HOW'S YOUR WEATHER? Part One

"Kerguelen's weather is harsh, with rain and snow most days of the year. Winds blow continuously from the west, as the islands lie in the path of the "Furious Fifties". Winds of 150 kph (90 mph) are common, and gusting up to 200 kph (120 mph) has been known."

The wind makes things colder than hell here, but at least because of the wind there aren't any bugs.

"As Kerguelen lies on the Antarctic Convergence where upwelling cold water from the Antarctic mixes with the the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean, birdlife and marine mammals are abundant. The state of the sea reflects the high wind speeds, with wave heights of 12 - 15 m (37 - 47 feet) being common. The sea around Kerguelen is, however, ice free."

I don't have to worry about things being iced over when I take the boat out, but I do need to beware of the large swells.

"You can find historic temperature data (1950 - date) here."

From looking at the temperature chart, you can see that it doesn't tend to get above 50 degrees F here very much. All the temperatures on the chart are in C, so to convert to F, multiply the number on the chart by 1.8 and add 32, and you get the degrees in F. So for example if the chart said 5.0 C, you could multiply by 1.8 and get the number 9, then you would add 32, for a reading of 41 degrees F.

I know the voice on the radio told me to climb Mt. Ross in my sneakers, but I'm thinking I might want to wait a bit. Like maybe until late in the year, since very soon the mean temperature around here will only be in the mid-thirties in degrees F.