At 6,288 feet above sea level, Mount Washington is no place for a house cat.

Winter here can mean 100-mph winds, nearly daily snow and fog so thick, observers get lost as soon as they step outside. 

So naturally, there’s a cat living up there.

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Meet Nimbus, the Mount Washington Observatory’s resident feline, official staff member and full-time mouse hunter. 

“Nimbus is a very important part of our staff here,” said Alex Branton, a weather observer and education specialist at the observatory. “His main job is to keep weather observers company during the long winter months that we spend up here.”

And apparently, he’s pretty good at it.

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“He likes to be around, but he doesn't necessarily like the attention to be on him,” Branton said. “So he likes to sit in the middle of the room and listen to everyone talk.”

But perhaps the most impressive thing about Nimbus is that he also fancies himself a weather observer of sorts.

“He does love to go outside when the weather is really nice,” Branton said. “The weather has to be perfect.”

And Nimbus has very specific standards: “Low winds,” Branton said. “And he does not like fog.”

When the winds die down and the temperatures rise, he becomes much more adventurous. When conditions turn harsh, he retreats to the warmth of the living quarters. 

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Nimbus is part of a tradition that's nearly a century old. Cats have lived at the observatory since 1932, keeping watch over the building and serving as unofficial barometers for the conditions outside.

Nimbus joined the staff in 2021 after a life on the streets of Oklahoma. He succeeded Marty, another beloved summit cat who became a favorite around the world.

These days, Nimbus prefers the cozy life: naps, chicken and the occasional nighttime hunt.

He’s proof that even on a mountain known for the world’s worst weather, sometimes the forecast calls for paws-itive vibes.