December 2, 1998 transcript # 262-3
Subject(s): patagonia, wind, cyclonic centers
Title: Patagonia Wind

Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow for The Weather Notebook. In the southern part of the globe, it's spring. And in the Patagonia region of Argentina, it's their windiest time of year. Correspondent Rachell Goodman went to Patagonia to experience these springtime winds:

Rachel: "In the southern spring, Patagonia is like a giant wind tunnel. You can feel why sailor's called this region the roaring forties. It's a very windy latitude. Argentinean scientists have often recorded wind speeds of over 120 mph. I asked climatologist Juan Carlos Labraga why this area bears the brunt of such fierce winds."

Juan: "We have a large continent at the South Pole, Antarctica. Antarctica is covered with ice and snow most of the year. That produces very low temperatures, lower than in the Northern Hemisphere. That increases the contrast between the equator and the poles, and that creates very strong winds."

Rachel: "Because of this intense thermal contrast between the South Pole and the equator, the southern latitudes between 38 and 50 degrees south are some of the windiest places on Earth.

Low-pressure systems called cyclonic centers wail across Patagonia every few days, wrecking havoc on man-made structures. Whale researcher Kim Marshall, found her metal observation shack riddled with holes from rocks hurled by the wind."

Kim: "You can see where the rocks have come in. There like bullets to put perfect holes in the windows. Thick glass. They must just fly right through. I can't imagine what it's like being up here. You probably couldn't walk in those winds."

Rachel: "A typical spring day might feel like a winter gale to us, but the Patagonians are used to it."

Rachel Goodman is a science reporter from Santa Cruz, CA. Our show is underwritten by Subaru, with major support provided by the National Science Foundation.