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Mount Washington: Home to ‘the world’s worst weather’ with record wind speeds of 231 mph

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Mount Washington: Home to ‘the world’s worst weather’ with record wind speeds of 231 mph


Mount Washington is the tallest peak in the Northeast. The mountain is famous for attracting extreme weather, with winds that exceed the force of a hurricane more than 100 days per year.

The mountain is home to “the world’s worst weather” for three main reasons. Firstly, at 6,288 feet (1,917 meters) tall, it is the highest mountain in New England. Winds pick up speed when they can blow unobstructed, and the mountain is directly exposed to winds from the west that travel for hundreds of miles without obstruction. The closest mountains of a similar height to Mount Washington along this westerly windpath are the Black Hills of South Dakota about 1,600 miles (2,500 kilometers) away, according to the Mount Washington Observatory.

Not only do these winds hit Mount Washington at full speed but they are also siphoned toward the peak by the surrounding landscape. The mountains to the west of Mount Washington form a 75-mile-wide (120 km) funnel that channels westerly winds toward the mountain, accelerating already-fast winds until they reach breakneck speeds, according to the observatory.

Finally, Mount Washington sits on the confluence of three major storm tracks. Storms hit the summit every three days on average in the winter, bringing high winds and huge amounts of precipitation, according to the observatory. Record levels of precipitation for Mount Washington were measured in 1969, when 4.1 feet (1.3 m) of snow fell within 24 hours.

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As a result of its unique position, Mount Washington is a contender for the world’s fastest recorded wind speed. On “calm” summer days, instruments on Mount Washington’s summit record wind speeds of 40 mph (65 km/h). But when storms roll in, these winds can whip up gusts exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h).

On April 12, 1934, instruments at the summit measured a record wind speed of 231 mph (372 km/h), which is equivalent to wind speeds inside a level-5 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Such winds have the power to level well-constructed buildings, blow away structures with weak foundations and throw cars over large distances. The record still stands today as the second-fastest natural wind gust ever recorded, with the fastest occurring on Barrow Island in Australia on April 10, 1996 and reaching speeds of 253 mph (407 km/h).

Even wind speeds of 100 mph can rip huge chunks of ice off the mountain and the Mount Washington Observatory building at the summit, which poses a severe risk for hikers and climbers in the winter. The observatory has bulletproof windows to mitigate the risk of one of these chunks smashing into the building, according to its website.

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As well as flying ice, people climbing Mount Washington in the winter are faced with the risk of avalanches, hypothermia and frostbite. Temperatures on the mountain average 27.1 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2.7 degrees Celsius), which can create extreme wind chill conditions, according to New Hampshire State Parks.

Several rescue teams monitor Mount Washington, and volunteers regularly save the lives of hikers who get lost or caught out by changing weather conditions.





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Washington Capitals 2025-26 W Magazine Now Available | Washington Capitals

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Washington Capitals 2025-26 W Magazine Now Available | Washington Capitals


Arlington, Va.W Magazine, a lifestyle publication produced by the Washington Capitals, is now available for purchase online at www.washcaps.com/wmagazine and at the Team Store at Capital One Arena and at the Team Store at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. The fan-favorite magazine, which features content surrounding every Capitals player along with hundreds of personal, never-before-seen family photos, is available for $8 plus shipping. In addition, season ticket members will receive a complimentary issue, with copies for season ticket members available at the Planholder Hub on the 100-level concourse during Capitals home games.

The cover story, written by Capitals senior writer Mike Vogel, goes in-depth with forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. Vogel speaks with Dubois, his teammates and family members for an extensive feature on the phone call that changed Dubois’ life and shaped his future with the Capitals franchise. Spanning more than 200 pages, W offers exclusive photography of Capitals players and their families, along with lifestyle content and interviews with every member of the 2025-26 roster. Highlights include:

  • John Carlson on fishing in Maryland with his sons
  • Brandon Duhaime on spearfishing and his related YouTube channel
  • Ryan Leonard on moving to D.C. and living with the Dubois family
  • Charlie Lindgren on his first offseason as a dad
  • Alex Ovechkin on celebrating back home after becoming the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer
  • Logan Thompson on his love of dogs
  • Trevor van Riemsdyk on pop-a-shot and pickleball

The magazine also features an in-depth look at the Capital One Arena transformation project, including exclusive photos, insights into future phases and Capitals player reactions to the new Capitals locker room complex. A special interview with Monumental Sports Network’s Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin reflects on the historic 50th anniversary season, while a day-in-the-life piece with Caps Radio’s John Walton and Katie Florio brings readers behind-the-scenes of a home game radio broadcast.

