Awhile back we reported that National Geographic intended to install two new weather stations on Mt. Everest this spring to help monitor the temperature and potential impact of climate change on the mountain. Later, we followed up with a report that those stations had indeed been put in place just below The Balcony at 8430 meters (27, 657 ft) and at the South Col at 7945 meters (26,066 ft). That would make these the world's highest weather stations for sure, although at the time they hadn't been activated yet. This past week, that changed when both stations came online, giving us the ability to check the current conditions on the mountain at anytime and from anywhere.
Nat Geo has posted a webpage that provides access to the data. From that page you can check the current temperature, windspeed and direction, air pressure, and humidity. You're also given the ability to shift through all of the weather stations that are currently active on Everest, which includes not just the two newly installed units, but systems at Base Camp, Camp 2, and down the valley in Phortse. Each option also indicates the altitude of the weather station and the individual reports show data for the past few hours as well.
As I write this, the current conditions at The Balcony include a temperature of 4.4ºF (-15.3ºC). The wind is blowing at 8 meters/second from the southwest, while the humidity is listed at 85% and the air pressure clocks in at 360 hPa. Those seem like fairly normal conditions for this time of year on the mountain, especially at 8430 meters (27,657 ft.) Of course, it will be interesting to bookmark this page and come back to check it throughout the year, such as in the winter when those temperatures and windspeed are likely to be far more daunting.
If you're a weather geek who wants to keep track of the conditions on Everest you can find all of this data available right here.
