Antarctica's Highest Recorded Rainfall: 3.1 cm at Esperanza Base

Antarctica is Earth's driest continent (polar desert), but rainfall does occur on coastal fringes.

Record Event

Amount: 31 mm (1.22 inches).
Date: January 1982.
Location: Esperanza Base (Argentine, 63°24'S, 57°00'W) — Antarctic Peninsula tip.
Context: Summer (Jan) atmospheric river event. Warm, moist air from subtropical Pacific channeled poleward.

Typical Precipitation

Interior (Plateau): <50 mm/yr (water equivalent). Diamond dust (ice crystals) — not rain.
Coastal: 200-600 mm/yr. Mostly snow. Rain fraction increases northward on Peninsula.
Esperanza Avg: ~600 mm/yr. Rain possible Nov-Mar.

Climate Change Signal

Antarctic Peninsula: +3°C since 1950 (fastest warming Southern Hemisphere). Rain frequency increasing. Ice shelf collapse (Larsen A 1995, B 2002, C 2017). Penguin shifts (Adélie → Gentoo).

Measurement Challenges

Solid vs. liquid precipitation distinction difficult. Automated weather stations (AWS) with heated gauges. WMO extremes archive validates records.