Storms In Antarctica
Friday, 29 September 2000
We are finally getting a taste of the real
Antarctica. Sunday we hit a condition two storm. The temperatures
were unusually high, as much as –1°F, but with fairly
high winds and a lot of snow. Things have to warm up before it can
snow around here. Conditions were about the same when I left for
work Monday morning.
Sometime during the morning it changed to a
condition one storm. The visibility was between 0–50 feet.
Everyone on base had to be accounted for so our pagers and
telephones were all going off. This started happening at lunch
time so we all headed over to the galley. Just as we walked in the
power went off. We were told to stay in the galley until the
search and rescue team had put up ropes between all the buildings.
About the time lunch was over the power came back on, so a couple
of us went back to work, even though most people in a condition one
storm just stay home and stay put. We had not been back at work for
more than 45 minutes when the power went out again. This time it
stayed out for quite some time.
According to the guys at the power station, the
radiators which cool the generators had frozen up with all the
blowing snow. It was more than they could handle, so there was no
way of cooling the generators. When they reached their high heat
limit they shut down.
We have six large generators but rarely need more than three at
any given time. They had tried to power up the remaining generators
but the power surge of starting the entire town at one time, plus
the snow which had piled up was just too much for them. Most of
the firefighters were called out to go shovel snow away from the
radiators. There are a couple of buildings in town which have their
own generators so at least we would have a place to go if our dorms
all got too cold. Finally they got the power up and running and
several hours later we are still in good shape.
As you can imagine, losing power down here can
really create havoc. Not only does it mean that we have no lights
or communications, it also means we have no heat. The heat trace
lines which keep the water and sewer pipes from freezing also go
out. If those stay out for very long pipes begin to freeze and
burst and things can get bad very quickly. If that happens it can
take weeks to repair.
It is easy to see how people get lost and blown
away in storms like this. The winds were between 35–50 miles
per hour and gusting up to 90 miles per hour. It is very difficult
to stand up in winds like that. I had to try a few times and was
glad there was a rope to hold on to.
There was a lot of snow falling and tons of snow blowing around,
so the visibility was at 0 much of the time. You would look out of
a window and not be able to see the building next door which is
only a few feet away.
Walking outside you can get turned around very easily, and there
are no landmarks to see. There are lights in the middle of town
which light up with yellow lights signifying a condition two and
red lights signifying condition one. They may as well not bother
with the red lights because if the weather is that bad you can't
see them anyway.
While the power was out and we could no longer
get any work done, we went home. Just getting there in this wind
is quite a chore. Even holding on to the ropes it is sometimes
difficult to walk.
One staircase going into a building was so covered with snow that
I went down it like a sliding board.
Tuesday was just as bad. This storm was
relentless. Snow was piled up so high outside many buildings that
you had to dig your way out.
It also came in all the little cracks and crevices inside the
buildings. Inside surfaces of doors and windows were covered with
frost and snow.
The temperature outside got up as high as +14°F. It was
surprisingly warm. And the snow hitting your face felt very wet.
The wind chill did not seem to cut right through you like it
normally does. You also have to watch out for things blowing
around. We try to keep things tied down around here, but this
wind is amazing. Of course visibility was almost nothing so I
don't guess you would see anything until it hit you anyway.
By Tuesday evening the storm was gone. It left
quite suddenly. It was amazing to see all the debris and snowdrifts
around town.
Some of the after effects include icicles which formed at an angle
due to the high winds.
Even the gratings did not escape from piles of snow.
A couple of us decided to take a walk up to the
greenhouse and enjoy a little tropical weather after that storm.
We had to dig way down into the snow to even find the door of the
greenhouse. It was 80+ degrees inside with a very high humidity
content. Lovely. There are even a few hammocks around that you can
lie in and just enjoy the climate.
Unfortunately a few weeks ago someone failed
to make sure that the greenhouse door was closed tightly and many
of the plants froze. There is only a small selection growing right
now. There are a few tomato plants, several pepper plants, a
citrus tree of some kind and some pansies, marigolds and nasturtiums.
Finally on Wednesday the sun came out. It was
an absolutely gorgeous day, but quite cold once again. And the
wind was still quite gusty. I finally was able to go hiking again
at lunch time, but that was quite a challenge. The snow has all
turned to ice and walking is very difficult. It is like a skating
rink out there. You never know when that gust of wind is going to
send you flying. And I mean flying. One second you are upright and
the next you are flat on the ground. I think most everyone has
slipped a few times today. Even one of the vans slid into a building.
The wind was amazingly cold. It seemed to really cut right through
your clothes. Several hours after hiking my legs were still tingly
from the cold.
I found the whole experience quite exciting.
There is another storm predicted to hit soon. We will see what
that brings.
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