ANNUAL CLIMATE SUMMARY - YEAR 2000
SOUTH POLE STATION ANTARCTICA.
Temperature:
Avg temp................ -50.3(C)/-58.5(F)
Departure from normal... -0.8(C)/-1.4(F)
Maximum temp............ -24.0(C)/-11.2(F) on January 22
Minimum temp............ -76.0(C)/-104.8(F) on September 21
Sky Cover:
Avg cloud cover (8ths).... 05
Days clear................ 116
Days partly cloudy........ 122
Days cloudy............... 128
Sunshine:
Sunset on 21 March, Sunrise on 22 September
Average hours of sunshine/day........ 15.6
Percent of possible.................. 65%
Wind:
Average wind speed.......... 11.5 mph or 10.0 kts
Prevailing wind direction... Grid North or 010 degrees
Maximum wind................ 45 mph or 39 kts on November 01*
Max wind direction.......... Grid West
*Last of several occurrences
Station Pressure:
Avg pressure........... 681.5 mbs or 20.125 In. Hg.
Departure from normal.. +0.1 mb or +0.003 In. Hg.
Highest pressure....... 704.1 mbs or 20.792 In. Hg. on September 03
Lowest pressure........ 661.0 mbs or 19.519 In. Hg. on September 20
Physio-Altitude in Feet and Meters:
Average physio-alt = 10572 ft/ 3222 m
Highest physio-alt = 11353 ft/ 3460 m on September 20
Lowest physio-alt = 9732 ft/ 2966 m on September 03
Snowfall: Net annual accumulation at snow stakes 10.26 inches.
Visibility: 28 days with a visibility of 1/4 mile or less.
Balloon Flight Data:
Number of Soundings for the year.... 513
Avg height of Soundings............. 61.7 mbs or 25393 meters above msl.
Highest Sounding.................... 2.9 mbs or 40854 meters above msl. on February
06/00Z Sounding.
Records Tied or Broken During the Year:
January
Monthly average pressure of 682.3 mb broke previous record low pressure of
683.0 mb set in 1995.
Day 2- Minimum temperature of -32.2C/-26.0F broke previous record low of -32.0C/-25.6F
set in 1993.
Day 4- Minimum temperature of -33.0C/-27.4F broke previous record low of -32.3C/-26.1F
set in 1995.
Day 7- Minimum temperature of -33.4C/-28.1F broke previous record low of -32.2C/-26.0F
set in 1959.
Day 8- minimum temperature of -33.1C/-27.6F broke previous record low of -32.0C/-25.6F
set in 1995.
Day 25- Average wind speed of 15.7 kts/18.1 mph broke previous record of 14.8
kts/17.0 mph set in 1958.
February
No records were tied or broken during the month.
March
Day 7- Minimum temperature of -62.8C/-81.0F broke previous record low of -60.3C/-76.5F
set in 1996.
Day 8- Minimum temperature of -62.4C/-80.3F broke previous record low of -61.8C/-79.2F
set in 1982.
Day 11- Minimum temperature of -66.4C/-87.5F broke previous record low of -64.5C/-84.1F
set in 1984.
Day 18- Peak wind of 39 kts/45 mph broke previous peak wind of 27 kts/31 mph
set in 1962.
Day 18- Maximum temperature of -35.8C/-32.4F broke previous record high of -36.7C/-34.1F
set in 1973.
Day 19- Maximum temperature of -36.1C/-32.9F broke previous record high of -37.2C/-34.9F
set in 1974.
Day 26- Minimum temperature of -70.9C/-95.6F broke previous record low of -70.6C/-95.0F
set in 1990.
April
No records were tied or broken during the month.
May
25- Peak wind of 36 kts/42 mph broke previous peak wind of 30 kts/34.5 mph
set in 1957.
June
Day 30- Minimum temperature of -75.7C/-104.3F broke previous record low of
-74.8C/-102.6F set in 1982.
July
Day 9- Minimum temperature of -73.4C/-100.1F broke previous record low of -71.6C/-96.9F
set in 1986.
August
No records were tied or broken during the month.
September
Day 3- Station pressure of 704.1Mb tied record for highest monthly pressure
for September set in 1991.
October
Day 14- Peak wind of 31 kts/35.6 mph broke previous peak wind of 30 kts/34.5
mph set in 1990.
November
Day 2- Peak wind of 38 kts/44 mph broke previous peak wind of 33 kts/38 mph
set in 1961.
Day 7- Peak wind of 27 kts/37 mph tied previous peak wind record set in 1982.
Day 8- Peak wind of 32 kts/37 mph broke previous peak wind record of 27 kts/31
mph set in 1982.
Day 25- Peak wind of 24 kts/28 mph tied previous peak wind record set in 1998.
December
No records were tied or broken during the month.