The BAS stations generally experience moderate winds, with mean wind speeds of around 6 ms-1 (12 kt, moderate breeze), but in gales, which can occur on over 40 days a year, mean speeds can exceed 30 ms-1 (60 kt, violent storm) with gusts of over 40 ms-1 (80 kt). Signy is the windiest BAS station and has experienced hurricane force gusts over 55 ms-1 (110 kt).
![High winds making life difficult at a field camp. No work today! These winds are around 30 knots, often 60 knots are encountered but few photographs are taken then!](https://www.bas.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/5d945e8587a676b547cbb6a77e5e748c_1428751425-1024x686.jpg)
Elsewhere, strong katabatic winds, caused by the flow of cold air off the plateau, make some coastal sites around Antarctica the windiest places in the world.
Port Martin (67°S 141°E) is an especially windy site with an annual mean wind speed of 17 ms-1 (33 kt — nearly gale force). The station has recorded a monthly mean wind speed of 28 ms-1 (54 kt — storm force 10) and a daily mean of 46 ms-1 (89 kt). On average it has only 22 days a year with mean wind speeds less than 13 ms-1 (25 kt).
Winds at the South Pole are mostly controlled by the slope of the snow surface and are a relatively uniform 6 ms-1 (12 kt) from a direction of longitude 22° East. There are few calms or gales.