program was a direct response to the challenge of distance learning for elementary students. You can see these programs on our YouTube channel. Starting later this summer we will begin a virtual program for families, launching a new version of our lecture series “Science in the Mountains.” Our plan is to keep working with teachers and students this fall when school returns.

Like so many organizations, our financials have been heavily affected by loss of revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. We shared our concerns about the finances during the meeting. While our revenue has significantly diminished, we are not sitting idly waiting. We are actively evaluating all our programs and determining where changes can be made. We have already reduced staff. We are building a new development plan to find additional financial resource. Your support of Seek the Peak, your contribution to the Observatory is needed and appreciated – now more than ever.

While this may not have been the annual meeting we had hoped for, we continue to be grateful to our many members and their incredible support that allows us to do our work.

Donna Dunn
Interim Executive Director

Seek the Peak: Be a Part of the Story

We need your help to share 20 years of the Seek the Peak story. Whether you hiked our first year in 2001, will hike virtually in 2020, or any other number of STP years in between, we need you to share your story! Send in your STP story prayer flag to be added to the 20 strands that will fly from the observation deck in celebration of you. It''s simple - cut any cloth to 8.5''''x11'''' and design your flag with any words or images to tell your story. Then send it along to us!* You are a part of the story – be sure to represent!

*Flags can be sent to: MWO - STP FLAG, PO Box 2310, North Conway, NH 03860

A timelapse video of the Observation Deck from May 2020

Premium Views for Members

Have you visited our various webcams and videos available on Premium Content? Over the last few months Pete & Keith have been in the field and have replaced the Observation Deck and North View cameras on Mount Washington and the Jackson camera on the east. Some have been updated with different fields of view and are able to capture stunning wide angle images that vividly demonstrate the dynamic weather, dramatic sunrises, and beautiful sunsets on the summit. These new cameras allow us to provide higher resolution still images, and take higher quality time-lapse videos. Sign into Premium Content for sunrise, sunset and full day time lapses of the higher summits. Not a member yet? Sign up today!

Snow fields on the east side of the mountain as of sunrise on June 16th. 

Our Summit Partners - Summer Plans 

With the warm weather of summer, Mount Washington becomes much more hospitable and accessible place for visitors. If you are planning a trip to the summit, please check in with our many partners as they make changes and decisions around availability during the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, our weather room, Extreme Mount Washington and Weather Discovery Center Museums remain closed.

• Mt. Washington Cog Railway: www.thecog.com
• Mt. Washington Auto Road: www.mt-washington.com
• NH State Parks (Sherman Adams Building): www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/mt-washington-state-park
• Appalachian Mountain Club: www.outdoors.org
• White Mountain National Forest www.fs.usda.gov/whitemountain
  

Tip Top House and ruins from the Printing Office

History from Dr. Peter Crane

It was on June 18, 1908, that a momentous event occurred on the summit of Mount Washington. That evening, visitors in the valley below looked up to see the play of sunset light on the windows of the Summit House hotel, then realized to their horror that the colorful flashes were not nature’s artistry, but a destructive fire that was raging on the summit. Fighting the fire was futile; by the time it was over, the hotel, the printing office for Among the Clouds (the summit''s newspaper), the Stage Office, the Signal Station, and most other structures on the summit were reduced to ashes. Only the stone-walled TipTop House, and two stables just below the summit, were spared.

While a new Stage Office was quickly built, Among the Clouds was never again printed at the summit. A smaller and less elegant hotel was built a few years later. And it was not until 1932 that the meteorological work that had once taken place at the Signal Station was taken up again under the aegis of the Mount Washington Observatory.

Dear Joe,

Greetings from the Summit of Mount Washington! Now into our 5th month of the weather station being closed to the public, the Volunteer and Intern programs suspended, trips cancelled, and our Extreme Mount Washington museum closed, we are still adapting and standing strong. As the Summit Operations Manager I would like to update everyone on current summit staff.

Our observers have continued recording hourly observations, working on projects, and presenting programs all while establishing a new summit team. If you’ve watched any of our recent Science in the Mountains presentations, you may have noticed a few new faces. Since early 2020, we have had a number of new observers join our team and they have had the challenging role of learning, studying, and adapting to life on Mount Washington during a pandemic. However, I am thrilled to report that despite all the proverbial curve balls and challenges our new crew is rocking it! So without further ado, let me introduce our Summit Crew of Weather Observers.

