Huge Snowfalls in the Andes
Huge Snowfalls in the Andes
Published : 07-Aug-2015 11:46
Forecasts by some snow forecasting services that the Andes were set to receive up to 2m of fresh snow this week do not seem to be as wide of the mark as some commenting sarcastically on social media first thought.
Snowfall in the last few days in Chile has passed the metre mark at several resorts already, with Portillo, which has had 125cm of fresh snow this week, receiving more than 65cm (over two feet) of new snow in the last 24 hours alone.
So there are powder conditions for those in resort now but all access roads are blocked meaning that no one can leave or enter the famous resort.
"Central Chile is being pounded by one of the biggest storms to hit in years. Valle Nevado, as of Wednesday afternoon, has received three feet (90cm) of new snow, and expects several feet more by Sunday," said a statement from another leading ski area in Chile.
The huge snowfall is the second of its scale in a month after the continent's ski areas had to delay opening by up to four weeks from mid-June to mid-July due to no snow and warm weather at that point.
As usual Google's snow reports were completely inaccurate and failed to record the latest accumulations, claiming Portillo, for example, has had 1cm per day rather than the 60cm+ per day it actually has.
Western North American ski areas have begun to mention the big snowfalls south of the equator claiming that it reflects a long awaited shifted in the el Nino/La Nina Paciic weather cycle in favour of big snowfalls which they hope will continue to winter 15-16, bringing an end to a four winter drought of snowfall.
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