Two pictures of the Greenland icecap near Kangerlussuaq (c) Marc De Keyser

General
Still a good signature of the frontal system over the NW of Greenland but further decay is visible. The Greenlandic high becomes more and more important again, resulting in improving conditions.

04/06/10 - day 1
- Wind: SSW 12-18kt, after 18/21utc becoming SSE 8-12kt.
- Weather: solidly overcast with periods of slight snow. Gradually but slowly improving. Enlarging sunny spells after 00/03utc
- Temperature: Min06utc=-12c dayMax(18utc)=-8C

05/06/10 - day 2
- Wind: S to SSE 8-12kt, becoming SSW 5-10kt
- Weather: sunny with patchy cloud. Formation of mist and fog patches after 21/00utc
- Temperature: (6utc)=-16°C (18utc)=-10°C.

06/06/10 - day 3
- Wind: S to SSE 4-8kt, becoming SSW 6-10kt.
- Weather: sunny with patches of high clouds: Cirrus and Cirrostratus.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-18°C (18utc)=-8°C.

General
Frontal system covers the Western and Northern parts of Greenland with multilayered solid cloud. In this situation hardly any change over the next few days. This means that the overall conditions will be poor, with overcast conditions, periods of snow, poor visibility, poor contrast and poor horizon. The wind increases a little as well An other negative aspect of this situation is the advection of mild air, so temperatures are hardly changing over the next 72 hours.

02/06/10 - day 1
- Wind: SSW to SW 10-15kt, no significant change.
- Weather: solidly overcast with periods of snow. No significant change.
- Temperature: Min06utc=-14c dayMax(18utc)=-8C

03/06/10 - day 2
- Wind: SW 13-18kt, no significant change
- Weather: remaining very cloudy to overcast with snow/snow showers. No significant change
- Temperature: (6utc)=-10°C (18utc)=-8°C.

04/06/10 - day 3
- Wind: S 10-15kt, becoming 14-18kt.
- Weather: very cloudy to overcast with possibly some weak sunny spells but most of the time ovrecast with snow/snow showers
- Temperature: (6utc)=-10°C (18utc)=-6°C.

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This serie of pictures shows the process of ice core drilling at Neem, Northern Greenland. Flying from Kangerlussuaq with a Hercules C-130 aircraft from the US Air Force to the site on the ice cap at N77.750/W51.100. (c) Marc De Keyser

General
Satellite Image confirms yesterday’s forecast: approach of the arctic frontal depression (see yesterday’s image) resulting in moderate to poor conditions for the next few days. Moderate to poor conditions mean: poor surface contrast due to cloud cover, poor to moderate visibility due to snow fall and poor horizon.
An other negative aspect of this evolution is that the air mass is getting milder and wetter again.

01/06/10 - day 1
- Wind: S 8-12kt after 15utc becoming SW 13-18kt.
- Weather: a few short lived sunny spells to start the day but soon becoming very cloudy to solidly overcast, followed by snow fall after 15/18utc.
- Temperature: Min06utc=-20c dayMax(18utc)=-10C

02/06/10 - day 2
- Wind: SSW to SW 8-13kt no significant change
- Weather: remaining very cloudy to overcast with periods of snow/snow showers. No significant change
- Temperature: (6utc)=-14°C (18utc)=-8°C.

03/06/10 - day 3
- Wind: S 8-12kt after 12/15ut becoming SSW 12-16kt
- Weather: similar as previous day: solidly overcast with periods of snow/snow showers. milder.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-10°C (18utc)=-6°C.

Visible Satellite Image (c) Weather Office Canada

General
The latest satellite image of Greenland show a well formed frontal depression to the NW of Greenland. At this stage this system is still far enough from the Neem site but should start to determine the weather from tomorrow onwards. This will result in overcast conditions with periods of snow or snow showers.

31/05/10 - day 1
- Wind: S 5-10kt, no significant change.
- Weather: sunny with patches of high clouds.
- Temperature: Min06utc=-26c dayMax(18utc)=-12C

01/06/10 - day 2
- Wind: S to SSW 5-10kt, becoming SSW to SW 6-12kt
- Weather: still som sunny patches but gradually increasing cloudiness, becoming solidly overcast with snow/snow showers
- Temperature: (6utc)=-20°C (18utc)=-12°C.

02/06/10 - day 3
- Wind: SW 4-8kt only slightly increasing to SW 8-12kt.
- Weather: solidly overcast with periods of snow/snow showers. Maybe temporarily improving a little.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-14°C (18utc)=-12°C.

General
Latest satellite image of NOAA18 shows some patches of low clouds/fog to the South of the Neem location. Hardly any movement in the lowest layers of the atmosphere. The next few days the wind increases a little but remains pretty weak.

30/05/10 - day 1
- Wind: calm/less than 4kt.
- Weather: strong surface inversion with possibly some haze of fog patches, gradually dissipating during the first part of the day. Sunny.
- Temperature: Min06utc=-34c dayMax(18utc)=-16C

31/05/10 - day 2
- Wind: S to SSW 4-8kt, no significant change.
- Weather: sunny with patches of Cirrus and Cirrostratus.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-25°C (18utc)=-14°C.

01/06/10 - day 3
- Wind: SSW 4-8kt only slightly changing into SW 5-10kt.
- Weather: sunny with high clouds, after 15/18utc becoming thick enough to cover the sun. After 21/24utc possibly some slight snow.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-24°C (18utc)=-12°C.