In February, after returning from a stint at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica we welcomed David DeCou as our new Night Observer allowing Jay Broccolo to transition to the day shift. In June, former interns Nicole Tallman and Nate Iannuccillo joined us as our new Education Specialists and quickly had to adjust to being in front of the camera with our various remote programs in full swing. Finally, Sam Robinson joined the team with a background in mechanical engineering and passion for weather. Veteran Observers Ryan Knapp and Jay Broccolo continue to be our summit mainstays keeping us on track and supporting the quality training and control in all our hourly data. Ryan additionally contributes many of our images you enjoy on social media.

Needless to say I am proud of, and grateful for, the determination and dedication the Summit Crew has demonstrated these past few months. We’re all looking forward to the wild weather ahead.

Rebecca Scholand
Summit Operations Manager

Hurricane Irene in 2011

SITM - The Legacy of Hurricane Irene

On August 25th at 7pm, we are excited to bring our next virtual Science in the Mountains presentation, “The Legacy of Hurricane Irene.” Join MWO Sr. Staff Meteorologist Ryan Knapp, MWO Trustee and New Hampshire State Climatologist Mary Stampone, and Director of the USDA Northeast Climate Hub David Hollinger as they discuss the impacts of this historic hurricane. This free series is hosted virtually by MWO using Zoom, and will also stream live on the Observatory’s Facebook Page. If you’d like to join us, you can register today using this link.

High Winds with Hurricane Isaias

On August 4th, winds began to ramp up in New Hampshire and all over New England as Hurricane Isaias moved over the region. Our observatory staff was prepared to see high winds on the summit and kept their eyes on the instruments as wind speeds grew into the evening. For many of our new observers, this was their first hurricane on the summit and they were excited to experience stormy weather atop Mount Washington. They ended up recording a 147 MPH gust, a new record for the month of August, beating the previous record of 142 MPH set back in 1954! Read more about the experience of being on the summit during a hurricane from Observer Sam Robinson’s blog post here. 

Looking up at the NH State Park
Sherman Adams Building

COVID-19 Update for Autumn

As we head into the autumn season, MWO will continue to be vigilant in our response to COVID-19 both on the summit and in the valley. Our summit weather operations are the heart of the Mount Washington Observatory so we will continue to operate the weather station with essential personnel only. The Weather Discovery Center museum will remain closed this fall with valley staff still primarily working from home. We ask that as you make plans to visit Mount Washington, you continue to reach out to our partners at New Hampshire State Park, Mt. Washington Auto Road, Cog Railway and the AMC with any questions. Finally, we ask that you be mindful of the outdoors by following the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace when visiting the mountains.  

Dear Joe,

Earlier this year, the Observatory saw that educators were being challenged to teach weather and climate science in a virtual setting. In response, we rolled out a virtual “Home of the World’s Worst Weather” series for students, teachers and anyone looking for an education program they could safely attend from home.

The response was so positive that we continued the program in the fall and brought more of our educational offerings, like our monthly Science in the Mountains lectures series, into a virtual setting. By adapting our presentations for an online setting, more of you were able to join us for programs than ever before.

With a tax-deductible donation to our 2020 Year-End Appeal, you not only support our non-profit, but you support educators. Your donation supports students who have moved to remote learning and helps bring science education into classrooms and homes. We hope you consider a donation today!

"In a shocking time when educators were trying to figure out how to tackle an unchartered approach to teaching, your live programs provided us a platform for learning.  Having real life scientist interact directly with the students and in a way that they could understand the material really engaged them. They particularly loved when one of their questions was called out over the live program.” - Amy Rothe, 6th Grade Science, Maple Street School, Hopkinton, NH School District

Director of Science and Education Brian Fitzgerald reflects on the development of our educational programs over the last year in his recent blog post, "Mount Washington Observatory’s Virtual Classroom".

Thank you to those who have already made a recent contribution to our 2020 Year End Campaign!
We are grateful for your support!

Dear Joe,

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the Mount Washington Observatory financially. Many organizations are in similar situations, but the timing is especially critical for our nonprofit.

This summer is the 20^th anniversary of our annual fundraiser Seek the Peak. What is ordinarily a hiking extravaganza with large gatherings will now be a virtual experience. Our celebration will be a collective of hikes shared online by participants across nation.

We rely on this event for a good part of our annual budget.

The Observatory has weathered many storms in our 87 year history but this change means we need your support more than ever. We already have participants committed to raising funds and seeking their own peak. We are grateful for these dedicated folks.

