WeatherFanatics: Central Chile to endure unusual snow, record cold this weekend

Friday, July 14, 2017

Central Chile to endure unusual snow, record cold this weekend

By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

July 14,2017, 2:13:10PM,EDT

A bitter blast of frigid air will plunge into central Chile this weekend, causing snow to fall at unusually low levels and putting records in jeopardy.
The capital of Santiago is among the communities that may see snow and temperatures plunge to record levels after a cold front swings through and opens the door for frigid air to arrive.
As periods of rain stream into central Chile on Saturday, enough cold air will arrive for the rain to occasionally mix with or change to snow into the evening.

"There could be a light coating on non-paved surfaces, which would include car tops, lawns and tree branches," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller said.
San Fernando, Rancagua, Melipilla and San Felipe could also see snowfall on Saturday into Saturday evening.
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."
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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."
While the snow is expected to struggle to stick to roads and sidewalks, 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 6 below zero C (lower 20s F) in downtown Santiago.
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 (the official weather observation site in downtown Santiago), according to data obtained by the Chilean Meteorological Office.

The suburbs are expected to turn even colder, putting the record low temperature of 6.2 below zero C (21 F) from 24 June 2001 in jeopardy at Santiago’s International Airport (also known as Pudahuel). This record dates back to 1970.
The hard freeze will kill any plants residents have out on their porches. Care should be taken to ensure that animals kept outdoors have proper shelter.
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).
Sunday night will rival Saturday night as the coldest during this frigid snap, unless fog develops.
The cold will quickly release its grip on central Chile early next week, allowing temperatures to return to normal.

Jordi Llach ·

Santiago, Chile

"Record cold"? Those forcast temperatures and snow are nothing unusual here, in Santiago. The forecast is for lowest temperatures between 0 and -3 °C, absolutely normal and very usual in this time of the year.

Like · Reply · 33 mins · Edited

Robin Moss

Chile is Chile . Lol--- let it snow let it snow.. break out the chicken tamales and beef tamales are the chicken or beef burritos uphill in mountains, it's snow baby

Like · Reply · 1 hr · Edited