The southern half of South America is experiencing a significant cold spell, leading to temperatures as much as 15C below seasonal averages in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Notably, a weather station in Chile recorded -15.7C, prompting severe frost warnings. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in Bolivia and Brazil caused flooding that displaced thousands. The cold air is expected to move north, impacting countries such as Paraguay and Peru, leading to a drastic drop in typical temperatures, with daytime highs possibly failing to reach 15C in areas usually experiencing warmer weather.
Over the weekend, large parts of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay had temperatures 10-15C below their seasonal averages. Night-time lows plunged well into the negative double digits.
Although subzero temperatures are not uncommon in Chile in early winter, the severity of this cold spell prompted the Chilean Meteorological Directorate to issue warnings late last week highlighting the risk of severe frosts.
A storm system farther north brought torrential rainfall to the far south-east of Bolivia and southern Brazil over the weekend. A weather station in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul reported 92mm in just 24 hours on Sunday.
This is expected to extend the cold air into more central regions of the continent, including Paraguay, Bolivia and south-eastern parts of Peru.
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