Here’s where you come in on this global day of giving. Go to www.seekthepeak.org and contribute to a participant. Or set up a team of your own, even without hiking, and raise funds for the Observatory. Help make this the most successful year ever for Seek the Peak. Celebrate our 20^th year of this event as a registered participant or with a donation.  

Seek the Peak 2020 is virtually on. We are proud and thankful for your efforts in continuing to make this critical fundraiser a success!

Please stay positive and stay safe.

Cheers,

Krissy Fraser
Brand Manager

Seek the Peak 20 is presented by Eastern Mountain Sports, Oboz, and the  Mt. Washington Auto Rd. with support from  Backpacker Magazine Get Out More Tour, Martini Northern, First Light, White Mountain Oil & Propane, Mount Washington Radio Group & Mason & Mason Insurance.
Support these great brands, and you support Mount Washington Observatory!

Dear Joe,

Greetings!

I was excited to write a note about my start as the interim executive director of the Mount Washington Observatory. Believe me, I am delighted to have this role as the Observatory aligns for the future.

What I wasn’t expecting at two-weeks into the position was helping the Observatory navigate the unknown. The globe is dealing with the COVID-19 virus. The Mount Washington Observatory is no different.

In my short time here I’ve discovered that we have fabulous people making this place run. We have a wonderful summit crew. Our hourly observations continue. Our observers are dedicated and will continue updating of our important weather data set throughout this new challenge.

You may not know it, but we have a staff upstairs over the Weather Discovery Center who make certain you get your information and Windswept; who create and distribute learning and education programs; a team dedicated to all of our technology, from computers to the instruments on the summit and everything in between; the team members who make events like Seek the Peak happen; and finance and museum operations. This is a dedicated support team in what we call our Valley office in North Conway. This team is now working from home, continuing to keep the operations moving.

The entire Mount Washington Observatory crew is figuring out day-by-day how to navigate this new, unknown environment. We will continue to provide the great weather information from the summit of Mount Washington. Check the web site. Every day we are adapting our programs to the new reality. We look forward to the day we can open up to the public and welcome you to the Mount Washington Observatory.

Your support is especially appreciated at this time. Our museums are closed and we don’t know when they will open. Our learning programs are on hold. Your membership and additional gifts help us weather this unique challenge.

It is my pleasure to serve at the interim executive director. I look forward to what the future brings through your support.

Donna

Donna French Dunn, CAE
Interim Executive Director

 
The Nichols Clan on the summit this February

Seek the Peak - Keys to the Castle

In February, we celebrated our top fundraising team of 8 from Seek the Peak 2019 with a trip to the summit! The Nichols Clan raised $15,000 last year, winning the “Keys to the Castle” prize and a chance to experience Mount Washington in winter. The group had a truly special experience with 80 mph wind gusts on the observation deck during the day, a fiery red sunrise to light up the morning, and a beautiful bluebird day with 100+ miles of visibility on their way down the mountain. While the Nichols clan is shooting for another chance at the Keys to the Castle at our 20th Anniversary of Seek the Peak this summer, the grand prize is up for grabs for any team of 8. Find out more about our largest fundraiser and the many prizes and giveaways we have on Seekthepeak.org!

Video of Intern Eve battlling 110 mph Winds on March 4th

MWO Weather in the News

MWO had some amazing weather in the last month providing some great content for the news outlets. The Washington post, and CBS Boston shared our rare “wave” cloud– a lenticular cloud with KH (Kelvin-Helmholtz) waves. These breaking wave formations form from a large difference in wind speed over a relatively small vertical distance, creating a perfectly crested wave in the sky. Then, on March 4th, we experienced the windiest day of the winter (so far) with gusts up to 133 MPH. A video of our intern Eve experiencing the high winds was shared by many including The Boston Globe. While high winds are certainly typical for winter on Mount Washington, the visual of our staff in the winds always seems to put the speed and power of our winds into perspective for people. Make sure to keep an eye on our current summit conditions as winter continues in the mountains!

Snowpack Sensing Update

The next phase of the snowpack project has been launched! We are now displaying near real-time snowpack temperature and snow depth data from the snowpack station near Hermit Lake online. Temperatures are being measured every 10 cm (4 inches) above ground up to 140 cm (55 inches) and ground temperatures down to 15 cm (6 inches) deep. These data are being used by the National Weather Service to improve snowmelt and flooding predictions for the second year in a row. This addition of current conditions is the next step in Dr. Eric Kelsey''s Snowpack Sensing Project with more features being added in the near future.

