31 July, 2002

July Monthly Climate Summary -South Pole

South Pole Station, Antarctica

Temperature:

Average temp............ -53.4°C / -64.1°F Departure from normal... +6.3°C / +11.4°F

Maximum temp............ -40.2 °C / -40.4°F on day 12 Minimum temp............ -72.3 °C / -98.1°F on day 20

Wind:

Average wind speed.......... 16.7 mph or 14.5 knots Prevailing wind direction... Grid North or 020 degrees Maximum wind speed.......... 43 mph or 37 knots on day 03 Maximum wind direction...... Grid Northeast

Average vectored wind....... 025 degrees at 11.8 knots

Station Pressure:

Average pressure........ 681.0 mb or 20.110 in. Hg Departure from normal... +3.8 mb or +0.112 in. Hg Highest pressure........ 699.0 mb or 20.641 in. Hg on day 13 Lowest pressure......... 668.0 mb or 19.726 in. Hg on day 01

Physio-altitude:

Average physio-alt = 10,591 ft/3228 m

Highest physio-alt = 11,084 ft/3378 m on day 01 Lowest physio-alt = 9,920 ft/3023 m on day 13

Sky Cover:

Average cloud cover (8ths)... 05

Days clear................... 08

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

Days cloudy.................. 08

Sunshine:

Sunrise on 23 September 2002

Average hours per day... 0.0

Percent of possible..... 0

Visibility... 13 days with a visibility of 1/4 mile or less.

Snowfall..... TRACE; average net change at snow stakes +1.365 inches.

Balloon flight data:

Number of soundings for the month... 31

Average height of sounding.......... 138.4 mbs or 14783 meters above msl Highest sounding.................... 9.6 mbs or 27374 meters above msl on the day 08/00Z sounding

Remarks:

00 soundings were missed.

08 soundings were terminated above 50 mbs.

00 soundings were terminated between 50 and 100 mbs. 23 soundings were terminated below 100 mbs.

**RECORDS**

Day 1 - The maximum temperature of -46.5C/-51.7F broke the previous record high of -47.2C/-53.0F set in 1968.

Day 1 - The peak wind speed of 28 kt/32 mph tied the previous record set in 1962.

Day 2 - The average wind speed of 21.7 kt/25.0 mph broke the previous daily record of 20.0 kt/23.0 mph set in 1958.

Day 3 - The peak wind speed of 37 kt/43 mph tied the previous record set in 1962.

Day 3 - The average wind speed of 25.6 kt/29.5 mph broke the previous daily record of 24.4 kt/28.1 mph set in 1962.

Day 30 - The peak wind speed of 34 kt/39 mph broke the previous record of 29 kt/33 mph set in 1996.

The average monthly temperature of -53.4C/-64.1F makes this the warmest July on record.

The previous record was -54.5C/-66.1F set in July 1984.

PREPARED BY: Dar Gibson and Roger Perry