The upper-level low responsible for the locally heavy snowfall at Las Lenas last week is not only still lingering off the coast, but it's begun to retrograde. This means it is moving in the opposite direction of the west-to-east flow, which is not uncommon when a Rex Block develops south of the low pressure, in this case, in the southern hemisphere. 

Check out the GIF of the upper-level pattern below.

The cut-off upper-level low-pressure system off the north Chilean coast initially moves to the west before stalling and finally getting back into the typical west-to-east flow. As it does so, it will bring some minor forcing into the northern zone Tuesday night that will trigger some snow showers and very minor accumulations. Meanwhile, the ridge in the south will bring very warm temperatures through Tuesday.

At the end of the GIF you can see the next storm system approaching from the west, which will bring some snow starting on Wednesday night. This storm will stay far enough south to limit the impacts to the central and southern zones. Some decent accumulations are expected as the first wave moves through Wednesday night through Thursday. 

Two more waves will swing through from Thursday through Sunday bringing additional periods of light snow. This is what the snow forecast looks like through the weekend.

The biggest totals are expected in the southern part of the central zone in Chile, where 15 - 30 cm is possible. Farther north and east the totals will drop off. The heaviest snow will fall from Wednesday night through Thursday, with another round of light to moderate snow Friday night through Saturday. 

I do think the totals this model shows for La Hoya and El Fraile are way overdone, and I don't expect more than 5 - 15 cm by the end of the weekend.

Another ridge will move in later on Sunday and stick around for the early part of next week before a storm with more widespread impacts is possible as early as Tuesday night. 

The models don't agree on the exact timing and strength of this next storm though, so I will wait a few more days to see if things become more clear. This storm has the potential to get a little farther north and not be limited to the central and southern zones.

Next update on Wednesday.

Thanks for reading the South America Daily Snow!

Luke Stone
Forecaster, OpenSnow

NEW: Global Weather Stations

Get the latest temperature, wind, and snow data from over 50,000 global weather stations with our new “Weather Stations” map overlay.

1. Tap the “Maps” tab.
2. Tap the overlay button.
3. Tap “Weather Stations”.
4. Select any chip at the top of the screen.
5. Tap any station to view current and historical data.

Make sure you're updated to the latest version of the OpenSnow app (App Store / Google Play > OpenSnow > Update) or visit the OpenSnow website (OpenSnow.com).

View → Weather Station Map