Central Chile to endure unusual snow, record cold this weekend
A bitter blast of frigid air is plunging into central Chile this weekend, causing snow to fall at unusually low levels and putting records in jeopardy.
Residents of the capital city of Santiago woke up to 3-5 cm (1-2 inches) of snow after a cold front swung through and opened the door for frigid air to arrive.
Saturday started with snow falling in Santiago, Chile, on 15 July 2017. (Twitter Photo/@RhianonBerry)
More opportunities for snow will come through Saturday evening before records lows are in jeopardy to end the weekend.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/jnmet">@jnmet</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Snow?src=hash">#Snow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Santiago?src=hash">#Santiago</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chile?src=hash">#Chile</a> Temps droped 5 degrees in less than 40 min. <a href="https://t.co/6NfYB28dVb">pic.twitter.com/6NfYB28dVb</a></p>— Jose Estay (@JoseEstayN) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoseEstayN/status/886132497515503616">July 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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"Rain showers will continue to occasionally mix with or change to snow in Santiago through Saturday evening," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller said. "Any heavier bursts of snow could drop a fresh coating, especially on non-paved surfaces."
San Fernando, Rancagua, Melipilla and San Felipe will also have snow during this time.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">SnAgustín,Salamanca 4th region (<a href="https://twitter.com/claudiazaraya">@claudiazaraya</a> pics) <a href="https://twitter.com/jnmet">@jnmet</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jtimbles">@jtimbles</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cristobaljuliav">@cristobaljuliav</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/gmarconeweather">@gmarconeweather</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MeteoLaSerena">@MeteoLaSerena</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MeteoSeba">@MeteoSeba</a> <a href="https://t.co/bl4IUsWDOd">pic.twitter.com/bl4IUsWDOd</a></p>— Paula (@PaulaEinstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulaEinstein/status/886223540642611200">July 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Heavier snow will further bury the nearby mountains, according to Miller.
"Totals of 30 to perhaps as high as 90 cm (1 to 3 feet) will fall," he said. "The ski resorts will love it."
Santiago has not had snow since 2011, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.
"So while snow in the capital is unusual, it is not unheard of," he said. "There was also another instance of snow whitening Santiago in 2007."
Even as the snow winds down, motorists and those traveling by foot may still encounter slick conditions on Saturday night.
"As temperatures fall below freezing, any wet surfaces can turn icy," Miller said.
Temperatures will continue to plummet overnight down to near 4 below zero C (25 F) in downtown Santiago.
The last time temperatures in July even approached the levels they will be on Saturday night was in 2013, when Quinta Normal (the official weather observation site in downtown Santiago) recorded a low of 3 below zero C (26.6 F).
"An even colder night is expected on Sunday night as clear skies and calm winds will cause a rapid drop in temperatures," Miller said. "Temperatures will drop to or under 5 below zero C (23 F) in downtown Santiago with the suburbs turning even colder."
That would break the all-time record low of 4.6 below zero C (23.7 F) from July 1924 at the Quinta Normal station, according to data obtained by the Chilean Meteorological Office.
The record-low temperature of 6.2 below zero C (21 F) from 24 June 2001 should also fall at Santiago’s International Airport (also known as Pudahuel). This record dates back to 1970.
"The only thing that could keep temperatures from breaking those records would be the development of fog," Miller said.
The hard freeze both nights of this weekend will kill any plants residents have out on their porches. Care should be taken to ensure that animals kept outdoors have proper shelter.
In between the frigid nights, sunshine will return on Sunday, but will prove ineffective in allowing temperatures to significantly rebound. A high of only 4-6 C (lower 40s F) will end the weekend in Santiago, which is well below the normal of 14 C (58 F).
The cold will quickly release its grip on central Chile early next week, allowing temperatures to return to normal.
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