Dale Andersen: “Somewhat unexpectedly, last night was fairly quiet, with a few hard wind gusts and the start of falling snow. But the Ultima airbase at Novo reported high winds and blizzard conditions this morning, so the storm is just a short distance north of us. Snow continues to fall and we will likely see more for another day.
If the storm pushes inland a few kilometers more, we may also see high winds, and we will certainly go into whiteout conditions. By Friday the storm should have passed to the east, and we can begin working again, though with the new coating of snow on the lake, ground blizzards will be with us whenever the wind picks up – or until the wind and evaporation removes the snow cover.
For now, we are hoping for another quiet night, but?”
This weather chart from Google Earth taken at 1:02 pm EST shows the weather front (green) in the area of Lake Untersee — Google Earth
Right Image: Lake Untersee Base Camp on 11 November 2026 — Dale T. Andersen
Weather forecast
Weather forecast for the coming week courtesy of Gemini. Note their mention of our updates at Astrobiology.com The weather forecast for Lake Untersee, Antarctica, over the next week (November 7–14, 2026) brings cold, sub-zero spring conditions typical of Queen Maud Land:
The forecast for Lake Untersee on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, called for increasing clouds, strengthening east-south-easterly winds, and cold temperatures around −20°C ahead of an approaching coastal storm. Conditions were expected to deteriorate significantly from Tuesday evening into Wednesday and Thursday.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Forecast
According to the field forecast issued by Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Research Team on site at Lake Untersee, conditions for November 10 included:
- Sky Conditions. Cloud cover was forecast to spread across the region throughout the day as a low-pressure system moved along the coast to the north.
- Winds. An east-south-easterly wind was projected to build steadily during the day, reaching 15 to 20 knots (about 28 to 37 km/h or 17 to 23 mph) by evening.
- Temperature. Temperatures started near −20°C (−4°F) overnight into Tuesday morning, beginning a gradual warming trend as easterly winds drew in maritime air.
Mid-Week Storm Outlook (Nov 11–13)
The weather shift on November 10 served as the precursor to a major polar storm impacting the basecamp from mid-week onward:
- Severe Winds. Sustained winds were forecast to surge on Wednesday morning, reaching 35 to 50 knots (65 to 90 km/h) from midday Wednesday through Thursday evening, with gusts of 55 to 70 knots (100 to 130 km/h).
- Snow and Visibility. Several centimeters of snow—primarily falling on Wednesday—combined with heavy blowing snow were expected to reduce visibility across the lake to near zero at times.
- Temperature Rise and Recovery. Maritime air pushed into the valley by the storm was expected to raise temperatures from −20°C up to around −7°C (19°F) by Thursday and −5°C (23°F) by Friday, before winds eased to roughly 12 knots on Friday afternoon.
You can see all of the status reports and related articles from this field season and past seasons here at Dale Andersen’s Field Reports
Astrobiology, Exploration, Antarctica,
