powderfreak

We’ve got a bigger departure than Mt Tolland up here but it hasn’t felt that way for sure. Weymouth only at -0.29” too? I figured SNE was a desert from the posts here. Looks like NNE/CNE is worse .

At what level does Stein kick in? Is it anything below normal or is there like a standard deviation level where you are “Steined?” Sometimes it seems everyone who isn’t seeing well above normal water is seeing Stein .

64F at 1pm at MVL. Not making the 70s today.

0.27”… nice gentle soaking overnight for the garden. Low clouds and mist currently.

High of 72F, continuing the theme of highs in the 70s more often than not since mid-May. Humidity on the rise too, dews up to 48F.

Couple off the cuff thoughts… As cold air presses south in winter, it’s fluid like the ocean tide coming in. The overall tide comes in but there are waves that push forward and then retreat back (just not as far back as the previous wave). Is there some climatological bunching that we are seeing the “tide/wave” retreat a bit in that period after pressing in early/mid Dec? Almost like late Spring has a well documented secondary snowpack maximum in the NNE mtns? The tide/cold starts heading back north by March but by late March/early April there’s another surge south and some renewed cold, just not as cold as before? Trying to conceptualize air mass movements as ocean tide in or out, you see some fluidity back and forth despite an overall movement of cooling or warming. When I first moved up here to VT a couple decades ago, everyone talked about the “January thaw.” That hasn’t been as big of a deal the past decade… it feels like it’s moved to the Holiday thaw or the “Grinch” systems. Has there been any reason for a pivot there in timing? Is it just random bunching on short time scales?

I know the Fairbanks Museum in St Johnsbury, VT has seen the same thing. I have to see if I can find it but like the 10 days around Christmas have a temperature rise that’s not seen before or after that period. IIRC they had like an almost 2F rise lately.

I’ve found the sheer volume of summer tourists and hikers make it virtually impossible to fully get the message across… but it’s true, that’s not to say one shouldn’t try. But folks take winter months in the mountains so much more seriously. We see it on Mansfield all the time. Say several thousand people will hike on a given weekend. The forecast scares the vast majority off, but you could still have 300 people braving elements, thunderstorms, etc. And one of them will get into trouble. Stowe Mountain Rescue (Town’s municipal technical rescue team) is tops in VT along with Colchester Technical Rescue. Both will respond to swift water, high mountain, cliffs, swimming holes, and all backcountry related injuries from as far away as the Adirondacks to NH depending on the nature of the call. The number of 911 calls they get in warm season is exponentially higher than in the winter. More people and people who are less prepared. If you go out in the woods in the winter, generally you know what you are doing or you think about it more. You go outside in the woods in the summer, it’s just called taking a walk, ha.

Nice Rad pit night last night… 43F at 750ft and 53F at 1500ft.

53F. Hoodies.

I likewise think personal responsibility goes a long way. Mount Washington Observatory forecasts were very clear about the dangers. NWS mentioned it too. There are a lot of dumb people out there, or just oblivious is a better way to put it. Same thing when beach-goers drown despite a tropical storm off-shore and crazy rip currents.

The summer time “mild downs” are by far the most dangerous. They seem to claim more hikers and lead to more rescues than autumn or spring because of how out-of-season they are. It was full on winter up there.

Stop using model data.

What a day. 72/39 currently.

Your credibility in telling folks what “they’ll see” needs a bit of rebuilding after the past week. Brand image consultants would suggest citing and showing some model data from time to time to build back trust.

37.8F Ha. It’s cold outside. Alex had to have had a hard freeze last night.

