December 1 – On a clear day, scientists at the Mount Washington Observatory can see with the naked eye all the way to the Gulf of Maine, about 67 miles (107 kilometers) away.
That distant glow disappears as soon as a storm arises. But those mountaintop scientists can still use technology to predict Maine’s future.
The network of automated weather stations surrounding New England’s highest peak provides a detailed preview of the storms that have made Mount Washington famous for some of the worst weather in the world. Most come in from the west, straight into Maine.
“We often get the first look at the weather in Maine,” said Jay Broccolo, director of the observatory’s weather operations. “The more we learn about the weather system, the better your forecasts will be. Not so important on a sunny day, but very important when the weather is bad.”
That’s why the addition of five new automated weather stations on the other side of a mountain in another state is good news for Maine. Storms heading toward Maine first hit the west side of Mount Washington. Until last month, there were weather stations only on the east side of the mountain.
The expansion will do more than just refine Maine’s forecasts, Broccolo said. The lessons they learn about how weather functions at high altitudes can be applied to Maine’s high peaks, like Katahdin and Bigelow, which remain largely unmanaged due to conservation and funding constraints.
The evolving profile of high-altitude climate change tells scientists what to expect at Maine’s highest peaks, where endangered alpine plants like Bigelow’s sedge and endangered species like the Katahdin Arctic butterfly are still found.
Autonomous collection of weather data is not new; stations have been collecting weather data along the Mount Washington Auto Road for nearly two decades. The five $1,600 each stations unveiled last week along the Mount Washington Cog Railway finally add coverage to the west side of the mountain.
Supporters of the Observatory rode a few hundred meters up the mountain in a bright pink train car to check out one of the new stations, roast marshmallows and talk about the importance of understanding the iconic mountain, which is a constant for all who lives there and is a mystery to most who study it.
“Like probably everyone in the White Mountain region, I have a very personal connection to the mountain,” said state Rep. David Paige, D-Conway, describing his daily hikes. “I wake up every morning with my cup of coffee and take my dog for a walk outside and we look up at the mountain.”
His mother, grandfather and 19th century ancestors did the same. “It’s not just an iconic mountain for the state or New England,” Paige said. “For those of us who live here, it’s a real constant in our lives, across generations.”
The series of new 3-meter high data collection tripods, which have an Erector Set-like feel, start at an altitude of 700 meters and climb up the mountain to almost 1,800 meters, measuring temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and solar radiation. , soil moisture and temperature, and wind speed and direction.
The stations transmit data continuously – as long as there is enough sunshine to keep the solar batteries charged – to a relay station that uses solar radio links to send data to the Mount Washington Observatory website for staff use , the National Weather Service and the general public.
The observatory’s director of operations, Keith Garrett, said he expects bad weather to “destroy” the stations he designed to withstand the mountain’s notoriously icy conditions and hurricane winds. He will probably have to repair most of the stations and replace the highest stations in the spring.
Meteorologists will use the additional data to make more detailed weather forecasts, but it will also serve climate scientists, hikers, skiers and climbers heading into the backcountry, and the companies that serve them, including search and rescue organizations.
Broccolo said the expansion will increase resolution and help scientists better understand the flow of weather systems through Mount Washington’s complex terrain, knowledge that can likely be applied to the extreme conditions in other northeastern mountain ranges.
Weather bureau meteorologists in Gray welcomed the news of the expanded data collection at the Mount Washington Observatory.
And Maine could use as many examples of its future as possible as climate change brings warmer and wetter weather.
The latest National Climate Assessment – released by the White House last November – includes data showing that the region is experiencing extreme heat on land and at sea, especially in the Gulf of Maine, and heavy rainfall more frequently than in any other region of the country.
Rising sea levels and heavy rainfall lead to flooding, raising insurance rates and forcing cities to repair or relocate roads, bridges and ferry docks. Extreme weather can sometimes cause back-to-back droughts and floods, which can wreak havoc on the growing season, spring thaw and mud season.
Climate change occurs when average weather conditions vary significantly over long periods of time, becoming warmer or wetter over decades or centuries. Linking climate change to a single weather event is not easy and requires in-depth analysis that is rare in a small, rural state like Maine.
But last year, when the national assessment was released, weather service meteorologist Chris Legro said “it fits the science” that global warming is causing an increase in the frequency and strength of planetary storms, while CO2 emissions continues to rise.
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