Until recently, the Mount Washington Observatory had about 17 remote weather monitoring stations. At the end of a four-year expansion, it’ll have more than 50, said its executive director.
Those expanded data points will help a variety of constituents across sectors spanning from climate science to outdoor recreation. The first leg of the expansion – which came in November in the form of five new automated stations along the Cog Railway on the west side of Mount Washington – paves the way to improved weather forecasts.
“It’ll just make our ability to give accurate forecasts so very much enhanced,” said Drew Bush, the executive director of the observatory. “… When you look at storm tracks for our region, most storms are coming from the west, and our observation team on the summit of Mount Washington has been asking for this data for years.”
These stations – with locations around Mount Washington and other spots in the White Mountains – collect data on temperature, precipitation, wind speed, relative humidity, and more, which is available to the public online. They’re part of the Mount Washington Regional Mesonet, which the observatory describes as “a network of automated stations in and around the White Mountains that continuously collect weather data.” This provides valuable information to researchers and meteorologists, including the National Weather Service.
Stations vary, but the majority are tripods that stand about 10 feet tall, Bush said. Most are equipped with solar panels, due to their remote locations, though a few can plug directly into the electrical grid, he said. Sometimes snow can cover solar panels and cause delays, but if the stations have power, they transmit data in real time, Bush said.
Federal money has facilitated this expansion, which will also include modernizing 11 existing stations, Bush said. One of those funding sources is a Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Grant. Other funds come from a request appropriated by Congress, an effort Bush said was spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
The enhanced forecasting abilities will help the observatory better inform hikers, skiers, and other visitors to the White Mountains of the weather conditions, Bush said. It will also assist search-and-rescue teams.
“There’s, I think, just a huge amount of desire from the community to have this data,” Bush said. “… I think just from a very basic level, to try to really help people stay safe when they’re here as guests and visitors and they’re recreating outdoors.”
People have observed the weather from Mount Washington for more than 150 years, according to a history of the observatory by its curator Dr. Peter Crane. Its extreme weather – which can feature sub-zero temperatures, snow, and strong winds – has attracted researchers and visitors to New England’s highest peak.
The stations can pay a price for their observations, with the harsh weather sometimes damaging equipment. “Pretty much every year” they make repairs at stations or update their technology, Bush said.
“It’s an iterative process,” Bush said, “so we’re always looking to improve them, to make sure that they can really survive the elements, you know, to make sure we have sort of the latest, most cutting-edge technology for them.”
Part of the observatory’s role is developing technology for weather stations. As part of work with a professor who is a National Geographic Explorer, for instance, a piece of the observatory’s technology is on Mount Everest tracking wind speeds, Bush said.
Closer to home, decades of weather observations make Mount Washington a valuable tool for viewing how Earth’s climate has changed in recent decades. Researchers, using data from sites across the White Mountains, have found warming air temperatures, wetter summers, an increase in heavy precipitation events, and a loss in snow, according to a fact sheet from the observatory and partners.
This expansion will help establish a more comprehensive history of the White Mountains’ climate and a closer look at how it’s changing.
“Looking forward into the future, it really allows us to establish this much more detailed record,” Bush said.
