The Riviera of the South, A Year in Weather
Davis Station has the reputation as the “Riviera of the South”, but it’s not all blue skies and factor 50 sunscreen. As we look back on our year at Davis, here are some of the weather extremes that made for an unforgettable experience.
We arrived in November 2025, and so did the wind. Our highest daily wind run (the distance travelled by the wind over 24 hours) reached a very breezy 1,964 km, with gusts peaking at 94 knots or 174 km/h. Sustained winds above 60 knots or 111 km/h , means traveling outside is required to be in pairs and to check in via UHF Radio, when both departing and arriving at each building.
December brought 24-hour sunshine and relatively mild temperatures, with the mercury staying above 0°C for the entire month. January saw our warmest day of the year, reaching a balmy 8.5°C. Ideal conditions to take a mid-summer dip into the ocean for our Australia Day swim.
As summer faded, so did the sunlight. The sun set for six weeks, before it peeked above the horizon on 24 July, making a brief appearance for just 24 minutes. Although, there were a couple of hours of twilight each day as the sun skirted the horizon. Unsurprisingly, July also delivered our coldest temperature, a rather brisk −36.8°C. At that temperature it is cold enough to throw boiling water into the air, to see it instantly turn to vapor and vanish.
We had a total of 70 days with snow over the last twelve months, and much more precipitation than the last few years. Which has kept our plant operator busy, constantly clearing tracks and roads around station.
Blizzards were another feature of the year, with several making an appearance. To qualify as a blizzard, temperatures must be below 0°C, visibility less than 100 metres, and sustained winds above 24 knots or 63 km/h for at least an hour. It was always interesting walking to work after a big blizzard to find roads blocked, vehicles semi buried, and the landscape changed by huge dumps of snow.
Sometimes my daily commute felt like an adventure, as I weaved through the snow drifts and battled the gale force head winds in the darkness of winter. Or being mesmerised by an Aurora dancing across the vast sky above, as snow so cold and dry, it crunched and squeaked underfoot.
So, was Davis really the Riviera of the South? With its share of gale force winds, bone chilling temperatures and blizzards, perhaps not every day. But with plenty of blue skies and sunshine in between, the nickname still feels well deserved.
Gavin Melgaard
Observer with the Bureau of Meteorology
