Some places had not seen such severe cold since 1991. Even the normally ultra-dry Atacama Desert had some rare snowfalls. As usual a feeble attempt is still made to link it to human activities aka climate change: ‘can’t be ruled out’.
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A polar air mass has brought record low temperatures to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, causing at least 15 deaths and forcing governments to restrict gas supplies and activate emergency shelters, says Phys.org.
The three South American countries have all recorded sharply below-zero temperatures as the polar air originated from Antarctica and swept across the region.
In Argentina, at least nine homeless people have died from the cold this winter, according to NGO Proyecto 7.
The capital Buenos Aires recorded its lowest temperature since 1991 at -1.9 degrees Celsius (28.6 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, while the coastal city of Miramar saw snow for the first time in 34 years. Further south, the town of Maquinchao recorded -18C on Tuesday.
Electricity demand caused cuts across Buenos Aires, leaving thousands without power for over 24 hours in some areas.
The government suspended gas supplies to industries and petrol stations Wednesday to ensure household supplies, and removed price controls on gas cylinders Thursday.
Desert snow
Uruguay declared a nationwide “red alert” after six people died, allowing President Yamandu Orsi’s government to forcibly move homeless people to shelters.
Montevideo recorded its lowest maximum temperature since 1967 at 5.8C on June 30, according to meteorologist Mario Bidegain.
Chile also activated homeless shelter plans during the coldest days. The city of Chillan, 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Santiago, hit -9.3C, according to the Chilean Meteorological Directorate.
“What happened this week in Chile and the Southern Cone in general is a cold wave caused by an escape of a polar air mass from Antarctica,” climatologist Raul Cordero from the University of Santiago told AFP.
Snow even fell in parts of the Atacama Desert, the world’s driest, for the first time in a decade.
“It is not so common for these cold air masses to extend so far north, so we cannot rule out that this is also caused by climate change,” meteorologist Arnaldo Zuniga told AFP.
Full article here.
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Image: Snow in the Atacama Desert, Chile [credit: EU – Copernicus]
via Tallbloke’s Talkshop
July 5, 2025 at 05:58AM
Iowa Climate Science Education 