In New Hampshire’s White Mountains, April 12th – also known as Big Wind Day - is a time to celebrate!
We recently sat down with Drew Fulton Bush, the Executive Director of the Mount Washington Observatory, for a discussion revolving around Big Wind Day and the Observatory’s remarkable impact in the world of mountain meteorology.
Do you want to celebrate the 91st Big Wind Day on Saturday, April 12th, 2025? Join the crew from the Mount Washington Observatory for a Big Wind Day Celebration at Tuckerman Brewing Company in Conway, NH from 3 to 6pm!
Keep reading for the full interview with Drew Fulton Bush, Executive Director of the Mount Washington Observatory, or scroll to the bottom of the page for a short video.
What is the significance of Big Wind Day?
Big Wind Day marks the occasion on April 12th, 1934, when the fledgling Mount Washington Observatory in its first winter, clocked winds of 231 mph on the summit of Mount Washington. It is a seminal day for the Mount Washington Observatory. This record stood for 60 years as the highest wind speed ever recorded*, and is now the record for wind speeds recorded by human hands.
*The Observatory’s record for the highest wind speed ever record was eclipsed in 1996 by Hurricane Olivia at an automated weather station off the coast of Australia in the Barrow Islands.
What does the Mount Washington Observatory do?
The Mount Washington Observatory was founded in 1932. It had several precursors, from the U.S. Army’s Signal Service and the Huntington-Hitchcock expedition to state geologists, all in the 1800’s. Then there was a period from the late 1800’s until 1932 when the Observatory was founded. It was actually founded as a part of the first International Polar Year, where the entire world community was committed to studying wind and atmospheric patterns and high latitudes, as well as high altitudes.
I think our forefathers really understood the importance of having a continuous record at high altitude of weather and climate.
The Observatory works with several distinct audiences, and we have more projects than I can probably account in this short interview.
But in particular, we first provide forecasting and weather observations for the recreational community (more than 6 million of whom come to the White Mountains each year) with our Higher Summits Forecast. We try to keep those visitors, along with our partners, safe when they’re here visiting us and recreating, hiking, skiing, and more.
Second, we undertake research in collaboration with nonprofit, federal, state, and university partners. We’ve tested products for the U.S. Air Force, and we’ve had companies put their products to the test in the most extreme environment on the planet. We’ve even collaborated on grants and developed new technology, including for National Geographic explorers taking some of our wind instruments to the Himalayas and Mount Everest (and more recently, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina).
How can people visit the Observatory (in-season), and how can they interact with the Observatory year-round?
People can interact with the Mount Washington Observatory in any number of ways.
You can visit our weather station for a public weather station tour for a small fee from May through mid-October. We’ve opened it up to the public as well as to our members.
You can also watch our “Science in the Mountains” lecture series any month of the year, and you can take part in our educational programs whether you’re a child participating through one our member school programs, or as an adult.
Adults can spend a night on Mount Washington and learn from our speakers – that’s what we call our Edutrips, and they’re really a fantastic experience. And you can also get involved with our work as a volunteer, whether it’s spending a week on the summit with our crew or helping us out in the Mount Washington Valley in any number of our different areas of work.
Tell us a bit more about weather in the White Mountains.
Weather in the White Mountains can be completely unexpected and shift at any moment.
I urge anybody coming to the White Mountains to be responsible by bringing the equipment not that you think you need while you’re in the Valley and it’s warm out, but what you might expect (or not even expect!) during your trip up to the Presidential ranges or anywhere else with high elevation.
If you need up-to-date information, you can check out our website at MountWashington.org, where you will find our Higher Summits Forecast. You can also find the current conditions on Mount Washington itself, as well as our new statewide forecast if you’re in the Valley or in your own community at home.
How does the Observatory’s work play an integral role in the larger world of meteorology?
The Observatory plays an integral role in the wider scientific research community. We are cutting edge, and a leading institution for the studies of mountain meteorology and extreme weather. We are one of the very few places that is staffed 365 days a year, continuously monitoring the weather every hour, and have one of the longest high-altitude records in the world, and in fact even just in North America.
What makes Mount Washington the “Home of the World’s Worst Weather”?
We’ve had record breaking winds on Big Wind Day that clocked in at 231 mph, we’ve had record-breaking cold – in fact, in February of 2023 we tied our “coldest on record” at -47 degrees Fahrenheit – and this year, we even went for over 63 days with below freezing temperatures. One of those days in January, our high was a -13 degrees F.
Our summit team endures windspeeds that are over 100 mph regularly, and we couldn’t be prouder of all the work they do.
How can people help support the Observatory’s mission?
We invite you to help support our work, and to allow us to continue our long-term weather record into its 93rd year. To support us, you can go to our website and click on the button that says “Donate”; any donation makes you a member, and any donation over $6,288 (the height of Mount Washington) gets you all of our member privileges, such as our magazine, a free tour of our weather station, and a number of other cool items.
We are more dependent on member support than any other nonprofit I know of, with more than 50% of our budget coming from private sources.
Tell us about the Big Wind Day Celebration at Tuckerman Brewing Company in Conway, NH.
Our event in celebration of Big Wind Day is coming up this April 12th at Tuckerman Brewing Company! It’s our 91st Big Wind Day, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate it with you. We’ll have engineering challenges for young students, live music, a proclamation from the Governor, and announcement about our new partnership with Tuckerman Brewing Company as well.
It’s going to be an amazing evening and a big party, and we welcome you to join us, get to know our staff, our trustees, our volunteers, and have some wonderful times with a community that would love to include you!
