More than 20 "ill-prepared" hikers were rescued from the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire over the weekend after they got stuck in snowy and windy conditions, according to the Mount Washington Cog Railway.

The hikers were rescued by employees of the Mount Washington Cog Railway, a railway that climbs the mountain and runs trains year-round, Andrew Vilaine, the assistant general manager for the railway, said in a statement on Oct. 25. Most of the hikers were unprepared for the weather, according to Vilaine.

The hikers had made it to the mountain's 6,288-foot summit, but many developed hypothermia and lacked suitable gear for the conditions, Vilaine said. He added that many did not know that summit services were unavailable and that the Mount Washington State Park was closed for the season.

"A few indicated it was their first hike ever," Vilaine said in the statement. "Please don’t become a statistic and do your research before venturing out ... Hike Mount Washington like it is any one of the other 48 peaks. Do not assume services or a ride down. The summit is halfway."

Vilaine noted that summits at or above 4,000 feet have "full winter conditions." Temperatures at Mount Washington on Oct. 25 had been around 20 degrees, and Vilaine told USA TODAY on Oct. 28 that the weather at the top of the mountain consisted of snow and wind chills in the single digits.

The railway says on its website that the mountain is "renowned for its severe and unpredictable weather, and conditions often deteriorate rapidly from pleasant to life-threatening." The railway advises visitors to be well-equipped with proper clothing and gear and to be prepared for emergencies.

Vilaine said he and other railway employees had identified several small groups of hikers and loaded them "anywhere we could on our near sold-out trains." Several hikers were "placed in the locomotive cabs with the heat on full blast so they could start to reverse the effects of hypothermia," according to Vilaine.

"Had we not been able to assist the hikers with the one-way ride, there is little doubt in my mind that several more complex rescue efforts may have been needed to be undertaken," Vilaine said.

New Hampshire State Parks advises visitors to prepare or 'hike another day'

On Oct. 26, New Hampshire State Parks warned visitors to "be prepared or hike another day." The agency noted that winter conditions prevailed on the summit of Mount Washington, and by 12 p.m. local time that day, the temperature had dropped to 21 degrees with 30 mph winds.

New Hampshire State Parks added that there was also no shelter at Mount Washington State Park since Sherman Adams' building was closed for the season.

"Multiple people have arrived at the summit the last few days very unprepared for winter and required assistance," the agency said in a statement. "Be 'Wildly Responsible' and please do some research on current higher summits weather and bring everything needed to hike in winter conditions or just hike another day."

Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States, according to New Hampshire State Parks. Though a popular destination for outdoor recreation, the mountain is known for being the "home of the world’s worst weather," according to the Mount Washington Observatory.

Over 200,000 people visit the summit of the mountain each year, the Mount Washington Observatory says on its website. The mountain is about 143 miles northeast of Manchester, New Hampshire, and around 165 miles north of Boston.

Another hiker rescued on Mount Washington in a separate incident

In a news release on Oct. 27, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said search and rescue personnel assisted a 20-year-old man who was "caught in windblown snow with a dying light and cell phone" near the summit of Mount Washington on the evening of Oct. 26.

Officers learned from a 911 call that the man, who was identified as Owen Strommer, of Rhode Island, was on the upper reaches of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. The trail is less than a mile below the mountain's summit.

"Through a broken cell phone connection, authorities learned that Strommer was on the trail but that both his headlamp and cell phone were rapidly dying and he had no backup equipment," the news release states. "Strommer advised that he was currently alright but unprepared to spend the night, especially if he had to stop moving."

At the time, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said conditions at the summit consisted of "windblown snow with very limited visibility."

Search and rescue personnel were dispatched to the area, including a staff member from the state park who responded from the summit with a chained-up truck and parked with his lights on at the top trail to watch for Strommer, according to the news release.

After calling 911, Strommer slowly made his way up the trail with help from his dying headlamp and "cairns," piles of rocks that mark the trail, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said. He then spotted the headlights of the state park truck and scrambled his way up to the vehicle.

Shortly before 8:30 p.m. local time, Strommer encountered the state park staff member and was driven to the summit to be warmed and evaluated, according to the news release. He did not sustain any injuries and was later driven to the base of the mountain.

"Strommer was found to have done some research on his hike, but was absolutely unprepared for the conditions that he encountered above treeline," the news release states. "This situation could have had a very bad outcome, and everyone involved recognized that fact."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: More than 20 'ill-prepared' hikers rescued from snowy conditions on Mount Washington

Reporting by Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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