Additional features include a look at a regular day for former Capitals service dog in training Biscuit – now a facility dog at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center – and a photographic recap of Alex Ovechkin’s historic 2024-25 season. A new “Beyond the Boards” section spotlights community stories, while the fan-favorite “Short Shifts” section returns with Capitals players sharing thoughts on topics such as the best singer on the team, funniest teammate, personal goals beyond hockey, what everyone should try at least once, their ideal entrance theme song and more.

The magazine also profiles members of the Capitals Black Hockey Committee and introduces fans to the team driving the organization’s youth hockey initiatives.

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W design services were provided by Matt Ryan. Player photography was provided by Greg Powers with assistance from Damon Banks. The cover featuring Pierre-Luc Dubois was photographed on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., with the assistance of captains and crew from City Cruises. Players were photographed for the publication at Origin in Arlington, Va.



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Ginger’s Journey: Walking from Washington State to Washington, D.C.

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Ginger’s Journey: Walking from Washington State to Washington, D.C.


Imagine setting out, on foot, for a journey not knowing how long it would take. Now imagine doing it with two animals as traveling partners from Washington State to Washington, D.C.

“Now I’ve started this leg of the journey in Morton, Washington where I was spiritually requested to go to Washington, D.C. and sing the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon on the Capitol steps,” says Jacob Holiday.

Jacob Holiday is on his way across America so he can sing a song he says signifies peace in the hopes, he says, of ending violence everywhere.

“I want so much peace. Cops would no longer carry firearms. We’re going to send the militaries of every country, I don’t care which one you’re talking about but every country, home to go to sleep. I don’t care what they do. But I want all this violence, everything, all this violence to stop.”

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He has two wagons and his traveling companions are a dog and a goat. Holiday started in Washington State in July and he’s not worried about how long his hike across America will take.

His multi-state trek has seen him encounter a lot along the way, including a run-in with a bear.

He carries food for himself and his dog and his goat on carts that he says weigh a couple hundred pounds. Besides necessities, Holiday has one thing he’d greatly appreciate receive being able to buy as he continues his mission.

Holiday says he knows his mission isn’t an easy one, and he uses it as a metaphor for life as a whole.

We caught up with Holiday in the early part of November on a 70-degree day in Cambridge, Nebraska then spoke to him again a few days later in the rain as he headed east on Highways 6 and 34, so no telling how far he’s gotten now.

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After we met with Holiday, we did notify the local sheriff to perform a welfare check, but we’re told Holiday wanted to continue his walk with his Capitol Steps goal still ahead of him. We also offered him food for himself and his animals, which he declined saying he had enough food on his carts.



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Washington state flooding damage profound but unclear, governor warns

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Washington state flooding damage profound but unclear, governor warns


The extent of the damage in Washington state is profound but unclear after more than a week of heavy rains and record flooding, according to the state’s governor, Bob Ferguson.

A barrage of storms from weather systems stretching across the Pacific has dumped close to 2ft (0.6 metres) of rain in parts of the state, swelling rivers far beyond their banks and prompting more than 600 rescues across 10 counties.

More high water, mudslides and power outages were in the forecast. Elevated rivers and flood risk could persist until at least late this month, according to the National Weather Service. Wind and flood watches and warnings are expected in much of the north-west for the next couple of days as storms bring rain, heavy mountain snow and high winds.

As of Tuesday, authorities had recorded one death – of a man who drove past warning signs into a flooded area – but key highways were buried or washed out, entire communities had been inundated, and saturated levees had given way. It could be months before State Route 2, which connects cities in western Washington with the Stevens Pass ski area and the faux Bavarian tourist town of Leavenworth across the mountains, can be reopened, Ferguson said.

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“We’re in for the long haul,” Ferguson said at a news conference. “If you get an evacuation order, for God’s sakes, follow it.”

It won’t be until after waters recede and landslide risk subsides that crews will be able to fully assess the damage, he said. The state and some counties are making several million dollars available to help people pay for hotels, groceries and other necessities, pending more extensive federal assistance that Ferguson and Washington’s congressional delegation expect to see approved.

According to the governor’s office, first responders had conducted at least 629 rescues and 572 assisted evacuations. As many as 100,000 people had been under evacuation orders at times, many of them in the flood plain of the Skagit River north of Seattle.



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