31 December, 2001

December 2001 Climate Summary South Pole Station

Temperature:

Average temp............ -27.1°C / -16.8°F

Departure from normal... +0.9°C / +1.6°F

Maximum temp............ -22.2°C / -8.0°F on day 24

Minimum temp............ -35.4°C / -31.7°F on day 2

Wind:

Average wind speed.......... 11.9 mph or 10.3 knots

Prevailing wind direction... Grid North or 020 degrees

Maximum wind speed.......... 30 mph or 26 knots on day 15

Maximum wind direction...... Grid North

Average vectored wind....... 031 degrees at 8.8 knots

Station Pressure:

Average pressure........ 684.4 mb or 20.210 in. Hg

Departure from normal... -3.9 mb or -0.115 in. Hg

Highest pressure........ 698.4 mb or 20.624 in. Hg on day 29

Lowest pressure......... 671.9 mb or 19.841 in. Hg on day 01

Sky Cover:

Average cloud cover (8ths)... 04

Days clear................... 13

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

Days cloudy.................. 07

Sunshine:

Sunset on 20 March 2002

Average hours per day... 21.1

Percent of possible..... 88

Visibility...0 days with visibility of 1/4 mile or less.

Snowfall..... Trace; average net change at snow stakes +0.231 inches.

Balloon flight data:

Number of soundings for the month... 62

Average height of sounding.......... 19.5 mbs or 31635 meters above msl Highest sounding.................... 5.3 mbs or 36664 meters above msl on the day 30/12Z sounding

Remarks:

00 soundings were missed.

58 soundings were terminated above 50 mbs.

01 sounding was terminated between 50 and 100 mbs.

03 soundings were terminated below 100 mbs.

**RECORDS**

Day 8 - The peak wind speed of 20 kt/23 mph tied the previous daily record set in 1993.

Day 14 - The average wind speed of 14.2 kt/16.3 mph broke the previous daily record of 14.1 kt/16.2 mph set in 1980.

Day 15 - The peak wind speed of 26 kt/30 mph broke the previous daily record of 23 kt/26 mph set in 1966.

PREPARED BY: John Gallagher and Dar Gibson

Katie Wallet

Supervisor of Science

Spotsylvania County Schools