[Nigel Bolton]

Blowing at Ikermiit now with the force of a hurricane, a temperature of -11C and a dew point near -20C.

Sprung up around midnight last night. Max gust 84kt, 97mph.

201101301500 AAXX 30154 04373 46/// /3264 11106 21196 39712 49805 57010
                   333 91084=
201101301200 AAXX 30124 04373 46/// /3261 11112 21192 39722 49815 57003
                   333 91084=
201101300900 AAXX 30094 04373 46/// /3159 11104 21170 39725 49818 52022
                   333 91079=
201101300600 AAXX 30064 04373 46/// /3164 11096 21164 39703 49796 52002
                   333 91083=
201101300300 AAXX 30034 04373 46/// /3150 11095 21132 39701 49794 52013
                   333 91066=
201101300000 AAXX 30004 04373 46/// /3146 11059 21106 39688 49780 57019
                   333 91060=
201101292100 AAXX 29214 04373 46/// /1709 11040 21044 39707 49800 57011=
201101291800 AAXX 29184 04373 46/// /3312 11030 21044 39718 49811 57016=

N.

[PK2]

Quote

Nigel Bolton - 30/1/2011 17:55

Blowing at Ikermiit now with the force of a hurricane, a temperature of -11C and a dew point near -20C.

Sprung up around midnight last night. Max gust 84kt, 97mph.

201101301500 AAXX 30154 04373 46/// /3264 11106 21196 39712 49805 57010
                   333 91084=
201101301200 AAXX 30124 04373 46/// /3261 11112 21192 39722 49815 57003
                   333 91084=
201101300900 AAXX 30094 04373 46/// /3159 11104 21170 39725 49818 52022
                   333 91079=
201101300600 AAXX 30064 04373 46/// /3164 11096 21164 39703 49796 52002
                   333 91083=
201101300300 AAXX 30034 04373 46/// /3150 11095 21132 39701 49794 52013
                   333 91066=
201101300000 AAXX 30004 04373 46/// /3146 11059 21106 39688 49780 57019
                   333 91060=
201101292100 AAXX 29214 04373 46/// /1709 11040 21044 39707 49800 57011=
201101291800 AAXX 29184 04373 46/// /3312 11030 21044 39718 49811 57016=

N.

:o can imagine the weather forecasts say "and when you add in the wind-chill factor...."

[Nigel Bolton]

There is the liklihood of a particularly strong Piteraq early next week. Charts are showing a very tight gradient down eastern Greenland, with 492 thicknesses across the icecap, an excellent combination for funnelling and katabatic drainage. Temperatures on Greenland's summit have been near -50C recently.

Will be interesting to watch the obs at Ikermiit (04373) from Monday onwards. It is perhaps not impossible, given the gradients and temperatures to see mean wind speeds of between 80 and 100kt.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

Note exceptionally tight pressure gradient progged over eastern Greenland by midday Monday HERE. This is about as tight as I have ever seen it.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

Perhaps the first real blow of the season later this week. Strong northwesterly gradient aided by katabatic drainaage. Risk of hurricane force winds and temperatures well below freezing in the area around and south of Ikermiit. Should help to inaugurate the Greenland ice sheet.

Due to highly blocked patterns last year, Piteraqs were conspicuous by their absence. Temperatures were reaching 15C+ along the east coast of Greenland well into Decenmber last year, during a time when the temperatures should have been well below freezing!

Here's to more Arctic sea ice and consequently, (perhaps), a more zonal weather pattern this winter.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

A significant one of these looks set to develop and blow for several days next week. Extremely cold air is expected to fall down the slopes of eastern Greenland in the wake of an area of low pressure moving through the Denmark Strait. Expecting winds at Ikermiit to reach or exceed hurricane force with temperatures below -15C between Tuesday ans Friday next week.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

Nigel Bolton, on 01 March 2012 - 15:26, said:

A significant one of these looks set to develop and blow for several days next week. Extremely cold air is expected to fall down the slopes of eastern Greenland in the wake of an area of low pressure moving through the Denmark Strait. Expecting winds at Ikermiit to reach or exceed hurricane force with temperatures below -15C between Tuesday ans Friday next week.

N.

