A extratropical cyclone. In this way, the frontal system that will arrive this week in the central and southern area of Chile has been presented. The phenomenon, which comes with strong winds and rain, has alerted citizens who have just overcome a real storm that left a record of water falling during the autumn month of May.
These phenomena do not usually occur in the South American country. The cold waters of the Pacific Ocean prevent powerful storms from developing, such as hurricanes that are observed in tropical areas or in the Atlantic. In recent years, some cyclone-like events have been recorded, especially in the southern part of Chile, where high-speed winds have left a trail of destruction in homes and public facilities.
Chilean meteorologists have analyzed this week’s forecasts and have called for calm, since they estimate that the storm will not come with force.
What is an ‘extratropical cyclone’
The term has emerged from a publication launched by MeteoNetwork, a local platform specialized in weather forecasting. In one of his articles, the arrival of a “probable development of an extensive low pressure or cyclone” has been announced. This is an extensive low pressure that, according to estimates, arrives on Monday, June 3 and extends until Tuesday, June 4. “It would be born as a warm-core cyclone, but it would transform into a cold extratropical cyclone as it moves towards more southern latitudes, encountering colder waters than in its birth zone in its path,” the report states. This cyclone is far from being a hurricane, precisely because of the low temperature of the waters on the Chilean coast.
Wind and rain
This cyclone would reach the central and southern area with heavy rains – up to 150 millimeters of rain would fall in the Biobío region, in the southern area -, winds that could reach 80 kilometers per hour and storm surges on the coasts. The intensity of the event will decrease throughout the week.
The call for calm
The announcement of extratropical cyclone It has caused fear among the inhabitants of the central and southern areas of the country, but its effects have been cushioned by some specialists, who believe that its passage through the territory will not cause a greater impact. Meteorologist Iván Torres, one of the faces of weather forecasting on Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN), the Chilean public channel, has said that this phenomenon is more common than is believed. “Most frontal systems are accompanied by atmospheric rivers. Cyclone is called all low pressure systems, all of them, as well as the anticyclone. From my point of view, and some colleagues will forgive me, they are putting much color [exagerando]”, the professional told the news 24 hours of the same state signal.
The cyclone on Easter Island
The first Chilean territory to receive the cyclone was Easter Island, in the middle of the ocean. Residents and tourists published records of the strong wind and rain that fell during the past weekend. Local authorities have indicated that Rapa Nui has withstood the storm and that the passage of these cyclones is normal at this time of year.
The forecast for the central and southern area
The Meteorological Directorate of Chile (DMC), the official body that provides the country’s weather forecast data, has issued an alert for heavy rainfall in the regions of Maule, Ñuble and Biobío, which will begin this morning on Wednesday the 5th and They will end on the night of Thursday, June 6. The zero isotherm—the imaginary line that represents the altitude, at which there is 0° in the atmosphere, to transform liquid precipitation into snow—would be low, which will increase the risk of landslides.
In the Metropolitan region, where the capital Santiago de Chile is located, it is estimated that almost the entire week will have overcast skies, without rain. Between this Tuesday, June 4 and Thursday, June 6, the maximum temperature will reach 15°, while the minimum will vary between 8° and 9°.
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