There are colder,
snowier, wetter, foggier, and higher mountaintops in the world,
but Mount Washington in New Hampshire boasts such a distinctive
combination of miserable weather that it has been dubbed the "home
of the worst weather in the world." And of all Mount Washington's
weather miseries, the most miserable is probably the extreme wind
that visits it on a regular basis. In fact, the highest wind speed
ever recorded, 231 mph, was recorded at the Mount
Washington Observatory, in April of 1934. Add to that a bone-freezing
cold, and we're talking weather. A low temperature of 28ºF below zero has
already been recorded at the observatory this brand new year, and
that's not even a mild threat to the all-time record of -47ºF.
Mount Washington Observatory is gorgeous dressed up in its constant
fog and ice. (Photo credit: Mount Washington Observatory Photo,
www.mountwashington.org.)
The Mount
Washington Observatory, a private, non-profit weather observation
station, has been delighting weather enthusiasts with data on life-threatening
high winds, freezing fog, frost, and extremely low temperatures
for the past 70 years.
Peter Crane,
Mount Washington Observatory's Director of Programs, summed up the
basic theory of extreme weather enthusiasts. "The rougher it is,"
he said, "the better we like it."
Recording such
extreme weather data requires very specialized equipment. Wind cup
anemometers, which work fine for the observatory in the summer months,
are not effective for measuring the extreme gusts and enduring the
heavy ice of winter. For those measurements the observatory uses
an anemometer that's not exactly like any other: their pitot-static
anemometer (commonly used in aviation) measures wind speeds from
a customized housing made just for Mount Washington. (Pitot-static
anemometers determine wind speeds by measuring the difference between
static and dynamic pressure. Davis uses a pitot-tube anemometer
for NIST certification in our wind tunnel.) The observatory staff
is currently engaged in researching a sonic anemometer -- with no
moving parts at all -- which correlates the travel time of ultrasonic
pulses to wind speed and gives a 3-D wind analysis.
But Davis is
definitely part of the Mount Washington program. At the observatory's
Weather Discovery Museum, (which is not up on the mountain top)
there is a Davis Vantage Pro reporting data through our WeatherLink
program to a computer for visitors to check out.
"And sometimes
we use a [hand held] Davis Turbo
Meter up on top of the mountain," Peter admitted, "as a sort
of informal check of our specialized equipment."
Davis is also
a partner in the observatory's educational component. Bryan Yeaton,
the observatory's Education Outreach Coordinator, is the host of
The Weather Notebook which is heard on private and PBS radio stations
nationwide. Brian is currently traveling across the United States
in his specially equipped Subaru to the American Meteorological
Society's Annual Meeting and WeatherFest in Albuquerque in February
and he's taking us with him! Along the way, he will be visiting
schools, radio stations and National Weather Station facilities.
He'll be giving weather programs, talking to The Weather Notebook
listeners on the air, and meeting with fellow weather educators.
And what's right on top of that special Subaru? Yep, a Davis Vantage Pro! Check out The Weather
Notebook.
Besides observing
and recording weather data, the observatory is involved in research
programs with universities, the government, and private companies.
It welcomes visitors year-round, with the caveat that they can get
up there. In the summer, it's just a robust hike up the 6,288 foot
peak, a drive up a toll road, or a fun ride on the historic cog
railroad. In the winter, however, the only access is by snow tractor,
and low visibility often keeps the tractor off the mountain top. Members
of the observatory may even volunteer for week-long winter stints
to help the staff, and are often known to overstay their one-week
shift waiting for the snow tractor to arrive.
What do the
staff and volunteers do up there?
"The observatory
is like a ship at sea," Peter said. "We have to be self-sufficient
and there is a considerable amount of maintenance and repair that
must be done besides weather observation."
For that reason,
volunteers who have critical skills that free up the busy paid staff
-- such as the ability to whip up a tasty, hot dinner -- are especially
popular. The crew is also involved, when needed, in search and rescue
procedures. The mountain has claimed many more lives that most mountains
of its rather modest height. More than 100 people have died in falls,
from hypothermia, avalanche, and ice falls. When a climber or skier
gets into trouble, the crew of the observatory can often provide
timely help.
There are a
couple of year-round residents whose work at the observatory is
in the area of snoozing and purring. Inga and Nin, a couple of feline
weather observers are well-represented in the observatory's website
photo gallery. In fact, a lovely but shivery photograph of Inga,
caught outside in a frost and looking regal and elegant with her
icy whiskers and fur, is one of the observatory shop's best selling
items. (Followed closely by Davis weather stations, we hope…)
Next time you
find the weather in your neighborhood a bit extreme, click on the
Mount Washington Observatory's website and note the current conditions
up there. We bet you'll feel much warmer
