MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 1, 2024
The network of automated weather stations that ring Mount Washington Observatory on New England’s tallest peak offers a detailed sneak peek of the storms that have made Mount Washington famous for having the worst weather in the world. Most roll in from the west, heading straight for Maine. That is why the addition of five new automated weather stations on the far side of a mountain in another state is good news for Maine. Storms bound for Maine hit the west side of Mount Washington first. Until last month, only the mountain’s east side had any weather stations. The expansion will do more than just fine-tune Maine’s forecasts, Broccolo said. Lessons they learn about how weather functions at high altitudes can be applied to Maine’s high peaks, like Katahdin and the Bigelow, which remain largely unmonitored due to conservation and funding restrictions.