Dale Andersen: “Good morning, It is a fairly nice day here, with light wind, broken skies, occasional sunshine, and a temperature of -2°C, which is very warm for mid-November at Untersee. Temperatures usually reach near or above 0°C only in late November or early December. We expect the wind to pick up after 3-4 pm, as another, smaller storm passes by today and tomorrow. Until then it should be a good work day, and we will use it to start putting up the lab and dive tents at camp. Once those are in place, we will be fully operational. We think we can get the wooden platforms in place today, and with some luck one of the WeatherPorts as well. We will see how the day goes, and how the wind cooperates.”
Cheers from Untersee, Dale”
Webcam image from Ultima Airstrip where Dale and his team arrived earlier this month.
Weather report – From Gemini
Lake Untersee, Antarctica is currently experiencing cloudy skies and 11°F (-12°C) temperatures, with wind chills making it feel like -8°F (-22°C). Winds are blowing from the east at 20 mph, and relative humidity sits at 56%.
Short-Term Outlook
- Sunday, November 15: Expect overcast skies throughout the day with a high near 12°F and a low of 8°F. Southeasterly winds will strengthen to 28 mph, keeping wind chills below zero.
- Monday, November 16: Skies will clear to sunny conditions during the day and clear at night. Temperatures will drop slightly, reaching a high of 8°F and a low of 2°F, with southeast winds easing to 21 mph.
- Tuesday, November 17 – Wednesday, November 18: Mostly cloudy to overcast skies return with highs holding steady around 6°F and lows dipping to 0°F to 1°F. Winds will remain from the southeast at 15 to 18 mph with only a slight 10% chance of light snow.
Local Terrain & Field Conditions
- Topographic Wind Funneling: Standard global weather models often underestimate wind speeds at Lake Untersee because surrounding mountains and the Anuchin Glacier valley funnel winds directly across the lake basin.
- Ground Blizzards: Recent storm activity in Queen Maud Land has deposited fresh snow across the region. Even on days without active snowfall, winds above 15–20 mph can trigger localized blowing snow and reduced visibility until the surface snow scours away.
You can see all of the status reports and related articles from this field season and past seasons at Dale Andersen’s Field Reports
Astrobiology, Exploration, Antarctica,
