Condition Fun

Weather has been unusually wicked this year. Wind chills between -30 and -55 F, storm after storm blowing through.

As a result, very few planes have come and gone, and the beakers are getting antsy. Projects are a month into the summer season and without their equipement or personnel. These are multi-million dollar weather delays. And management is getting hammered from above to get things moving.

Today they sent us out to the airstrip to load up the planes in a condition 2 storm. Weather in McMurdo is classified as condition 1, condition 2, or condition 3.

Condition THREE is observed when all of the following are true:

Wind speed is less than o equal to 48 knots, and

Visibility is greater than 1/4 mile, and

Windchill temperature is greater than -75 degrees F.

Condition TWO is observed when any one of the following is true:

Wind speed is greater than 48 knots but less than or equal to 55 knots, or

Visibility is greater than 100 feet but less than or equal to 1/4 mile, or

Windchill temperature is greater than -100 degrees F but less than or equal to -75 defrees F

Condition ONE is observed when any one of the following is true:

Wind speed is greater than 55 knots, or

Visiblity is less than or equal to 100 feet, or

Windchill temperature is less than or equal to -100 degrees F.

I've never been in a condition one storm . . . until today. After we loaded the planes, conditions deteriorated and condition 1 was announced over the radios. We've been stranded in the strip shack for over an hour now, biding our time while the shack rumbles and shakes.

Pictures to come soon!