Abstract. Balloon borne frost-point hygrometers and backscatter sondes were launched at Sodankylä, Finland in January and February of 1996. These instruments measure water vapor and the backscatter ratio of light due to polar stratospheric clouds in the Arctic stratospheric vortex. Here we report the results of a hygrometer sonde and a backscatter sonde launched within 3.5 hours of each other on January 22/23. Together these soundings show a strong loss of water vapor due to the formation of ice clouds as a result of record cold temperatures in the Arctic stratosphere. The separation of the upper edge of the layer showing water vapor loss and the upper edge of the PSC layer indicates sedimentation of the ice particle layer, possibly leading to a permanent dehydration in the upper part of the layer exhibiting water vapor loss.