Cold air and a potent low pressure system brought record-breaking snow to the tallest peak in the northeastern United States late last week, and more could be on the way.
Published Jun 13, 2023 8:48 AM PDT | Updated Jun 13, 2023 8:48 AM PDT
The official start of summer is right around the corner, but one location in the Northeast recently set a June snowfall record.
Mount Washington, located in northern New Hampshire, is the tallest peak in the northeastern United States, standing at 6,288 feet. During the winter months, its peak is home to some of the most extreme weather in the Northeast.
This past February, temperatures on the peak of the mountain dropped as low as 47 degrees F below zero as the polar vortex plunged into the U.S. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures plummeted to 114 degrees F below zero, a new U.S. record, according to AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers.
However, this June has been one for the record books as well. As of Tuesday, June 13, the mountain has recorded 8.4 inches of snow so far this month. That's the most snow ever observed in June since recordkeeping began in 1932 at the observatory.
Mount Washington dominates the scene in this view of the business district in the village of North Conway, New Hampshire, on April 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
According to weather observations, the snowiest day of the month so far was on June 7, when 4.2 inches of snow fell. Additionally, temperatures only reached 33 degrees F on that day, which is about 15 degrees below the historical average for that date.
Even during the early summer months, winter weather is still common at the peak of the mountain. In fact, snow regularly falls on the mountaintop during the month of June, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.
However, even though snow is common during the first half of the month, totals are typically less than 2 inches. Pydynowski says the historical average snowfall for the entire month of June is 1.3 inches.
"A large and potent upper-level low pressure area brought moisture and an anomalously cold air mass to New England," said Pydynowski. "This helped produce the combination that led to the higher snowfall totals than [what] is typically seen in early June."
On Monday, temperatures surged into the low 50s and melted nearly all the snow.
"With another low and cold air approaching in the days ahead, we could see [the snow] total grow further," the Mount Washington Observatory wrote in a Facebook post.
According to the observatory, the last snowfall of the season typically occurs in early to mid-June.
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