Arthur Walden with Chinook in 1922

History from Dr. Peter Crane - First Dogsled up Mt. Washington

It was on March 30, 1926 that a remarkable feat of man - and beasts - occurred on Mount Washington. In spite of snow and ice, cold and wind, Arthur Walden and his team of sled dogs ascended the highest peak in the Northeast. Walden, of Wonalancet, and his canine companions  started early up the eight-mile-long Carriage Road. The first four miles of the trip, all below treeline, passed quickly but once in the exposed barrens above timberline, the elements did their best to thwart Walden and his dogs. The sled dogs, whipped by the high gusts, and stung by gale-driven snow, struggled to gain purchase on the steep, icy slopes. The younger dogs would have failed, if not for the steadfast tugging of Walden’s unflinching lead dog. After hours of effort the team successfully reached the summit, and then descended to safety. 

You might recognize the name of Walden’s lead dog: he was the famed Chinook, now the namesake for a special breed of dogs so well suited for hauling sleds over wintry wastes. Chinook, who proved his strength and determination in the first ever dogsled ascent of Mount Washington.

Dear Mount Washington Observatory Community Member,

I am writing to inform you about a breach at one of our cloud software vendors that involved information about you. Fortunately, the information did not include any personally identifiable information or “PII.” Thus, in the unlikely event that Mount Washington Observatory has your social security number, bank or financial account number, or governmental identification number, that information was not compromised in this incident. Nonetheless, since you and other members of our community trust us with information about yourselves, we feel that informing you about this event is the right thing to do.

The vendor breached is a widely used technology provider called Blackbaud. Like many other non-profits, Mount Washington Observatory uses certain Blackbaud cloud services to manage and retain fundraising information.

What Happened: We learned from Blackbaud on August 14, 2020 that it was the victim of a ransomware attack. Our communications with you are based on the information we obtained from Blackbaud, and that is otherwise available about this matter.

According to Blackbaud, although the cybercriminals were unsuccessful in their attempts to encrypt Blackbaud’s computer networks, they were able to export backup files for databases that Blackbaud maintains for its customers, including Mount Washington Observatory.

Blackbaud informed us that it engaged a team of forensic experts and law enforcement personnel to investigate and halt the malicious activity. Blackbaud and its team also negotiated with the cybercriminals and paid a ransom in exchange for assurances that the criminals had destroyed the information they had obtained from Blackbaud. Blackbaud also has assured us that it is monitoring the dark web to detect if the information is present there.

What Information Was Involved: As noted above, the information about you and other members of our community did not include PII. In other words, in the unlikely event that we even have your social security number, bank or financial account number, or governmental identification number, that information was not compromised. Our Blackbaud databases did contain your contact information, such as name, address, email, and phone number. While the information in the databases varies by individual, for some individuals the database may have also included information about gifts made to the Mount Washington Observatory.

What We Are Doing and You Can Do: Mount Washington Observatory has retained an information privacy and security attorney to ensure that Blackbaud has implemented appropriate protections to prevent this type of event from reoccurring, and to determine that Blackbaud otherwise has appropriate controls in place to safeguard the privacy and security of information about members of our community. Since the information at issue is both publicly available and not the type of information that typically results in identity theft, we feel that you do not need to take any particular action to protect yourself. However, we are happy to address any questions you have about this incident. To do so, please contact Stephanie Fitzgerald at response@mountwashington.org. Also, if you would like to contact Blackbaud directly, the toll free number to do so is 855-907-2099.

Mount Washington Observatory values the privacy and safety of our community members. We apologize for any concern the Blackbaud breach causes, and are here to answer any questions you have about it. Thank you for your support of the Observatory.

Sincerely,

Donna French Dunn
Interim Executive Director

Dear Joe,

The holidays are upon us. And we here at the Observatory look forward toward the new year with optimism. That optimism is supported with a little courage, a lot of energy and more than a little teamwork. The staff has actively cleaned, sorted and moved workspaces and exhibits in order to implement this directive. Many of our exhibits are finding new homes. Watch for announcements coming soon.

Our optimism is tempered by loss. Marty, our summit feline and our first social media cat, passed earlier in November. The outpouring of love from people across the country, and even the world, shows the impact of Marty’s unique mountaintop life these last 12 years. We are giving our observers and all the summit staff some time, but will be looking to continue our long tradition of an Observatory Cat in the new year.

So as we continue to adapt, as we always have, we are asking for your support. Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving, is Tuesday, December 1st and it will also be the launch our 2020 Year-End Campaign. Your support in this year of change and refocus means students continue to learn about weather in our virtual classrooms, daily higher summit forecasts keep our outdoor community safe and our nearly 90 year data-set can continue to be a tool for climatologists and meteorologists.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving! 

