454 I. P. KocH. 
the circumstance that the wind at the points, where once it has 
taken hold, will more easily eat further into the cover of snow and 
fashion it into the well-known sastrugi. At a velocity of 10 to 15m 
the drifting snow already fills the air up to an altitude of several 
metres, and at 20m the snow is whirled up to an altitude of 15 to 
20 m. 
In a mountainous terrain the regularity of the drift is naturally 
lost, and there the air, in particular in the shelter of the mountain 
ranges, may be filled with drifting snow, up to an altitude of several 
hundred metres. 
Cyclonic storms only occur in the autumn and winter. The 
velocity of the wind is not very considerable, and only in exceptional 
cases does it seem to reach 30m, but nevertheless they make an 
almost overwhelming impression, on account of the great quantities 
of whirling, stinging snow which fills the air. For the traveller ina 
snow storm the strong impression, however, speedily becomes less, 
on account of the continued and exhausting struggle against the 
wind and particularly the snow, which closes up the eyes and in 
the long run has a stunning, stupefying effect upon the senses. Tra- 
velling against a snow storm is impossible; on the other hand it is 
quite possible to travel with the storm at one’s back, when one can 
otherwise find the way. For sledge travellers snow storms generally 
involve no danger, because one may at any time stop and — though 
with some difficulty — pitch one’s tent. On the other hand there 
are many examples of people, who having ventured out alone into 
snow storms, though only for a few hundred metres, have been 
unable to find their way back. 
The fohn wind, which during the whole year may assume a 
stormlike character, alone causes the few storms of the summer. 
The precipitation at Danmarks Havn was measured at 146 mm, 
of which four-fifths fell during the six winter months. By far the 
greater part of the precipitation was in the form of snow, whereas 
the rainfall did not quite amount to 10°/o. This summer rain often 
assumes the character of a quite transitory drizzle, which immediately. 
evaporates on the soil heated by the sun; however, it would appear 
as if conditions in this respect, as well as in others, may vary greatly 
from one year to another. During the summer of 1912 we several 
times had a steady rain, heavy enough to penetrate our clothing. 
Also Knup RasmussEn’s and PETER FREUCHEN’s descriptions of the 
weather conditions in 1912 in Vildtland and Valmuedalen (about 
82° N. Lat.) suggests a very rainy summer. 
Even though it may be supposed that the result arrived at by 
the Danmark-Ekspedition, as regards the summer rain, does not 
