How cold is the South Pole?
South Pole
In midsummer, as the sun reaches its maximum elevation of about 23.5 degrees, high temperatures at the South Pole in January average at −25.9°C (−15°F). As the six-month "day" wears on and the sun gets lower, temperatures drop as well: they reach −45°C (−49°F) around sunset (late March) and sunrise (late September). In midwinter, the average temperature remains steady at around −58°C (−72°F). The highest temperature ever recorded at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station was −12.3°C (9.9°F) on Christmas Day, 2011,[31] and the lowest was −82.8°C (−117.0°F) on June 23, 1982[32][33][34] (for comparison, the lowest temperature directly recorded anywhere on earth was −89.2°C (−128.6°F) at Vostok Station on July 21, 1983, though −93.2°C (−135.8°F) was measured indirectly by satellite in East Antarctica between Dome A and Dome F in August 2010[35]). Mean annual temperature at the South Pole is -49.3 °C (-56.7 °F)[36].
Students on Ice
The Antarctic itinerary is always subject to change due to weather and ice conditions. The SOI website states: “We take advantage of all our opportunities, while at the same time respecting the power of the Antarctic climate.” Expeditions begin in late December when students travel to gateway cities of Toronto, New York, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, or Santiago, Chile, ultimately to convene as one international group in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost town in the world. Students typically spend a day in Ushuaia hiking into the Tierra del Fuego backcountry and participating in pre-expedition educational activities. The ship-based expedition begins as the expedition vessel exits the Beagle Channel and heads for the Drake Passage. SOI Antarctic expedition participants have the unique experience of celebrating Christmas or ringing in the New Year as they cross the Antarctic convergence and make their first landing in the South Shetland Islands. 