2 November, 2001

Monthly Climate Summary - October - South Pole, Antarctica

Temperature:

Average temp............ -53.4°C/-64.1°F

Departure from normal... -2.1°C/-3.8°F

Maximum temp............ -30.9°C/-23.6°F on day 30

Minimum temp............ -70.0°C/-94.0°F on day 03

Wind:

Average wind speed.......... 13.4 mph or 11.6 knots

Prevailing wind direction... Grid Northeast or 030 degrees

Maximum wind speed.......... 37 mph or 32 knots on day 20

Maximum wind direction...... Grid Northeast

Average vectored wind....... 045 degrees at 9.8 knots

Station Pressure:

Average pressure........ 674.0 mb or 19.903 in. Hg

Departure from normal... -2.9 mb or -0.086 in. Hg

Highest pressure........ 688.0 mb or 20.317 in. Hg on day 09

Lowest pressure......... 653.4 mb or 19.295 in. Hg on day 02

Sky Cover:

Average cloud cover (8ths)... 04

Days clear................... 11

Days partly cloudy........... 11

Days cloudy.................. 09

Sunshine:

Sunset on 22 March 2002

Average hours per day... 13.8

Percent of possible..... 57

Visibility... 5 days with a visibility of 1/4 mile or less.

Snowfall..... Trace; average net change at snow stakes +0.988 inches.

Balloon flight data:

Number of soundings for the month... 61

Average height of sounding.......... 66.9 mbs or 20389 meters above msl Highest sounding.................... 5.9 mbs or 33245 meters above msl on the day 29/12Z sounding

Remarks:

0 soundings were missed.

39 soundings were terminated above 50 mbs.

03 soundings were terminated between 50 and 100 mbs.

19 soundings were terminated below 100 mbs.

**RECORDS**

Day 03 - The minimum temperature of -70.0°C/-94°F tied the previous daily record set in 1984.

Day 15 - The minimum temperature of -63.0°C/-81.4°F broke the pevious daily record of

-62.4°C/-80.3°F set in 1993.

Day 16 - The minimum temperature of -62.4°C/-80.3°F broke the previous daily record of

-61.9°C/-79.4°F set in 1997.

Day 20 - The peak wind speed of 32.0 kts/36.8 mph broke the previous daily record of

30.0 kts/34.5 mph set in 1976.

Day 20 - The average wind speed of 20.0 kts/23.0 mph broke the previous daily record of

19.5 kts/22.4 mph set in 1976.

Day 22 - The average wind speed of 20.4 kts/23.5 mph tied the previous daily record set in 1975.

Katie Wallet

Supervisor of Science

Spotsylvania County Schools