While the rest of the state is celebrating crimsons, reds and and oranges, the state’s highest peak is seeing white.
Snow began accumulating Tuesday atop Mount Washington, marking the first significant storm of the season. Approximately 2.5 inches was blanketing the summit as of Friday afternoon, capped with a layer of ice.
“It definitely feels like winter,” Alexandra Branton with the Mount Washington Observatory said as she gazed out on the chilly scene. “But believe it or not, these conditions are pretty normal for us on the summit this time of year.”
The 6,288-foot beloved “rockpile” typically records 19-inches of snow each October, according to Barton. This year’s first measurable snow -- just a dusting -- arrived in September.
This week, temperatures were largely hovering in the 20s, with wind gusts averaging more than 50 mph on Friday, resulting in single-digit wind chills.
Leaf peepers be warned: Branton says only hikers with mountaineering experience and extreme weather gear should venture into the higher elevations in the White Mountains right now.
“If you are not used to these kinds of conditions, it's advised that you take it slow, maybe hike at a lower elevation instead of coming up to the summit of Mount Washington,” she said. “But for those who are trained and well-prepared, they are having a good time up here.”
