Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 04:42
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Antarctic Undersea ROV 09

What do you do if there is a bad storm?....cassie

Mon, 09/28/2009 - 05:09

Michele Cross

Hi Cassie!
Excellent question!! When at McMurdo, we will be informed of the weather conditions at all times as weather can change very, very quickly.
Severe Weather Condition 1 is issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or will happen in the immediate future: (1) Sustained wind speed greater than 55 knots, (2) Wind chill temperature colder than -100°F (-73°C), or (3) Visibility is less than 100 feet. If this happens, we are not allowed outside and off base travel is not allowed.
Severe Weather Condition 2 is issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or will happen in the immediate future: (1) Sustained wind speed 48 knots to 55 knots, (2) Wind chill temperature -75°F (-60°C) to -100°F (-73°C), or (3) Visibility is 1/4 mile to 100 feet.  During condition 2, anyone traveling off base much check out at the firehouse before leaving. 
Weather Condition 3 is considered normal weather and life goes on as normal. There are no travel restrictions. 
Dr. Kim might want to discuss what happens if we have a severe storm and are at a field site. I know we're not leaving, that's for sure!
 Mrs. Cross

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 19:50

Stacy Kim

Hi Cassie,
Mrs. Cross is out there learning what to do in case we get caught in a storm right now.  The training course is called Happy Campers.  We had two storms while we were at our field camp in Bay of Sails.  During the first one, all 5 of us huddled together in the main tent where there was a heater and played cards, and read.  The second storm was not so bad so most of us went to our sleeping tents and took naps - we are always short on sleep!
Best, Stacy