From Cara Rudio (Mt Wash Observatory)
The big news on Mount Washington right now actually hails from Canada. Several wildfires broke out in Quebec last week, and southerly winds carried the thick, hazy smoke to the White Mountains and beyond. The result was extremely low visibility and reports of a wood fire smell as far south as Boston. Luckily, today’s rain is helping firefighters contain the blaze, which has already claimed more than 250,000 acres.
Considering the warm, dry conditions of late, it’s easy to see how the fires got started. May ended with just 3.44” of precipitation on the summit, which is less than half of the 8.21” average. A new record high of 65 degrees was set on the 25th (destroying the 61-degree record from 2007) and another record high of 59 degrees was matched on the 26th. Thank goodness the cold and fog returned today—with all the sun and warm temperatures, our crew might have forgotten where they were!
More:
Photos of Quebec Fire Smoke
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