31 December, 2002

December Monthly Climate Summary, South Pole

Monthly Climate Summary for December 2002

South Pole Station, Antarctica

Temperature:

Average temp............ -30.8°C / -23.4°F Departure from normal... -2.8°C / -5.0°F

Maximum temp............ -23.4 °C / -10.1°F on day 26 Minimum temp............ -41.1 °C / -42.0°F on day 1

Wind:

Average wind speed.......... 8.3 mph or 7.2 knots Prevailing wind direction... Grid East or 090 degrees Maximum wind speed.......... 20 mph or 17 knots on day 15 Maximum wind direction...... Grid North

Average vectored wind....... 050 degrees at 4.9 knots

Station Pressure:

Average pressure........ 682.0 mb or 20.139 in. Hg Departure from normal... -6.2 mb or -0.183 in. Hg Highest pressure........ 691.5 mb or 20.420 in. Hg on day 31 Lowest pressure......... 671.9 mb or 19.841 in. Hg on day 11

Physio-altitude:

Average altitude........ 10552.9 feet, 3216.52 meters Departure from normal... 0320.4 feet, 3145.67 meters Highest altitude........ 10935.3 feet, 3333.07 meters on day 11 Lowest altitude......... 10197.4 feet, 3108.17 meters on day 31

Sky Cover:

Average cloud cover (8ths)... 04

Days clear................... 10

Days partly cloudy........... 15

Days cloudy.................. 06

Sunshine:

Sunset on 22 March 2003

Average hours per day... 21.0

Percent of possible..... 88

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

Snowfall..... TRACE; average net change at snow stakes +0.282 inches.

Balloon flight data:

Number of soundings for the month... 61

Average height of sounding.......... 24.1 mbs or 29398 meters above msl Highest sounding.................... 6.2 mbs or 35308 meters above msl on the day 15/00Z sounding

Remarks:

01 soundings were missed.

55 soundings were terminated above 50 mbs.

01 soundings were terminated between 50 and 100 mbs. 05 soundings were terminated below 100 mbs.

**RECORDS**

Day 09 - The minimum temperature of -35.6C/-32.1F breaks the previous record of -35.3C/-31.5F set in 1999.

Day 10 - The minimum temperature of -35.8C/-32.4F breaks the previous daily record low of -35.5C/-31.9F set in 1999.

Day 14 - The minimum temperature of -34.7C/-30.5F breaks the previous record of -33.9C/-29.0F set in 1999

Day 15 - The minimum temperature of -33.9C/-29.0F breaks the previous daily record of -32.5C/-26.5F set in 1999

PREPARED BY: K. Hess