A low-pressure system will come onshore on Friday and track northeast overnight. A second, smaller wave will move through the region from west to east from Sunday morning through Monday. Precipitation will begin from south to north, while a cold front takes the same route, reaching the southern zone on Friday night. It will continue to push north during the day on Saturday, lowering snow levels below most base elevations.

Snow will get underway in the southern zone as early as Friday afternoon, pushing farther north overnight, and reaching the northern zone on Saturday. The first wave will impact the central and southern zones and the southern part of the northern zone (Alto del Padre/Las Lenas), primarily through Sunday morning. Temperatures will be dropping with lowering snow levels during this phase of the storm.

The next wave will move in around the same time, mainly impacting the northern zone, but with warmer temperatures. Snow levels should climb a bit for the Sunday-to-Monday system. Overall, this isn't a cold storm, which is fine for building a base before the season starts.

Winds will also be strong during the first wave in the central and southern zones, which is also not a concern, given that no resorts are open yet. Below is the latest snow forecast from the European model.

In the central and southern zones, most resorts should see 15 to 40 cm, though the southern half of the central zone could see closer to 30 to 60 cm. Totals may be a bit lower on the Argentinian side. In the north, most resorts should see 25 to 50 cm, with Las Lenas seeing a bit more, in the 35 to 70 cm range.

A weaker storm is possible mid-week, but most of the moisture looks to stay south of the resorts. 

The models still disagree on the timing and strength of additional storms later next week, but there will be more opportunities to build the base depths. 

My next post will be on Monday.

Thanks for reading the South America Daily Snow!

Luke Stone
Forecaster, OpenSnow

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.

View → Forecast Range Graphs