Donna Dunn
Interim Executive Director

The Next Gen Pitot Project was mentioned recently in our October SITM presentation

Research Update

Our Research and Product Testing page was recently updated with a few of our on-going, recently completed and new projects. Information can be found on the Temperature Database Project, that was finished after observers and staff validated nearly one million temperature values to create a homogenous temperature data record that is now "research grade" for further investigation. Also included is a new project that will explore and analyze Mount Washington Observatory''s Historic Visibility Data dating back to the early 1940s. Find out more about these projects as well as product testing possibilities in our mountain top laboratory on our website!

SITM: Speace Weather and Winter Predictions

Our next two Science in the Mountains presentation are in the books for December and January! Join us on December 8th at 7pm for, “Extreme Extraterrestrial Weather” presented by Mirka Zapleta, Director of Education at McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. Learn about the power of storms on various planets in our solar system and how our own extreme weather compares.

In January, we are excited to have Derek Schroeter, PhD, a Meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gray Maine present on “The Art & Science of Long-Term Weather Forecasting”. We''ll check in and see how winter 2020-2021 predictions are holding up compared with reality, and what we might expect for the rest of the season.This free lecture series is hosted virtually by MWO using Zoom, and will also stream live on the Observatory’s Facebook Page.

Rime ice forms on the instrument tower

Highs and Lows on the Summit

In the last month, our observers have seen diverse weather including balmy, warm temperatures one day and lows below zero the next. On November 8^th, the summit hit 50°F, breaking the daily high temperature record for the day and only 2 degrees off from the November monthly daily high record of 52°F. While the warm week continued, it wasn’t long before winter returned. As Observer & Meteorologist David DeCou writes in his new Blog Post Summer Days and Snow-vember Nights, “We left the summit in summer and came back up in winter.” David’s shift returned to snow, wind and cold temperatures including the coldest day of the season so far: -5°F! Read more about the shifting November weather in David’s blog post here.

History: 150th Anniversary of Huntington Hitchcock Expedition

It was in November of 1870 that a bold undertaking was begun – the first winter occupation of the summit of Mount Washington, in the name of science. A handful of hardy and dedicated pioneers established a weather station atop the mountain, braving the wild elements to document and to better understand nature’s atmospheric fury.

Foremost among those bold weathermen was Joshua Henry Huntington. He ascended the mountain on November 12, and immediately began his work of taking weather observations. He was enamored of his task, smitten by the mountain and what he could learn and experience there.

Temperatures approaching 50 below zero Fahrenheit, winds faster than 200 miles per hour, almost 48 feet of snow in a single year – we know that Mount Washington can produce such extremes, thanks to the efforts and to the example of Huntington and his colleagues, which began in this month, 150 years ago. 

Keep an eye out for an upcoming virtual presentation about this expedition from Dr. Peter Crane. 

Seek the Peak 2020 – The Virtual Year…

Seek the Peak is in in its 20th year and now more than ever it is the most critical fundraiser for our non-profit Mount Washington Observatory.

Where are you hiking these days? You can JOIN US BY PARTICIPATING FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. We hope you''ll be a part of this milestone year!

We will celebrate you and your participation so register today or support another hiker by donating to their hike here. Everyone who raises at least $200 receives this premium Cotopaxi pack! 

This year Eastern Mountain Sports partnered with Cotopaxi to offer this exclusive pack as a reward for participating in Seek the Peak and raising funds for MWO. And In celebration of the 20th anniversary, we have also designed this exclusive STP Sportek Tee, available to everyone who raises at least $300!

 
The rewards don’t stop there though! Our friends at Oboz have a boot in the game offering up a few pairs to be raffled off along with other items in our famous gear giveaway. This year, our giveaway will take place via Facebook Live @MWObs on July 18, 2020 at 4:00pm!

Celebrating twenty years of STP in this unusual time has its challenges but our Mount Washington Observatory and Seek the Peak enthusiasts prove to be amazing by hiking on, sending in their hike pictures and creating flags. Thank you! 

We are calling on all our past and current participants to contribute to this Seek the Peak Story/Prayer Flag…the flag will be a collective of you and your hikes over the years. We need you to join in by creating an 8.5 x 11 cloth flag and sending it to be flown off the highest point in the Northeast. You don’t have to be an art teacher or a master crafter – we love stick people! All the details are here or you can contact us for any questions as you craft your flag!

