Eighty Years of Extreme Weather

Eighty years ago, a truly unique weather observatory opened.

On October 15, 1932, the Mount Washington Observatory began taking regular weather observations, atop the 6288' summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire.  

A continuous record of weather conditions on the mountain is made possible by a staff of dedicated weather observers taking observations outside every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, along with the observatory's support staff.   

The Mount Washington Observatory is a private, non-profit, scientific and educational institution.  The weather station is used for research and educational programs.  The main building is currently being leased from the state of New Hampshire and from Mount Washington State Park.

The most famous measurement on Mt. Washington was a world-record strong wind gust.

On April 12, 1934, observer Sal Pagliuca clocked a southeasterly wind gust of 231 mph at 1:21 p.m.  Despite measuring several gusts of at least 220 mph since noon that day, Pagliuca worried about the believability of the measurement.  However, the National Weather Bureau concluded the wind gust was valid, after further examination of the specially-built, heated anemometer.  

(MORE: The Story of the World Record Wind)

That record would stand until January 2010, when the World Meteorological Organization announced that a wind gust of 253 mph during Cyclone Olivia on Barrow Island, Australia was the new world record surface wind speed.  

As if this didn't convince you how windy Mt. Washington is, consider the following windy facts, courtesy of mountwashington.org:

• Average annual wind speed:  35 mph
• Average wind speed in January:  46 mph
• They've had peak wind gusts of at least 136 mph every month of the year!

Even without the wind, the summit can experience frigid cold.  Here are the teeth-rattling stats, courtesy of mountwashington.org:

• All-time record low:  -47º
• Subzero cold has been recorded 8 months of the year (October - May).
• Average daily lows are between 0º and -5º in January and February.

Oh yes, then there's the snow!  While Mt. Washington doesn't typically pick up as much snow as some of its counterparts in the Cascades, just over 23 feet of snow piles up at the summit each season.  Over double that average snowfall fell during the 1968-1969 season, a whopping 47.2 feet of seasonal snow