Savage Antarctic storm

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Wed 19/05/2004 18:54

As much we may whinge about the weather here in NZ, look at what's been happening at Scott Base lately. Winds up to 205kph, and temperatures probably well below the lowest ever recorded in Central Otago, not to mention that it's now dark all 'day'. Scary.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Wed 19/05/2004 19:18

Isnt it normal there,often on TV when showing antartica it shows blizzards and snow flying everywhere

Andy · Unread post by **Andy** » Wed 19/05/2004 19:48

Yea nice storm

Tempertures as cold as-20 to -30Â°C have been recorded in the alpine regions in Central Otago. The lowest temperature ever recorded in New Zealand was â€”22Â°C at Ophir, Central Otago.

Of the web from the Metservice

Excluding the uninhabited mountainous areas, the coldest winter conditions are experienced in Central Otago and the Mackenzie Plains of inland Canterbury, and on the central plateau of the North Island, but even in these areas night temperatures as low as -12Â°C are rarely recorded

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Wed 19/05/2004 21:35

Isnt it normal there,often on TV when showing antartica it shows blizzards and snow flying everywhere

Freezing, blizzard (usually blowing, not falling snow - Antarctica is a very dry continent) conditions are normal down there, but this recent storm at Scott Base is brutal even by their standards - worst in 10 years according to today's Chch Press.

Brutal enough to disrupt communications and damage buildings there. Wintering in Antarctica is not for the faint-hearted!

Tempertures as cold as-20 to -30Â°C have been recorded in the alpine regions in Central Otago. The lowest temperature ever recorded in New Zealand was —22Â°C at Ophir, Central Otago.

These very low temperatures in Central Otago seem to occur in calm weather, much more tolerable and less dangerous than hurricane force winds in similar temperatures. The Press article didn't say what the themometer got down to at Scott Base during this storm.

Gary Roberts · Unread post by **Gary Roberts** » Wed 19/05/2004 22:08

tich wrote:Freezing, blizzard (usually blowing, not falling snow - Antarctica is a very dry continent) conditions are normal down there, but this recent storm at Scott Base is brutal even by their standards - worst in 10 years according to today's Chch Press. Brutal enough to disrupt communications and damage buildings there. Wintering in Antarctica is not for the faint-hearted!

BAH! A bunch of nancy-boys, the whole bally lot of them! Why in MY day we used to go swimming during Antarctic storms, and then walk barefoot back the 400 miles to the sealskin tents!

We unofficially recorded -30 at the summit of Benmore a year or two back, on the day when it was -18 down in the town. A mite chilly it was. Not like balmy Alexandra!

Manukau heads obs · Wed 19/05/2004 22:26

http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/weather ... ather.html

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Wed 19/05/2004 22:55

It says"Rainfall This month 0.0 mm Rainfall To date this year 0.0 mm"

Isnt snow(precipitation) counted as "rainfall"

Manukau heads obs · Thu 20/05/2004 07:13

the weather station has no rain gauge
you would need to melt the snow to record it, you see

but yes, its a desert, in terms of actual snow/rain fall normaly

that storm, was it that cold front that extended all the way from NW australia to the antartica, bring down with it lots of moisture?

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Thu 20/05/2004 07:17

Isnt snow(precipitation) counted as "rainfall"

I'm not sure what rainfall measurements are taken in Antartica. Problem with converting snowfall into a rainfall measurement in a place like Antartica is that often there is drifting snow mixed in with the precipitation. So any attempt to convert snow collected into a rainfall measurement would be unreliable. I suggest if they could measure rainfall, it would be just a few mm a year.

The only precipitation figures I have for Scott Base are the days with precip. Annual average of 74 says of falling snow.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Thu 20/05/2004 07:21

Brian, just seen your last message. Yes, its possibly drier than the Sahara desert down there.

Manukau heads obs · Thu 20/05/2004 07:26

the snow they have would be dry snow:
i.e very light and fluffy:
i,.e gets blown around and causes drifts

i have been cross country skiing in colarado....it the snow was amazingly shoft and powdery!