We are aiming for 1,000 flags – please be a part of it!


We will collect the flags through July and assemble 1,000 flags to fly from the summit tower later in the summer or early fall.  Below are a few that participants have shared with us. 



Take our Virtual Seek the Peak to new heights! Together we will celebrate our goals!

Cheers,


Krissy Fraser
Brand Manager


Seek the Peak 20 is presented by Eastern Mountain Sports, Oboz, and the  Mt. Washington Auto Rd. with support from  Backpacker Magazine Get Out More Tour, Martini Northern, First Light, White Mountain Oil & Propane, Mount Washington Radio Group & Mason & Mason Insurance.
Support these great brands, and you support Mount Washington Observatory!

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MWO Spring Fundraiser
Our exclusive "Cloud Types" tees and sweatshirts!

For a limited time, through April 22nd, we are selling these exclusive Mount Washington Observatory "Cloud Types" tees & sweatshirts!

All designs are ONLY available online through Bonfire.com until April 22nd!

Each design comes in multiple colors and styles so you can choose what type of item you want most. All information on each style''s material and fit can be found here.

 Please support Mount Washington Observatory by purchasing one of these custom shirts today! 

- https://www.bonfire.com/cloud-types/-

Shirts will be shipped after April 22, 2020. All exchanges, refunds or returns should be conducted through Bonfire.

20 YEARS OF SEEK THE PEAK! 

We are nearing the weekend of our official 20th anniversary event date and there is still time to be a part of this milestone year. There have been so many amazing Seek the Peak memories, friendships and victories over the years and we wanted to share this compilation of photos to thank the many participants and to hopefully inspire you to join us for Seek the Peak 2020!

While we cannot gather as we planned, you can still register, earn prizes and support other participants with a donation. 

It is with immense gratitude that we thank the thousands of participants from the last 20 years for joining in this vital fundraising event and supporting the non-profit Mount Washington Observatory. Enjoy taking a look back with us! 

Participants have been out on their hikes and preparing their story flags for this commemorative event. See what''s happening so far in this virtual year on our
Seek the Peak Group Facebook Page.


 Please join us and help us reach our goals for 2020 and take our Virtual Seek the Peak to new heights! 

Cheers,


Krissy Fraser
Brand Manager


Seek the Peak 20 is presented by Eastern Mountain Sports, Oboz, and the  Mt. Washington Auto Rd. with support from Backpacker Magazine Get Out More Tour, Martini Northern, First Light, White Mountain Oil & Propane, Mount Washington Radio Group & Mason & Mason Insurance.
Support these great brands, and you support Mount Washington Observatory!

Mount Washington Observatory

Post Office Box 2310

North Conway, NH 03860

(800) 706-0432

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Dear Joe,

Memorial Day Weekend always makes me think of warm weather, gathering with friends and of course, honoring those we have lost while serving in the U.S. Military. For the Observatory, it is also when our excitement starts to build for Seek the Peak, now ramping up for its 20th year! Plans have been altered but our enthusiasm hasn’t waned. Registered participants are planning their hikes, fundraising efforts are underway, and a new celebration is coming together in the form of a commemorative Seek the Peak prayer flag that will fly from the observation tower later this summer.

So this weekend, as you think about what your summer may look like, consider us in your plans. This year, more than ever, we encourage you to Seek Your Peak and be a part of our celebration no matter where you call home. We hope you’ll be part of our epic prayer flag that will fly from the highest peak in the North East to commemorate 20 years of Seek the Peak and highlight this 20th anniversary that despite going virtual, continues in support of our non-profit.

Krissy Fraser
Brand Manager

New Seek the Peak Shop

Our new Seek the Peak Shop is open for business! In an effort to raise extra funds during these challenging times, we are digging into the Seek the Peak archives and making past items available for sale. We''ve also added some exclusive 20th anniversary items like our 2020 posters, coffee mugs and tees. While anyone can buy these tees, we''ll have unique SportTech participant tees for anyone who raises $300 or more for Seek the Peak.

We truly appreciate your support and hope you enjoy some of our favorite Seek the Peak items - both old and new!

Lightning seen on the Summit from Summer 2019

Lightning Science and Safety

Braving the elements while living and working on the summit of Mount Washington is the norm for us. Extreme conditions that bring on thick ice, high winds and low temperatures are what our mountaintop weather station is known for. That said, there is one element we will not go out in: lightning. Now that its nearly summer and thunderstorms are more common, we put together a number of resources on lightning including our virtual classroom presentations. You can also read more about lightning safety from Observer and Research Specialist AJ Grimes'' blog post and make sure to catch our other extreme weather programs from our virtual classroom series “How of the World’s Worst Weather Live”.

