Neil Lareau
Summer 2006 WAS*IS

I have been working for the better part of the past three years as a mountain top weather observer for the Mount Washington Observatory. The observatory is located on the 6,288ft summit of New Hampshire ’s Mount Washington and is known for playing host to some of the most severe weather on earth. The core component my work is maintaining a continuous hourly observational record of weather data. This requires week long shifts, continual deicing of equipment, and hourly forays into some truly nasty weather; a challenge no doubt but also a privilege. Additionally I am called upon to construct daily forecasts for the high elevations of the White Mountains . These forecasts are in turn disseminated by means of numerous daily radio segments, weekend TV shows, and our popular website. Since these forecasts are primarily used for purposes of mountain recreation in a location that can prove deadly it is vital that they clearly inform the end user as to the spectrum of conditions that may be experienced. This is a challenge that proves to be as much about weather interpretation and presentation as it is about the technical forecasting. It is from this problem that my interest in the WAS*IS conference is derived.
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