South America Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest South America Daily Snow

By Luke Stone, Forecaster Posted 10 months ago June 2, 2023

Looks Like Your South American Snow Dances Worked!

Summary

After a few rainy days with high snow levels, the cold front arrived last night and we have transitioned to snow. Snow will continue moderate to heavy at times through Saturday evening, with some light snow thereafter. Another cold storm arrives Sunday night, with a more southerly track, that will likely last through the middle of next week at least.

Short Term Forecast

We made it through the the warm part of this week, and now we are thankfully back to the white stuff. Snow will be falling for the next several days across most of the resorts in Chile/Argentina, with the heaviest precipitation in the south. Another cold storm will arrive at the end of the weekend, with the majority of snow focused on the southernmost resorts. A third system may bring more snow to the northern resorts toward the end of the week as well. Guess your South American snow dances worked. 

Forecast for Friday 6/2 - Sunday 6/4

There aren't too many changes to the first part of the forecast, for the first storm in this series. Moderate to heavy snow continues this morning through Saturday evening, becoming more showery in nature Saturday night. Temps have cooled off allowing snow levels to drop, although they remain somewhat high in the north, and will remain that way. They have lowered to around 2600 m in the north, 1400 m in the central, and 900 m in the south, which should be cold enough for snow down to the bases of most resorts. Woo. 

You can see the waves of snow move through the Andes in the image below, with heavy snow Friday and Saturday before tapering to showers thereafter.

On Saturday, another shot of cold air will lower snow levels further, bringing some better quality snow. You can see the cold front approaching from the West below, arriving overnight Friday, and pushing north during the day on Saturday.

This will lower snow levels to around 2400 m in the north, 900 m in the central, and 500 m in the south, improving snow ratios. This will allow snow to pile up more quickly, as moderate to heavy snow persists through the day on Saturday. Some decent snow totals expected, especially for Cerro Catedral, Corralco, and Nevada's de Chillan, where 30 - 50 cms is possible. Generally, expect 5 - 20 cms elsewhere, with lesser amounts in the north. Check the Canadian snowman below.

Forecast for Monday 6/5 - Wed 6/7

Without much of a break, another storm is poised to strike as early as Sunday night. Initially, this storm will take a more southerly track, favoring the southern mountains through Wednesday. Substantial accumulations are likely for the central and southern resorts. This round of snow could deliver up to 2m of snow, setting up many resorts with a solid pre season base. Right now, many resorts are looking at totals in the .5 - 1.5 m range. Here is an early look at snow totals from the European model.

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Thursday 6/8 - Monday 6/12

Things look to stay active toward the middle of next week as well, as another storm moves in. This one looks to focus a bit more on the northern resorts, likely resulting in the catching up from the previous storm. Temperatures should stay cold enough to keep snow levels near or below base elevations as well. I will definitely have a lot more details on this storm next week.

Thanks for reading the South America daily snow! Follow me @lstone84 on Instagram to check out some new content I will be creating for the North American summer months. Let me know what you think.

About Our Forecaster

Luke Stone

Forecaster

Luke Stone earned his M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Utah, with a research focus on seasonal forecasting. Luke has scored deep days around the world, including coast-to-coast across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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