How dry is Antarctica?

Answer 1

Most places in Antarctica receive no rainfall or snow at all. This is because the very cold air contains hardly any of the water vapour to create rain or snow. This means that Antarctica is the worlds largest desert. All drinking water comes from melting the ice. Fire fighting becomes very diffiult and this is why smoking is banned in most Antarctic bases. - Humanities Alive Geography

Answer 2

Antarctica is a dry polar region, because there is so little precipitation. Lakes may exist under the ice and melt-water rivers are visible during summer. Antarctica is in fact the driest continent. Average humidity is about five percent.

Other Answers
Average temperatures in the Antarctic interior get down to -70 degrees Celsius during the winter months and -35 degrees Celsius in the warmer months.


The coastal temperatures are much warmer with a range of -15 to -32 Celsius in Winter and -5 to +5 Celsius in Summer.


The interior of Antarctica is considered the world's driest desert because the extreme cold freezes water vapour out of the air.


Annual snowfall on the polar plateau is equivalent to less than 5 cm of rain.


Antarctica has some of the strongest winds on earth, with some winds reaching 320 kph.

Answer 3

Antartica is a very cold continent, and even though it has a lot of snow that is very humid, the air is very dry.

Answer 4

Antarctica is the driest continent on earth, with an average humidity of less than five percent. It is also the driest desert on earth.

Answer 5

Yes, about 2% of the continent is not covered by ice and Antarctica is a desert.