Note phenomenally tight gradient down eastern Greenland next week with 492Dm air entrained. This will not be nice.

N.

[Conrad]

Piteraq sounds like a Canadian Inuit word. Probably Greenlandic is related to the Inuit languages. I'm not sure how Fohn type winds could arise in SW Greenland. Perhaps they could happen when mild SE winds ascend the southern part of the inland ice plateau and then descend down to the coast of the Davis Strait. Or maybe there is another explanation ?

[Nigel Bolton]

About to kick off in earnest. Watc the obs in southeast Greenland.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

Nice example at Ikermiit today.

201211151800 AAXX 15184 04373 46/// /3362 11059 21116 39758 49851
333 91079=
201211151500 AAXX 15154 04373 46/// /3375 11064 21120 39719 49812
333 91091=
201211151200 AAXX 15124 04373 46/// /3266 11067 21131 39708 49801
333 91087=
201211150900 AAXX 15094 04373 46/// /3155 11067 21129 39788 49881
333 91071=
201211150600 AAXX 15064 04373 46/// /3154 11056 21129 39823 49917
333 91077=
201211150300 AAXX 15034 04373 46/// /3144 11045 21110 39838 49932
333 91056=
201211150000 AAXX 15004 04373 46/// /3132 11028 21105 39845 49939=
201211142100 AAXX 14214 04373 46/// /3114 11035 21040 39851 49945=

75ktG91 with temp -6.4 at 1500Z. Nipsville!

N.

[John Mason]

Anyone who has read Boardman's book, The Shining Mountain, an account of a big wall climb on Changabang, will appreciate the conditions described by Nigel above!

[Nigel Bolton]

Wind driven cold is perhaps some of the nastiest of all weather conditions.

Tewnty years ago, I trekked the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, and part of the trek includes the Thorung La, a pass that separates the Manang valley, from the Kali Gandaki. See http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Thorong_La

This section was walked overnight, climbing to 17,769 feet, before dropping down to Muktinath. At the time of crossing the pass, the temperature, measured by someone's coat thermometer was near -20C, and there was about 30kt of westerly wind blowing full into our faces. I was wearing 7 layers, including fleece, Goretex shell and Polar jacket, and it was still horrendously cold.

Cannot begin to imagine the conditions at proper altitude, where jet stream winds, combined with temperatures of less than minus 40C, will make conditions absolutely lethal.

N.

[John Mason]

Closest I came to that was on two occasions - Feb 1978 on the Glyders (mild frostbite, bottle of orange squash frozen solid inside rucksack) and either Jan or Feb 1986 on local hill Moel y Llyn (frozen ground and an Easterly gale that was so strong it was impossible to stand up at the top). Both memorable occasions, the latter more so because it was not accompanied by excruciating pain!

[Nigel Bolton]

Interesting ob from Ikermiit last night.

201305040000 AAXX 04004 04373 46/// /3270 11079 21123 39835 49929
333 91087=

N.

[Bazmundo]

Nigel Bolton, on 04 May 2013 - 22:06, said:

Interesting ob from Ikermiit last night.

201305040000 AAXX 04004 04373 46/// /3270 11079 21123 39835 49929
333 91087=

N.

Winds at 2135z detected by ASCAT aboard MetOp-A:

http://manati.star.n...ms/WMBas297.png

[Nigel Bolton]

http://metro.co.uk/2...dition-3708685/

http://www.icenews.i...and-expedition/

N.

[StratoQ]

I don't know if they call it a piteraq up in the NW of Greenland but at Pittufik (Thule) the katabatic winds come from a SE direction off the ice cap. It begins when a low pressure area west of Thule over Baffin Bay causes surface winds to blow off the ice cap from the southeast. The wind is channeled into the valley where Thule is located. The valley amplifies the wind, and it increases in velocity. The loose snow is picked up by the high winds and can severely restrict visibility.

During a storm in March 1972 the anemometer on a storm shelter (Phase Shack #7)recorded a wind speed of 207 mph. I think this may well be the highest wind gust ever recorded at a sea level location (outside of a tropical storm).

This US air force pdf document makes for intersesting reading on military life at a high Arctic Air Base.

http://www.peterson....-100412-027.pdf