Sounds like a ridiculously busy weekend for hypothermic hikers in the Whites. The worst one here was a guy who they found unresponsive due to hypothermia. Hypothermic Hiker Carried Off Gulfside Trail Near Mt. Clay Thompson & Meserves Purchase – A high risk rescue effort was conducted for a severely hypothermic hiker on the Gulfside Trail in the vicinity of Mt. Clay Saturday night and into Sunday morning by members of Fish & Game’s Advanced Search and Rescue Team and the North Conway based Mountain Rescue Services (MRS). Fish & Game was initially alerted to this situation by the spouse of the hiker at around 6:30 p.m. The hiker had sent a text message to his wife telling her that he was cold and wet and could not continue on. He further wrote that he felt he would die without a rescue. Conservation Officers were already immersed in the carryout of an injured hiker from the Centennial Trail in Shelburne when this call came in. This was not the only call received this day. Beginning at around 2:00 p.m. Fish and Game Officers received multiple calls from hikers who were cold, wet and calling for rescues, most were on the high elevation summits and ridgelines of the Presidential Range. However, due to the dire nature of this call, an immediate rescue attempt was initiated and additional resources had to be called in to respond to include conservation officers from around the state and MRS personnel. The conditions in the high peaks were treacherous; freezing temperatures, rain, sleet, snow and winds gusting over 80 mph. Only those with the experience, training and adequate gear were utilized for this rescue. Mt. Washington State Parks personnel were also called up and were instrumental in transporting rescue personnel from the base of the Auto Road to the summit. Chains were placed on the tires of a State Parks truck due to the buildup of ice on the upper section of the road. Rescuers were dropped off near the summit and hiked into ferocious winds in an attempt to locate the stricken hiker. With the travel time and all the associated preparation to conduct a rescue of this magnitude the first group of rescuers were dropped off near the summit with the task of hiking down into the location the hiker was thought to be and locating him. They started in at approximately 9:30 p.m. The second group headed in at around 10:30 p.m. Rescuers endured driving rain, blowing snow and sustained 50-60 mph winds with gusts over 80 mph to reach the location that the hiker was believed to be located. At 10:38 p.m. the first team located the hiker who was unresponsive and in a highly hypothermic state. They provided immediate care by placing a temporary shelter over him and attempted to warm him up. Failing to elicit a response, but detecting signs of life, the crew jumped into action, placed him in a litter and immediately started carrying him up towards to the summit of Mt. Washington. The freezing rain continued to fall and the high winds still buffeted them as they attempted to save his live in this exposed location. The team carried the hiker over a mile up to the summit of Mt. Washington where he was placed in a truck and driven down the Auto Road to the base where the Gorham Ambulance was waiting. The arrived at 1:20 a.m. He was transported by the Gorham Ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital (AVH) in Berlin. His condition remains unknown at the time of this press release. His name is being withheld pending notification of family members. All in all 9 MRS and 6 conservation officers, including 3 who had taken part in the carryout of the injured hiker earlier in the day, responded to this rescue. The forecasted weather conditions, particularly for the higher summits, was not heeded by many hikers and several found themselves unprepared for the dangerous conditions above tree line and instead of turning back or bailing out to safer elevations, they continued on and ultimately called 911 expecting a rescue. Members of Randolph Mountain Club rescued a hiker suffering from hypothermic conditions and managed to carry her down off the elevations to an RMC hut. Another hiker who called 911 for help while hiking on the Tuckerman Ravine trail was provided warm clothing by Good Samaritan hikers who ultimately assisted him to an AMC hut where he was able to find shelter and warm up. And yet another group of hikers called for a rescue while on the summit of Mt. Eisenhower complaining that they were wet and cold. Sometimes having enough gear is not enough. In weather conditions experienced this weekend it is better to descend and get out of the wind and cold instead of pushing on until it is too late.

That is. Wow. Congrats Tamarack.

Lodge at Spruce is a Hyatt property now instead of Destination Hotels, not sure if that has anything to do with it. Summer is the town’s busiest season believe it or not, but it’s definitely getting expensive from high demand. Rates just go up, up and up each year it seems… but I guess that’s like every other consumer good too. I got a chuckle out of this, friend posted it. AirBnB’s are everywhere and it’s wild that you can rent a canvas tent for almost $200 a night. All the sudden $400-$500 a night for the luxury of Spruce Peak doesn’t sound that bad.

I will admit his ability to stay on-brand this weekend has been something special after a week of tossing all model guidance in favor of deep summer.

39F up top and low-50s base but man is it beautiful.

Tannin’ and swimmin’.

If the sun comes out tomorrow, we should see nice temps approaching shorts-wearing levels. Quite an improvement so maybe the entire weekend isn’t lost. “Previous Discussion... Where the sun shines, we will see temperatures boosted well into the 60s. Have lowered dew points a little below the NBM with values in the sunnier areas mainly in the 30s.“

Same temperature as the Massif all the way up here. Mother Nature is an equal opportunity employer. That cold pool aloft rotated well south and through SNE. The 18z GFS shows it while it's happening. H85 and H7. H7

Get out. He’s in the 40s now? Colder than many a Grinch storm. What a time to dig in and go down with the ship. Sometimes you gotta know when to get in the life raft.