The Wind: aka Katabatic The most significant factor in Antarctic weather is wind. As previously said, it's the windiest continent. The dome-shaped continent of Antarctica is the ideal environment for Katabatic wind, or known as the gravity wind to be formed. The freezing and dense air formed in the plateau rushes down the high ice cap and blows down as it reaches the coastal areas. At this time the Katabatic wind reaches up to 22 meters per second. These winds are powerful. Winds that sweep downward from the plateau can average 14 meters per second. Katabatic winds are formed in the inland plateaus about 20 to 25 km from the coast and blows out 10 to 30 km offshore. Winds get especially powerful in blizzards. These powerful winds leave their marks on the surface of the ice cap known as sastrugi. Sastrugi sharp ridges created by loose snow sometimes high as 1.8 meters. Sastrugi is very useful when knowing the wind's direction and power from studying its shape. A blizzard is another key factor in Antarctica's climate. Snow is not needed since winds can just pick up old snow on the ground. The sky can be clear and yet there could be a blizzard. A blizzard could last for several days. There are about nine blizzards a year. Blizzards can be very dangerous if you happen to be outside during one. Many explorers have been lost in blizzards. Winds in blizzards can be so strong and powerful that in some, you may not even be able to see your hand right in front of your face. White Desert "Polar Desert" is what many people call the inland plateaus of Antarctica. As the world's driest continent, it receives an average of 14.5 cm of precipitation each year. Although precipitation stands for rain in many parts of the world, here it's only in form of snow. The inland plateaus are the driest and has only about 5 cm of snowfall each year. This is because of the katabatic winds that pushes away the moist air from the ocean and avoiding clouds to form. The average annual precipitation on coastal areas average about 30 cm. There are three types of snowfall seen in Antarctica. Snow brought by the clouds of low air pressure fronts, diamond dusts which are tiny dust of snow falling from a clear sky, and frosts derived from frozen steams on the surface of the ice. At Russia's Vostok Station, the number of days snowfall was seen from clouds were 28 days, from diamond dusts were 247 days, and from the frost were 225 days. Measuring the precipitation amount in Antarctica is hard work. Blizzard comes endlessly on this continent which scatters fresh fallen snow and the old snow mixed together to completely different places.