Update from Dale Andersen: “We are settling in at Lake Untersee now, getting the camp set up. Safety is our number one priority and we need to make sure we have adequate shelter in place. Another couple of days and we should be good to go but we do have a storm heading our way on Tuesday with 60 knot winds – perhaps so a good test of our efforts thus far!”
Keith’s note: The arrangement of tents and other gear is adjusted to the prevailing winda at Lake Untersee to minimize damage to facilities. We’ll have more pics of the layout in the coming days.
A quick snapshot of the weather at Lake Untersee and A forecast for the coming week. Dale’s team has a small Ambient WS-4000 weather station set up near camp. When it’s online, it shares their current weather conditions in real time.
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:
7-Day Temperature & Condition Outlook
- Saturday, Nov 7: High -16°F (-27°C) / Low -20°F (-29°C) – Cloudy, wind around 7 mph, feels like -39°F, 0% precipitation.
- Sunday, Nov 8: High -21°F (-29°C) / Low -23°F (-31°C) – Overcast, wind around 6 mph, 0% precipitation.
- Monday, Nov 9: High -20°F (-28°C) / Low -22°F (-30°C) – Overcast, wind around 6 mph, 5% chance of light snow.
- Tuesday, Nov 10: High -17°F (-27°C) / Low -38°F (-39°C) – Overcast, wind around 6 mph, feels like -54°F.
- Wednesday, Nov 11: High -33°F (-36°C) / Low -43°F (-42°C) – Breaks of sun late, wind around 8 mph, feels like -60°F.
- Thursday, Nov 12: High -40°F (-40°C) / Low -62°F (-52°C) – Decreasing cloudiness, severe wind chill down to -85°F.
- Friday, Nov 13: High -49°F (-45°C) / Low -61°F (-52°C) – Overcast with light snow developing late, 52% precipitation chance.
- Saturday, Nov 14: High -36°F (-38°C) / Low -52°F (-47°C) – Overcast with light snow, wind around 11 mph.
Field Research Considerations
- Deep Cold Snap: Temperatures plummet significantly mid-week (dropping as low as -62°F / -52°F by Thursday night, with extreme wind chills).
- Precipitation: Snow is expected toward the end of the week (Friday and Saturday).
- Resources: You can track regional conditions and datasets via the NSIDC Lake Untersee Climate Data Catalog or check general updates on Astrobiology.com.
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,
