Well. I am still in Christchurch.
After I finished putting all my gear into the appropriate orange bags (one check-in, one carry-on), I found out at 5:45am that there is a 24-hour delay in departure.
This is the weather forecast by the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) at NCAR http://www.mmm.ucar.edu/rt/amps/. The region of interest is Ross Sea/Beardsmore.
Below is the forecast is for 00UTC Nov 11 2013, close to the time of our scheduled landing on the sea ice. UTC=Coordinated Universal Time, previously known as Greenwich Mean Time. Christchurch and McMurdo are 13 hours ahead of UTC.
There is a low pressure system in the Ross Sea. Winds are clockwise around the low (in the southern hemisphere). There are strong winds that bring cold air from the continent to the ocean. Air over the ocean is moist --> condensation and low clouds. Important for the decision not to fly is the "hook" of low clouds where we are to land.
I hope we'll have better weather tomorrow.
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