We have a few more days of rain to go in the central and southern zones before a colder, better-looking storm arrives on Friday. Some snow may mix in down at La Hoya and El Fraile, but it will likely be above the bases and shouldn't amount to much.

A colder and more potent storm will impact the region from Friday through Monday, with significant snow expected. A strong low will approach the southern tip of South America and track southeast into the Andes.

After temperatures warm initially on Friday, a solid cold front will cross the continent beginning on Friday night. Heavy snow should get underway around this time and work its way north overnight, continuing through Saturday. A trailing surface low will then bring another round of heavy snow to the northern zone from Saturday night through Monday. Although the cold air looks to stay south of the northern zone, snow levels should be low enough for significant snow. 

Below is an early look at totals through Monday evening. 

The latest guidance has the heaviest snow in the southern part of the northern zone and the central zone. Some models show totals in the 40 to 80 cm range, but it's a bit too early to start honing in on the totals. I think 20 to 40 cm is likely for most resorts in central and northern zones, though the northern extent of the heavy snow is once again a bit uncertain. Portillo and Valle Navado could end up at the low end of those totals. 

The storm should move out on Monday night and Tuesday and Wednesday should be mostly dry. 

More storms are expected to track through the southern part of the continent later in the week and through the weekend. Right now, it looks too far south for any significant impacts, but its worth watching. 

My next post will be on Friday.

Thanks for reading the South America Daily Snow!

Luke Stone
Forecaster, OpenSnow

NEW: Forecast Range Graphs

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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.

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