8 September, 2001

South Pole Station Monthly Climate Summary - August 2001

Temperature:

Average temp............ -63.8°C/ -82.8°F

Departure from normal... -4.0°C/ -7.2°F

Maximum temp............ -40.4°C/ -40.7°F on day 23

Minimum temp............ -77.1°C/ -106.8°F on day 4

Wind:

Average wind speed.......... 14.6 mph or 12.7 knots

Prevailing wind direction... Grid East or 100 degrees

Maximum wind speed.......... 38 mph or 33 knots on day 22

Maximum wind direction...... Grid North

Average vectored wind....... 057 degrees at 10.2 knots

Station Pressure:

Average pressure........ 670.7 mbs or 19.806 in. Hg

Departure from normal... -5.4 mbs or -0.159 in. Hg

Highest pressure........ 690.5 mbs or 20.390 in. Hg on day 18 Lowest pressure......... 655.0 mbs or 19.342 in. Hg on day 12

Sky Cover:

Average cloud cover (8ths)... 02

Days clear................... 23

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

Days cloudy.................. 02

Sunshine:

Sunrise on 22 September 2001

Average hours per day... 0.0

Percent of possible..... 0

Visibility... 11 days with a visibility of 1/4 mile or less.

Snowfall..... TRACE; average net change at snow stakes +0.544 inches.

Balloon flight data:

Number of soundings for the month... 42

Average height of sounding.......... 142.9 mbs or 14048 meters above msl Highest sounding.................... 8.3 mbs or 28193 meters above msl on the day 29/00Z sounding

Remarks:

0 soundings were missed.

10 soundings were terminated above 50 mbs.

0 soundings were terminated between 50 and 100 mbs.

32 soundings were terminated below 100 mbs.

**RECORDS**

The monthly total of two cloudy days tied the previous record for fewest total of cloudy days for August set in 1964.

Day 02 - The daily minimum temperature of -75.7°C / -104.3°F broke the previous daily record of -74.2°C / -101.6°F set in 1986.

Day 03 - The daily minimum temperature of -76.9°C / -106.4°F broke the previous daily record of -76.6°C / -105.9°F set in 1978.

Day 05 - The daily minimum temperature of -74.8°C / -102.6°F tied the previous daily record set in 1994.

Day 06 - The daily minimum temperature of -74.2°C / -101.6°F broke the previous daily record of -73.3°C / -99.9°F set in 1994.

Day 09 - The daily peak wind speed of 29 knots / 33.4 mph tied the previous daily record set in 1997.

Day 20 - The daily minimum temperature of -73.7°C / -100.7°F broke the previous daily record of -73.2°C / -99.8°F set in 1990.

Day 21 - The daily minimum temperature of -74.6°C / -102.3°F broke the previous daily record of -73.0°C / -99.4°F set in 1982.

Day 25 - The daily peak wind speed of 33 knots / 38 mph tied

the previous daily record set in 1989.

PREPARED BY: Nathan Tift and Meghan Prentiss

Katie Wallet

Supervisor of Science

Spotsylvania County Schools