Mount Washington famously lays claim to the world鈥檚 worst weather. Now, a new project from the Mount Washington Observatory will allow people to monitor that weather more closely.
Last week, the observatory unveiled a project to expand the Mount Washington Regional Mesonet, a network of weather monitoring stations. There are 11 original stations in the network. Right now, 22 stations are active.
Funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission is helping to add to those numbers and update existing stations. Over the next four years, the observatory says they鈥檒l expand the network to about 36 stations.
The first five of the new stations are along the western side of the mountain along the route of the Cog Railway. But the observatory plans to expand stations across the state, starting in the North Country.
The stations are set up on big tripods and powered by solar panels. They measure things like solar radiation, temperature, humidity, wind speed and soil temperature, sharing that data in real time.
That data can be used by weather forecasters, scientists and search and rescue teams. But Jay Broccolo, the director of weather operations at the observatory, said it鈥檚 also important for the public.
鈥淐an we think of an industry or a job or anything that's not affected by the weather, whether it comes down to insurance or supply chain or what you're wearing that day?鈥� he said. 鈥淲eather affects us all.鈥�
Broccolo said the network expansion is particularly important because weather is a resource for New Hampshire, especially for one of its top industries: tourism.
鈥淲e think of tourism as the snow, but what creates snow and what creates skiing? It's the weather. That is what creates those tourist attractions, the phenology that brings up so many people during leaf peeping season,鈥� he said.
The network will help scientists and businesses better understand the weather driving tourism in the state, he said.
Keeping weather stations running in harsh conditions can be tough work. Keith Garrett, the observatory鈥檚 director of technology, said the expansion is starting on Mount Washington along the Cog Railway as a kind of trial period, using a space that鈥檚 familiar 鈥� though prone to ice and wind that鈥檚 difficult for stations to withstand.
Garrett said he expects one station, located just below the summit of Mount Washington, to be half destroyed by spring.
鈥淚t's part of the learning process,鈥� he said. 鈥淚terating through designs as fast as we can to try to come up with something that is robust and can survive this environment.鈥�
Lessons from the station on the mountain could help Garrett and his team build out stations in more remote areas in northern New Hampshire. Stations are as far north as Second 黑料吃瓜网 Lake.
