Chris Dolce
Wind chills dropped to new record territory in the -100s at Mount Washington, New Hampshire, Saturday morning, adding to this observatory's long history of weather extremes.
What's happening: Situated in the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire at 6,288 feet, the Mount Washington Observatory faced a combination of extreme cold and strong winds from an intense blast of arctic air.
Wind Chill Record Broken: Wind chills dropped to -108 degrees late Friday evening and again early Saturday morning. This is one of the coldest wind chills recorded anywhere in the United States. The previous record was -102.7 degrees.
Winds gusted as high as 127 mph and actual temperatures dropped as low as -47 degrees overnight. This broke the observatory's February temperature record (minus 46 degrees), but the all-time temperature record (minus 50 degrees set on January 22, 1885) remains.
Nearly an instant frostbite danger: Wind chills this extreme can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as a minute, the Mount Washington Observatory noted in a blog Friday morning.
(MORE: What The Wind Chill Means)
Coldest in Decades: Wind chills have dropped as cold as the minus 100s as recently as Jan. 16, 2004, as noted in a tweet by UNC-Asheville meteorology student Evan Fisher.
Here's how you can track conditions: You can follow current weather conditions here. The observatory also has a blog and a Twitter account that provide information and visuals.
Mount Washington's long history of weather extremes: Probably the most eye-popping weather fact is a 231-mph wind gust that was clocked at the observatory on April 12, 1934. That's the highest known measured wind gust anywhere in the world that wasn't produced by a tornado or tropical cyclone.
This video clip from Jan. 24, 2021, shows an example of what the observatory looks like when it's buffeted by winds well over 100 mph.
High winds aren't the only thing that makes this observatory extreme.
It's also seen subzero cold in every month of the year but June through September. It's even been as cold as 24 degrees in mid-July.
Measurable snow has been recorded in each month of the year, including July, which had 1.1 inches of snow in 1957. Annual average snowfall is 281.8 inches, but it had a record 566.4 inches in the 1968-69 snow season.
You can visit there: Guided tours of the Mount Washington Observatory are available to the public when the visitor center is open.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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