Mount Washington Observatory: Science at the Summit

Perched at the top of Mount Washington in NEW HAMPSHIRE, the Mount Washington Observatory is recognized for operating one of the most extreme high-altitude WEATHER stations in the world. The observatory's summit weather station sits at 6,288 feet above sea level in the WHITE MOUNTAINS range, making it the highest PEAK in the northeastern United States — and the observatory sits right at that summit. Scientists have been collecting weather data from this location since 1932, giving the observatory a very long, high-quality mountain weather record dating back over nine decades. The observatory sits where several major storm TRACKS converge, which is why the weather up there is so famously violent and unpredictable. Understanding why this one mountaintop sees such wild weather is a perfect case study in how GEOGRAPHY shapes climate.