Observer Ryan Knapp looking down on the MWV Valley at night

Tips on Life in Isolation

In April, the Appalachian Mountain Club reached out to Observer and Education Specialist Tom Padham for their article “Isolation Tactics from the Mount Washington Observatory Crew.” Due to the pandemic, many people are social distancing and looking to those with expertise on living 6 feet (or in our case 6,288 feet) apart. In reality, our Weather Station is often buzzing with co-workers, volunteers, interns, State Park employees and visitors. But the other half of those busy times are quiet nights, long winter weeks and a chance at living and working above the clouds. Enjoy the article and suggestions!

Oboz Support in Spring Weather

We are so fortunate to work with so many wonderful partners that help make our work possible. For us, having appropriate gear that keeps us warm and dry is not just a fun aspect of working in the mountains, but an important part of keeping our staff safe. Oboz Footwear has been our footwear sponsor and a Presenting Sponsor of Seek the Peak. Our Summit Operations Manager Rebecca Scholand put together a blog for Oboz as part of their Brand Ambassador series to show off how important it is to have appropriate gear and insulated boots during the spring season on Mount Washington.

Dear Joe,

As millions of students practice social distancing during this pandemic, the learning landscape, like many things, has shifted drastically toward the virtual world. Mount Washington Observatory (MWO) is no exception and that''s meant in-person educational experiences, like our museums, public outreach and on-the-mountain programs, have been put on hold.

It’s always been a challenge to get students to the summit of Mount Washington which is why, back in 2009, MWO launched a distance learning program that could bring the exciting science of our weather and climate into the classroom. Since 2009, weather observers who hold a dual role as education specialist have been delivering virtual programs to students both near (Gorham, NH) and far (Nome, AK and Mexico City, Mexico) in a variety of formats for a variety of audiences.

Given the unprecedented need for resources and support for remote instruction, it was a no-brainer for MWO to develop and launch free, accessible programming for teachers and students everywhere.

Starting on March 30th, MWO introduced a new program called “Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live”, free of charge. We truly hope you’ll enjoy these programs, and we welcome your feedback. We will need your support to sustain this program, our staff''s work and operations on the summit. Please donate here to make certain we can continue to serve students in their unexpected home classrooms. 

Brian Fitzgerald
Director of Science and Education

 
Join our Observers on Facebook Live April 13th at 11:15 am. 

Home of the World''s Worst Weather Live

"Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live” is offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:15am streaming live on Facebook. These 20-minute programs are developed with grades 3-8 in mind but are great for anyone hoping to learn more about our important work. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Meteorologist/Education Specialists Tom Padham and Ian Bailey discuss the weather on Mount Washington and across the region followed by a Q & A. Monday programs take a deeper dive into various aspects of weather observation, accompanied by online worksheets and activities. This Monday, Ian will be focusing on wind, in honor of the anniversary of the 231MPH record wind. Learn more on our Virtual Classroom page, where you can always watch the recordings of past sessions in case you missed them live.

"Cloud Types" Tees & Sweatshirts 

Our new "Cloud Types" tees and sweatshirts are now available for purchase for a limited time! This design features clouds most commonly seen on Mount Washington including stratus clouds, or what we refer to as "undercast" since they form at an elevation lower than the summit, and lenticulars that often form near mountains. Each design comes in multiple colors and styles so you can choose what type of item you want most. All information on each style''s material and fit can be found here. This design is only available through the fundraising website Bonfire.com through April 22nd so don''t miss your chance to purchase one and support MWO!

Endless Possibilities to Seek YOUR Peak

Planning for the 20th anniversary of Seek the Peak continues knowing that whether it is live or virtual: there will be hiking!

• Register and hike anywhere in the world and share your experience with us in our Facebook Seek the Peak Group.
  For STP 2020 you will not have to be present to win any of the drawings or to collect your earned prizes. All items can be shipped following the event.
• Use one of many apps that track your steps and walk as many steps as it takes to summit Mount Washington.
• Watch a virtual hike online as you use your treadmill or kickback in your lawn chair.

• Register and don’t hike at all…just raise money and support Seek the Peak as someone who loves MWO – we need your support now more than ever!

If you are gearing up, please remember our STP sponsors and consider purchasing direct from them as a thank you for supporting our hikers over the years!

