South Orkney Islands Weather

The overall climate you’ll experience on your South Orkney Island expedition is cold, wet, and usually quite windy. During the summers (December through March) temperatures hover at just a little bit over 0°C.

During the winter (around July) the average temperature falls to around -10°C.

Facts about The South Orkney Islands

• The South Orkney Islands sit about 600 kilometres to the northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
• The only inhabitants are the people working at one of the two research stations (one British, one Argentinian).
• Despite the cold of the region the South Orkney Islands do support some plant life – algae, lichen, and mosses.
• The South Orkney Islands are considered to be an archipelago (chain of islands). There are four main islands – Coronation Island, Laurie Island, Powell Island, and Signy Island. The rest of the archipelago is made up of smaller islands such as the Saddle Islands and the Robertson Islands.
• Almost 90% of the South Orkney Islands surface area is covered in glaciers.
• The South Orkney Islands were originally called “Powell’s Group” after George Powell a Brittish sealer joining the  American Nathaniel Brown Palmer, who discovered them in 1821.
• The oldest ongoing research station in the whole Antarctic region was established on Laurie Island in 1903 by Scottish Oceanographer William Speirs Bruce. He sold the station to Argentina in 1904. Orcadas Station is still operational today. 

Travel to the South Orkney Islands

A trip including South Orkney Islands takes you into the heart of one of the most important breeding grounds in the world for Adélie and Chinstrap penguins. Your South Orkney Islands expedition affords you the chance to take in some incredible bird watching, say hello to a variety of seals, and make friends with the local penguin populations.