Correction: In a previous version of this climate summary, a daily record low temperature was reported on December 21 erroneously. We have corrected this error and re-calculated the monthly summary for December 2024. Apologies for the inconvenience.

 

 

Monthly Climate Summary for December 2024

South Pole Station, Antarctica

 

Temperature:

Average temp............ -29.5°C / -21.1°F

Departure from normal... -2.0°C / -3.6°F

Maximum temp............ -22.1°C / -7.8°F on day 28

Minimum temp............ -37.7°C / -35.9°F on day 1

 

Wind:

Average wind speed.......... 7.7 mph or 6.7 knots

Prevailing wind direction... Grid North or 360 degrees

Maximum wind speed.......... 28 mph or 24 knots on day 27

Maximum wind direction...... Grid Northeast

Average vectored wind....... 038 degrees at 4.0 knots

 

Station Pressure:

Average pressure........ 690.9 mb or 20.402 in. Hg

Departure from normal... +3.2 mb or +0.094 in. Hg

Highest pressure........ 698.7 mb or 20.633 in. Hg on day 12

Lowest pressure......... 681.2 mb or 20.116 in. Hg on day 30

 

Physio-altitude:

Average Physio-alt = 10220 ft / 3115 m

Highest Physio-alt = 10583 ft / 3226 m on day 30

Lowest Physio-alt  = 9931 ft / 3027 m on day 12

 

Sky Cover:

Average cloud cover (8ths)... 04

Days clear................... 09

Days partly cloudy........... 19

Days cloudy.................. 03

 

Sunshine:

Sunset on 22 March 2025

Average hours per day... 19.5

Percent of possible..... 81

 

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

 

Snowfall..... Trace; average net change at snow stakes -0.344 inches.

 

Balloon flight data:

Number of soundings for the month... 61

Average height of sounding.......... 36.1 mb or 25649 meters above msl

Highest sounding.................... 3.7 mb or 38573 meters above msl

                                     on the day 11/00Z sounding

 

Remarks:

01 soundings were missed.

58 soundings were terminated above 50 mb.

01 soundings were terminated between 50 and 100 mb.

02 soundings were terminated below 100 mb.

 

**RECORDS**

Dec 27th: A peak wind speed of 28 mph or 24 kts breaks the previous daily record of 26.5 mph or 23 kts set on this day in 2003.

 

Prepared by: Kaitlyn O'Brien