North Atlantic Oscillation Impact on Mount Washington Summit Weather

The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) has on Mount Washington, New Hampshire’s weather. The North Atlantic Oscillation is a meteorological index used to record height and pressure differences over the Northern Atlantic. Mount Washington presents unique meteorological insights since it is located several thousand feet above the surface and is therefore situated in the free troposphere around 50% of the time (Grant et al. 2005). Initial results exhibit a positive correlation between average temperature and NAO values, and a negative correlation between precipitation totals and NAO values. Negative NAO values have been characterized by above average precipitation and below average temperatures while positive NAO values have been characterized by below average precipitation and above average temperatures on the summit of Mount Washington. For both temperatures and precipitation, data suggests that the strongest correlation with the NAO occurs during the winter months (December – February).