It is estimated that Tuesday night would start rainfall in the southern area, which would end on Friday. The academic from the University of Talca, Patricio González, indicates that it could bring winds between 80 and 100 kilometers per hour, as well as rain.
Specifically, it should arrive on Tuesday night in the south-central area of Chile.
“An alert issued by the Chilean Meteorological Directorate (DMC) is in force, which indicates moderate rainfall, but with a relatively high zero isotherm,” says Raúl Cordero, climatologist at the University of Santiago.
The phenomenon has been called a “gigantic cyclone” or “extratropical cyclone”with an intense associated low pressure, also known in meteorology as a cyclone.
“Cyclones are basically low pressure systems. A low pressure system goes by different names; The most common is storm, but we also usually call them frontal systems. In general terms, it can be considered that: low pressure system, frontal system, storm or cyclone, are all synonyms,” explains Cordero.
Cyclones also receive surnames, says Cordero, depending on the geographical area in which they occur. “For example, there are tropical, extratropical or subtropical cyclones. The tropical ones, in turn, also receive alternative names, depending on the basin in which they occur. Very intense tropical cyclones are known as hurricanes in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific. These same systems are known as typhoons in the Western Pacific.”
“All the frontal systems that affect Chile bring an associated low pressure, it is not a hurricane or a tornado, because for this we need to have a warm sea, as is the case of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean. We have, on our coasts, an ocean with colder temperatures, Therefore, the only thing it can generate is a storm of rain and wind.”says González.
“A low pressure system (a cyclone) is currently off the coast of south-central Chile. It is a large system, but fortunately it does not involve winds comparable to those of its tropical relatives,” states the climatologist from the University of Santiago.
The presence of showers would be from Talca and Curicó towards the south, and greater intensity from the Los Lagos region towards the southern territory. In the case of Santiago and Valparaíso, only overcast skies are estimated.
This Friday the meteorological autumn ended (which runs from April to May), and on Saturday the meteorological winter began (the astronomical winter begins on June 21). The season that recently ended, He left with him a series of records and historical figures in the registry.
This recent fall became one of the 10 rainiest recorded in Santiago, and the one with the most rain since 2016. Additionally, May became the wettest May in Santiago in 22 years and is to date by far the coldest May ever recorded.
And that’s not all, since the rainfall to date They have the central zone of the country without a rainfall deficit, completing practically 10 months of precipitation similar to what was considered typical a couple of decades ago.
The relatively wet fall of 2024 is likely to have been the last legacy of the ending El Niño. “The temperature of the Tropical Pacific is already at values considered typical for which El Niño de facto ended. This event probably explains the generous rainfall of the last 10 months in the central area of Chile,” says Cordero.
Considering all these climatic records left by the meteorological autumn, Cordero indicates in his opinion, Which are the five most important and why.
1. The end of autumn 2024 was the coldest ever recorded in the capital of Chile and in the central area. The average lows in the capital were the lowest by far, at least since reliable records have been available.
2. May 2024 (the one that marked the statistics this season) It was the rainiest in Santiago in the last 22 years. So far this century, rainfall in the central zone was comparable this May to that recorded in 2013, 2008 and 2002.
3. Between May 7 and 14 we had an eight-day cold wave, that is, eight consecutive days with temperatures very below values considered typical. It is the longest cold wave since 1958 recorded in autumn in Santiago.
4. The fall of 2024 ended with generous snowy precipitation. The snow level in the Andes Mountains is to date only comparable with that recorded this century in 2008, 2013, and 2002 (as well as precipitation).
5. On May 22 (with 48 mm) It was the rainiest of an autumn day in Santiago in more than eight years (since April 16, 2016 when 50 mm fell). For the month of May, the 22nd was the rainiest day in Santiago in more than 21 years (since May 20, 2003 when 59 mm fell).
