Extreme Winds main content.

Why is Antarctica the Windiest Place on Earth

Part of the Antarctica: The Farthest Place Close to Home Curriculum Collection.

It's not just Antarctica's temperatures that are so extreme. Winds speeds on the continent often exceed 100 mph each winter. Learn the causes of these ferocious katabatic winds.

Article Studying Snow and Wind in Antarctica What's a high school chemistry teacher from Florida doing in Antarctica studying the winds? She's helping researchers understand... Article Studying Polar Climate Talk about the force of gravity—Antarctica's powerful katabatic winds thunder down from the high polar plateau to the coast, creating... Article Katabatic Winds While out at sea, Shipp's ship hit a windstorm that was nasty by anyone's definition—wind speeds of 80 knots (70 mph). Learn why... Educator Materials Antarctic Weather Stations In Antarctica, scientists often have trouble measuring katabatic winds, which are so strong they can knock down the instruments.... Educator Materials Crazy Cold Air Why does cold air rush out of a freezer when you open the door? How does it then move through a room? Experiment to learn the answers—and...