The 1934 ''Heated Number 2 Anemometer" that recorded the 231 MPH wind gust. 

History from Dr. Peter Crane - "Big Wind" 86th Anniversary 

Sunday, April 12, marks the 86th anniversary of the World Record Wind, a gust of 231 MPH clocked atop Mount Washington by the staff of the Observatory. Yes, higher winds have been recorded elsewhere since then, but the 1934 event continues to be an outstanding occurrence. Not only did it underscore the real severity of Mount Washington’s weather, but it gave ample evidence of the dedication and scientific acumen of the summit observers of that day. They experienced isolation, hardship, and from time to time real danger to do their important work, all to advance our understanding of atmospheric science.

With modern advances, today’s observers have it easy, in some ways, compared to the difficulties of the summit staff in 1934. Yet the summit staff of 2020, along with the rest of the world, are experiencing new and different challenges. The remoteness of the Northeast''s highest peak has gained a new significance, as the isolation of the summit shows a double edge – with an aspect of relative safety due to physical distance, but with a troubling sense of separation from family and friends at this unprecedented time. Still, the observers continue their work, maintaining the unique weather and climate record which started in 1932, and maintaining the spirit of difficult tasks, which the crew of 1934 so exemplified.

Perseverance is in our make-up:

~ It''s how we have worked in “The Home of the World’s Worst Weather”
for over 87 years ~

~ It is why we hike and celebrate our summits  ~

~ It is why we stay focused on our goal of reaching $200,000 for STP 2020 ~

~ And it is why when we moved Seek the Peak to a virtual event,
we knew we needed to do something remarkable to celebrate 20 years of STP ~

20 years of summits, friendships, victories and shared moments will fly above Mount Washington!    

BUT WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU - SO WHO’S IN?

Although we won’t be hiking and celebrating together, we will be flying our flags together. We want all our past and present participants to help us create a Seek the Peak Prayer Flag.

Here’s how to participate: hike from anywhere in the world between July 1-18, 2020. Carry your personally crafted flag on your Seek the Peak hike. Take a photo with your flag on your summit. Then send the flag to us and we will fly them from the Observatory on the summit of Mount Washington in celebration of our “togetherness” supporting the Mount Washington Observatory. We’ll also fly your virtual flags on the Observatory website. 

Past participants, we are calling on you to create your flag from your past hike and send it along. Or even better register today and help us raise much needed funds to reach our goal in this milestone year.

Help us truly celebrate the 20th anniversary of Seek the Peak by making certain the summit is adorned with hundreds of flags. We need you to make that possible. Prepare your flag, take your hike, ask friends and family to contribute and make certain your flag is flying proudly on behalf of the Mount Washington Observatory.

Take our Virtual Seek the Peak to new heights! Together we will celebrate our goals!

Cheers,

Krissy Fraser
Brand Manager

Seek the Peak 20 is presented by Eastern Mountain Sports, Oboz, and the  Mt. Washington Auto Rd. with support from  Backpacker Magazine Get Out More Tour, Martini Northern, First Light, White Mountain Oil & Propane, Mount Washington Radio Group & Mason & Mason Insurance.
Support these great brands, and you support Mount Washington Observatory!

Before the sun rises on 2021, help us welcome a new day focused on our mission!

We have already raised $73,000 toward our goal of $75,000 before the end of the year! 
Your year-end gift will help us continue our weather observations, research and educational programs in 2021.

A recent sunrise over the observatory captured by Weather Observer & Education Specialist Nicole Tallman.

Thank you for being there for us in 2020, so we can be here for you in the New Year!

P.S. Thank you to everyone who has made a recent contribution to our 2020 Year End Campaign!
We are grateful for your support!

We have raised over $64,000 toward our goal of $75,000!
Help us weather this final challenge by making a donation to our
Year-End Appeal!

During the last year, our staff’s unwavering dedication to consistent and continual weather observation meant that, without pause, our hourly observations and nearly 90 years of data-gathering carried on.

Our dedicated team ensured that the essential information relied upon by scientific and research entities, and by supporters like you, was there and will keep being provided regardless of the challenges.

These data have proven to be highly valuable in developing educational programs like WeatherX, in keeping hiker''s safe with our higher summits forecasting, and in showing us how quickly our climate is warming.That, in turn, affects every aspect of our lives.

It is your support of the Mount Washington Observatory that makes that work possible! You can keep our dedicated observers on the summit, collecting data, with a year-end donation to our non-profit!

Observers and staff during a December shift change in the fog (something summit observers witness 2/3 of the year).