Met Duty

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This week I'm on Evening Met, which means I do Synoptic Observations at 21:00 UTC and 00:00 UTC for the whole week. These observations are logged using an in house developed computer system, and the suitable synop message is sent automatically to the Met Office in the UK. Some of the parameters (temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, pressure) are filled out for me automatically by taking the reading from the Automatic Weather Station we have here at Halley. My role is to fill the remaining, less easy measurable parameters like: cloud types and amount, precipitation, fog, drifting and blowing snow, rime and hoar frost and optical phenomena such as sun/moon/light pillars or halos.

Tonight's weather: -37°C, wind 3kt SSE, 974hPa, RH 67.9%, clear sky, and fog reducing visibility to 0.58km and depositing rime frost.