Measurements of snow thickness, temperature, salinity, density, and stratigraphy acquired during the 1992 Winter Weddell Gyre Study are presented. Results indicate that the winter snow cover on sea ice in the Weddell Sea is extremely variable. Extreme fluctuations in Antarctic synoptic conditions (air temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind speed) occur during the austral winter. They result in unique modifications and additions to the snow layer during the aging process and act to stabilize an otherwise easily wind-redistributed shallow snow cover and develop well-packed drift features. The latter occur even over relatively undeformed areas of sea ice and have a significant localized effect on the snow thickness distribution. Significant variability in snow grain size (mean 2.73 +_ 3.12 mm) and density (0.32 +__ 0.09 g cm -3) is observed as a result of cyclical switches between high- and low-temperature gradient metamorphism. Multiple icy layers indicate multiple thaw-freeze events. One such event occurred during a 3-day station, during which the air temperature rose by 22øC in 12 hours (to approximately 0øC). This paper also examines mechanisms for flooding of the snow-ice interface, including snow loading. Even where the latter is not a factor, the layer of snow immediately above the snow-ice interface is commonly damp and saline (>10%o). Limitations in the data set are discussed, and comparisons are drawn with other experiments.