INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT

Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, is the highest peak in Northeastern United States and the most prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. Before the European settlers arrived, the natives called the mountain Agiocochook, or ‘Home of the Great Spirit’. Today, it is better known as the ‘ Home of the World's Worst Weather’.

Mount Washington is located in the temperate climate zone but has Arctic-like conditions. Extreme cold, year-round snowfall, dense fog, heavy icing and exceptional winds are some of Mount Washington's prominent features.

The peak isn’t terribly high either, just 6,288 feet, yet it endures some of the planet’s most extreme weather comparable to those experienced on top of Mount Everest or on the South Pole.

The lowest temperature ever recorded at Mount Washington's summit is -46.0°C. Only the South Pole is colder. The highest wind speed recorded here was 231 miles per hour (372kmph) which remained the fastest wind speed ever recorded anywhere on earth, for most of the 20th century, besting even the most fierce hurricanes. The peak is blasted by hurricane-force wind on an average of 110 days a year which further lowers the wind chill value. On January 16, 2004, the summit registered a temperature of -42.0°C and sustained winds of 87.5mph (140.8kmph), resulting in a wind chill value of -74.77°C.

Mount Washington’s extreme weather is due to its geographic location. The peak stands on the path of several storms, mainly those from the Atlantic to the south, the Gulf region and Pacific Northwest. The vertical rise of the Presidential Range, combined with its north-south orientation, makes it a significant barrier to westerly winds.

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