This image shows the vertical temperature profile of the lowest layer of the atmosphere at Neem, North Greenland. When the sky is clear and the wind has become calm the optimum radiation finds place. As a consequence, in the 150 meter above the surface, the temperature will rise in stead of falling. The top of the inversion (the inversion nose) is the point where the temperature starts dropping with height. This kind of situation leads to extremely cold mornings. (c) Marc De Keyser

General
On the latest satellite image we can see still some patchy cloud/fog in the Neem environment but the clearing in continueing. As te wind has dropped away almost completely those two elements will favoure the formation of strong overnight surface inversions (see image).
On the 3th day, the picks up a little but just enough to make the inversion less pronounced.

29/05/10 - day 1
- Wind: NE to E remaining weak: 2-5kt, after 12utc becoming calm.
- Weather: patchy fog-haze and sunny. No significant change.
- Temperature: Min06utc=-28c dayMax(18utc)=-16C

30/05/10 - day 2
- Wind: less than 5kt from variable directions, temporarily completely calm.
- Weather: surface inversion - sunny and Cirrus patches. Next night increasing amounts of Cirrostratus
- Temperature: (6utc)=-24°C (18utc)=-18°C.

31/05/10 - day 3
- Wind: S 4-8kt veering a little to SSW to SW.
- Weather: patchy cloudy with sunny spells.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-26°C (18utc)=-14°C.

Low cloud cover over the ice cap (c) Marc De Keyser

General
At this moment there is no satellite image available but the forecast of yesterday is confirmed by today’s: very cloudy to overcast but in general no preicpitation. Wind is weak to calm which will enhance the formation of strong surface inversions during the following two nights: this implies very low temperatures around 6-10utc: nxt night -26/-28°C and the second nxt night down to -32/-34°C!

28/05/10 - day 1
- Wind: SW 2-6kt temporarily between 15-21utc becoming calm than turning to N to NE but remaining weak: 2-4kt.
- Weather: solidly overcast with multilayered clouds gradually becoming thinner. Slowly improving after 18/21utc.
- Temperature: Min06utc=-20c dayMax(18utc)=-14C

29/05/10 - day 2
- Wind: less than 5kt from variable directions, after 12/15utc becoming calm.
- Weather: surface inversion with quite a bit low level moisture: ice accretion/hazy conditions. enlarging sunny spells
- Temperature: (6utc)=-26°C (18utc)=-16°C.

30/05/10 - day 3
- Wind: calm after 21/24utc becoming SSE 4-8kt.
- Weather: strong surface inversion: hazy. sunny, no significant change.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-33°C (18utc)=-20°C.

(c) Weather Office Canada

General
The latest satellite image of Greenland shows an extensive frontal cloudcover over Northwestern Greenland. As this cloud systeem is broken up at some places, it is possible that temporarily sunny spells alternate the cloudy periods today. However solid cloud cover with some slight snow or snow showers is most likely. Improving from late tomorrow
An other interesting point is that from today the wind starts to drop away which favours the formation of a overnight surface inversion. Especially when the the clouds have dissipated this will lead to very cold mornings (around -30C again!)

27/05/10 - day 1
- Wind: SSW 8-12kt, after 15/18utc becoming SW to W 4-8kt.
- Weather: solidly overcast with multilayered slouds. Period of snow or snow showers. Maybe some short lived sunny spells (there are some breaks to the North of Neem)
- Temperature: Min06utc=-20c dayMax(18utc)=-14C

28/05/10 - day 2
- Wind: less than 5kt from variable directions
- Weather: still very cloudy but cloud will gradually and slowly getting thinner. After 21utc sunny spells enlarge. Formation of significant surface inversion.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-25°C (18utc)=-15°C.

29/05/10 - day 3
- Wind: less than 5kt from variable directions.
- Weather: hazy, quite a lot of ice crystals in the air. sunny, no significant change.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-30°C (18utc)=-20°C.

Satellite image and 500hPa map showing the depression to the Northwest of Greenland (c) Weather Office Canada

General
West of Greenland there is a vast upper low which steers gradually more moisture over West and North Greenland. This implies that gradually more and thicker clouds will invade from the SW.

26/05/10 - day 1
- Wind: S 10-15kt, after 15/18utc becoming SSW 8-12kt.
- Weather: patches of high clouds: Cirrostratus sometimes thick enough to cover the sun. Thickening after 00utc next night.
- Temperature: Min06utc=-18c dayMax(18utc)=-10C

27/05/10 - day 2
- Wind: SSW 8-12kt, gradually decreasing to less than 5kt and veering to W.
- Weather: solidly overcast with multilayered slouds. Period of snow or snow showers.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-16°C (18utc)=-12°C.

28/05/10 - day 3
- Wind: less than 5kt from variable directions.
- Weather: similar as previous day.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-16°C (18utc)=-12°C.

This is a similar halo appearance, but in the sky of an other cold place: Mount Vinson Base Camp, Antarctica. Picture is taken by David Hamilton. (click to enlarge)

General
The center of the Greenland anticyclone is positioned over South East Greenland whilst over the Baffin Sea a vast area of low pressure extends towards the Neem area. The latter pushes a little more unstable air over the Greenland ice cap which could lead to a few snow showers today.

25/05/10 - day 1
- Wind: S 10-15kt, after 15utc veering to SW/WSW 10-15kt later becoming 6-10kt.
- Weather: isolated fog patches and high clouds, gradually becoming very cloudy to overcast with risk of a few snow showers. Clearing again after 18/21utc.
- Temperature: Min06utc=-14c dayMax(18utc)=-8C

26/05/10 - day 2
- Wind: S 6-10kt, after 12utc S/SSW 10-15kt
- Weather: sunny spells with patches of high clouds, no significant change. After 00/03utc again increasing cloudiness.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-18°C (18utc)=-10°C.

27/05/10 - day 3
- Wind: SSW 10-15kt after 12/15utc veering to SW
- Weather: very cloudy to overcast with prob of 30 % for snow shower.
- Temperature: (6utc)=-18°C (18utc)=-14°C.