Several storms are lined up in the southeast Pacific, resulting in an active stretch of weather over the next five to seven days. Snow levels will fluctuate during this storm cycle, often sitting between base and mid-mountain at most resorts. Still, mid-mountain and above will see several rounds of snow through next weekend. You can see the upper-lelvel pattern for the next week below.

Although we're still likely a month away from any resorts opening up, it's time to start watching the weather and watching the snowpack build. The upcoming series of storms won't rival last year's epic May, but it will be good to start growing the upper elevation snowpack. 

The first in this series of storms is moving onshore on Sunday, but the impacts won't reach the central resorts until around Tuesday. A warm front is moving across the region ahead of the storm, but as the storm moves inland, it will be accompanied by a cold front.  Snow levels will begin to fall on Monday night/Tuesday morning from south to north.

In the central zone, snow levels will likely bottom out around 1200 m. Between storms, from Tuesday night through Wednesday, snow levels will climb a bit in the central and southern zones. They should remain steadier in the north. 

Snow will get started at mid and upper elevations in the southern and central zones on Monday night, though we could see some rain and snow showers before then. Precipitation will become heavier and more widespread in these zones on Tuesday, with snow levels falling to around 1200 to 1500 m, perhaps even lower in the southern part of the southern zone.  Impacts from this storm will be limited to showers in the northern zone.

We should see 5 to 15 cm above 1500 m through Tuesday evening in the central zone before a transition to rain occurs as snow levels rise to around 14400 to 1800 m from south to north. Precipitation intensity should decrease as the warm front associated with the next storm approaches.

The second storm will begin on Wednesday and Wednesday night, focusing more on the northern and northern central zones.. A weak secondary cold front is expected to move through this area on Wednesday through Wednesday night. A period of heavier snow is expected in this Wednesday to Thursday timeframe with significant accumulations possible at mid and upper elevations. We could see 15 to 30 cm of snow with higher totals in the 25 to 50 cm range near Nevados de Chillan.

I'll have more details on this second storm as we get closer but here is a look at total accumulation through the end of the week.

We should dry out next weekend and into next week as a ridge moves over the region. We should see a system pass to the south but right now it looks too far away for any significant impacts. The models show more storms are possible starting in the middle of next week, but it's a bit too early for any specifics. 

My next post will be on Wednesday.

Thanks for reading the South America Daily Snow!

Luke Stone
Forecaster, OpenSnow

South America Forecast Zones

NEW: Forecast Range Graphs

You can now view individual forecasts from global and regional high-resolution weather models in OpenSnow. This includes forecasts from the GFS, ECMWF, HRRR, and ICON models, as well as the OpenSnow blend.

The graphs give you a behind-the-scenes look at the forecast and make it easier to see if the forecast models are in tight agreement or if there is a wide range of potential outcomes over the next 10 days.

Note: This is currently only available in the OpenSnow iOS app and website (OpenSnow.com). Android will be available soon.

Getting Started

1. Go to any location screen.
2. Scroll down under "Weather" or "Snow Summary".
3. Tap "View Interactive Chart" in the app.
4. Adjust the model, timeframe, or data view.

Why is the Forecast Range helpful?

Understand if there is high or low confidence in the forecast. If all models show a similar forecast, there is higher confidence in the forecast, and vice versa.

Dig into the details. If you have experience looking at weather model data and trust certain models or higher-resolution models, you'll be able to isolate your favorite data.

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