The place with the worst weather in the world.

In the United States, Mount Washington in New Hampshire is known as the place with the worst weather in the world , with strong winds, heavy rain, and freezing temperatures.

Mount Washington experiences extremely harsh weather conditions. Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press

"Stormy winds rage for about a third of the year, the cold is rarely seen anywhere other than the Arctic, and the rainfall is incredibly heavy," science communicator Maiya May said of Mount Washington, considered to have the worst weather in the world.

The summit of this relatively small mountain once held the record for the highest wind speed on the planet for over 60 years, when experts measured a gust of wind at 372 km/h in April 1934. Even in the summer, when the winds are calmest, they still average around 40 km/h.

"Basically, we encounter 160 km/h winds once a week during the winter. Typically, a 160 km/h gust is enough to knock me over, and I've seen winds as high as 225 km/h," said Tom Padham, a weather observer on Mount Washington.

Mount Washington is also very humid, with an average rainfall of over 2,286 mm per year and more than 7,163 mm of snow, ice, and hail. It is foggy about two-thirds of the time. The summit is also susceptible to direct lightning strikes.

Temperatures on the mountain are also far from pleasant. Monthly average temperatures range from -14.4°C in January to 10°C in July. "Any exposed skin, even just a millimeter, feels like a bee sting or mild sunburn, so it's definitely not very pleasant here," weather observer Francis Tarasiewicz said in February of this year. Earlier that month, due to a combination of 177 km/h winds and Arctic cold, the Mount Washington Observatory set a new record for the coldest wind chill ever recorded in the U.S., reaching -78°C, with an actual temperature of -43°C.

The place with the worst weather in the world.

Mount Washington Observatory, February 3, 2023. Video : NWS Cleveland

Francis Tarasiewicz, an engineer at the Mount Washington Observatory, humorously remarked that much of the mountain's weather is due to "luck." The mountain's unique conditions stem from a combination of factors such as its altitude, geographical location, and latitude on Earth, all contributing to the worst possible weather.

For example, Mount Washington is located almost halfway between the Arctic Circle and the equator—right in the path of the polar jet stream. This wind band receives energy from the collision of cold air from the north and warm air from the south. "At mid-latitudes, we experience many storms. But what makes the difference is that we are in a very humid atmosphere. The humidity leads to phenomena like instability," Tarasiewicz said.

The mountain's isolation from the surrounding terrain makes the situation worse. "This is the tallest mountain in about 1,600 km, so of course there aren't many topographical features to slow the jet stream as it travels through the U.S. and into New England," Tarasiewicz added.

The frigid winds are further intensified fourfold by the Venturi effect. Specifically, Mount Washington not only lies in the path of the jet but also sits within a giant natural funnel, which compresses and accelerates airflow on and around the summit.

Thu Thao (According to IFL Science )

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