The South Pole

[Willoughby]

Pretty chilly there this morning. Here's the latest METAR from Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica.

NZSP 131750Z 11007KT 8000 IC BR FEW009 M73/ A2785 RMK CLN AIR 10008KT ALL WNDS GRID

-73C! 13km/h easterly giving it a windchill factor of 93C.

[Nev]

Chilly all-right, although not too unusual for that site, i.e. -73C can sometimes be the average min-temp there for July. Also bear in mind that that site is 2830m asl (slightly higher than Mt Earnslaw or Ruapehu).

[M. Thomas]

Temperature at the Antarctic is showing marked variation from historical patterns of last few decade. The same is said of here in north Europe by the Atlantic coast lines.

[Richard]

-73C! 13km/h easterly giving it a windchill factor of 93C.

Often wonder how how you would measure a wind direction directly at the poles

[Willoughby]

Guess it's the most redundant wind direction site in the world! Maybe?

[Nev]

I think they use the same grid-system used for the Geographic North Pole, in that within 1° of the Pole, a compass-face aligned to the (Greenwich) Prime Meridian, or 0° longitude, becomes North and 180° becomes South.

[Richard]

and directly at the poles all wind would either be a southerly at the south pole or a northerly at the north.

[Nev]

Hmm... guess I didn't explain that very well.

Ordinarily, winds at the South Pole would always be from the north, which is why the WMO adopted the 'Grid' system for the Poles, i.e. the Prime Meridian or 0° longitude is referred to as 'grid-north', 90° longitude as 'grid-east', 180° longitude (the dateline) as 'grid-south' and 270° longitude as 'grid-west'. So any winds coming from NZ's direction would be referred to there as (roughly) coming from 'grid-S', and the METAR's 110° refers to 'grid-ESE'. Simple really!