CHILE UPDATES #25
Winter Arrives in Earnest in Chile This Year
Winter Arrives in Earnest in Chile This Year
For the last several years now, central Chile has been receiving less rain and snow than it used to and the shorter drier winters (the Chilean winter runs from June to August) have been causing drought like conditions in many parts of the country.
This year, however, we're been getting a taste of what winters in Chile used to be like.
In the last month alone, I've seen some of the most intense rain storms since I first arrived in the country four years ago.
Pichilemu, a small town on the coast of Chile's 6th region, made headlines at the beginning of the winter season this year when termperatures dropped below freezing and a bit of snow fell in the area for one of the first times in history. A few hours farther to the south, we've already had some week long stretches of precipitation.
It some parts of the world, epic winter storms mean dangerously cold temperatures, horrible wind chills, and lots of time spent digging things out of the snow afterwards.
Here in central Chile, “severe” winters aren't really all that extreme and, apart from some weather related inconveniences, they're actually great news for the country.
Energy
A good portion of Chile's energy comes from hydroelectric power stations and with the last several years being drier than normal, many of these haven't been producing as much as they used to. With El Niño pushing a lot more precipitation towards the continent this year, water levels in reservoirs (along with output from power stations) will be rising.
Agriculture
In recent years, many of Chile's farmers have suffered when summertime rolls around and canals have lower flow rates than they used to. In some places in the 5th and 6th regions, the government has even had to step in and help deliver water to places where they haven't been able to irrigate their crops (stressful times for farmers and a big cost for the local government). The water situation should be much more stable this year, especially in areas with large mountain lakes like the country's 7th region.
Tourism
Even though tourism only accounts for a small percentage of the Chilean economy as a whole, big money is spent at winter resorts up and down the country in the months of July and August and the shorter, drier seasons have meant that these resorts have had to open later and closer earlier than normal in recent years.
Luckily for vacation goers (and those with exposure to the tourism/ski industry in Chile), this year has definitely broken that trend. The winter season hasn't been all that great in the mountains around Santiago but the 7th and 8th regions have much more snowpack right now than they have for close to a decade.
If you live in Patagonia where months on end of wind and rain storms are commonplace, you might not be so thrilled that this year is shaping up to be one of the wettest in recent history.
In the Mediterranean climate of the central regions though, where short wet winters and long dry summers are the norm, a little more precipitation than average is definitely welcomed.
This year, however, we're been getting a taste of what winters in Chile used to be like.
In the last month alone, I've seen some of the most intense rain storms since I first arrived in the country four years ago.
Pichilemu, a small town on the coast of Chile's 6th region, made headlines at the beginning of the winter season this year when termperatures dropped below freezing and a bit of snow fell in the area for one of the first times in history. A few hours farther to the south, we've already had some week long stretches of precipitation.
It some parts of the world, epic winter storms mean dangerously cold temperatures, horrible wind chills, and lots of time spent digging things out of the snow afterwards.
Here in central Chile, “severe” winters aren't really all that extreme and, apart from some weather related inconveniences, they're actually great news for the country.
Energy
A good portion of Chile's energy comes from hydroelectric power stations and with the last several years being drier than normal, many of these haven't been producing as much as they used to. With El Niño pushing a lot more precipitation towards the continent this year, water levels in reservoirs (along with output from power stations) will be rising.
Agriculture
In recent years, many of Chile's farmers have suffered when summertime rolls around and canals have lower flow rates than they used to. In some places in the 5th and 6th regions, the government has even had to step in and help deliver water to places where they haven't been able to irrigate their crops (stressful times for farmers and a big cost for the local government). The water situation should be much more stable this year, especially in areas with large mountain lakes like the country's 7th region.
Tourism
Even though tourism only accounts for a small percentage of the Chilean economy as a whole, big money is spent at winter resorts up and down the country in the months of July and August and the shorter, drier seasons have meant that these resorts have had to open later and closer earlier than normal in recent years.
Luckily for vacation goers (and those with exposure to the tourism/ski industry in Chile), this year has definitely broken that trend. The winter season hasn't been all that great in the mountains around Santiago but the 7th and 8th regions have much more snowpack right now than they have for close to a decade.
If you live in Patagonia where months on end of wind and rain storms are commonplace, you might not be so thrilled that this year is shaping up to be one of the wettest in recent history.
In the Mediterranean climate of the central regions though, where short wet winters and long dry summers are the norm, a little more precipitation than average is definitely welcomed.