The serpentine road Avenida Las Condes East which runs from Santiago, Chile, to the Farellones and Valle Nevado ski resorts in the Andes mountain range of South America is shown in this photo taken July 2001. (AP Photo/Jean Lee)
Recent heavy rain and mountain snow combined to cause a mudslide in central Chile over the weekend.
The mudslide occurred near the popular skiing resort of Farellones, in the Andes just to the northeast of Santiago.
The mudslide cut off access to about 30 people by closing the only road from the resort out of the mountains. The good news is that no one was injured in the mudslide.
Reports indicate more than an inch of rain fell in Santiago over the past week, marking the heaviest rainfall from one storm system in over a year. During 2011, Santiago only received 4.32 inches of rainfall, about 30 percent of normal.
Typically, a prolonged drought followed by a heavy rainfall event can increase the threat of mudslides.
In the higher elevations near Farellones, 1-2 feet of fresh snow was reported.
The heaviest snowfall in the Andes has also lead to the closure of the Los Libertadores border crossing between Los Andes in Chile and Mendoza in Argentina.
Elsewhere in the region, a significant earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 struck just southeast of Mendoza Monday morning. There have been no reported causalities; however, some minor building damage occurred.
NOAA released its 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast Thursday, predicting another active season.
This holiday weekend, a rare astronomical phenomenon will occur that will not be seen again until October 2015.
Severe weather and drenching downpours will affect parts of the Plains and Midwest over the Memorial Day Weekend.
San Antonio is getting hit by heavy thunderstorms on Friday afternoon and evening.
Another plunge of chilly air will set the stage for the risk of a frost and freeze centered Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and other nearby states this weekend.
With one day remaining before Memorial Day weekend, the Sandy-battered Jersey coastline is hustling to finish last-minute preparations.
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | N/A | |
| Low | N/A | |
| Precip | N/A |
North Texas (1986)
Severe thunderstorms produced 95 mph wind
gusts and widespread damage. More than 3" of
rain fell in less than an hour. A 29 year old
women and 6 year old daughter drowned when the
underpass they were driving into was flooded
out.
Newton, NJ (1925)
96 degrees on the 23rd; 39 degrees on the morning
of the 24th.
Abilene, TX (2000)
109 degrees, hottest ever in May.
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