Environment & Climate
Atacama Desert covered in snow and heavy rain during rare winter storms
A series of storms in August 2026 disrupted astronomical observatories and triggered damaging mudflows in one of the driest places on Earth.
The short version
- Rare winter storms swept across Chile's hyperarid Atacama Desert in August 2026, bringing unusual snowfall and intense rainfall.
- Major astronomical facilities, including the ALMA radio telescope, were forced to temporarily suspend operations and place equipment into protective modes.
- The extreme weather caused flash flooding and mudflows that damaged hundreds of homes and affected thousands of residents.
Key facts
- A series of winter storms in August 2026 covered parts of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile with snow, with satellite imagery showing the snow reaching from the Andes toward the Pacific coast.[ScienceDaily]
- The Chajnantor plateau, where the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is located, experienced heavy snow and strong winds, forcing the observatory to place its antennas into protective survival mode.[ScienceDaily]
- In the coastal city of Taltal, nearly 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) of rain fell over three days, representing roughly 10 times the area's average annual rainfall.[ScienceDaily]
- Chile's National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED) reported that the resulting mudflows and flash flooding damaged hundreds of homes and affected thousands of people.[ScienceDaily]
- Atmospheric scientist René Garreaud attributed the weather pattern to a cutoff low-pressure system stemming from an exceptionally large atmospheric trough, unfolding against the backdrop of a strengthening El Niño.[ScienceDaily]
Sources
- One of Earth’s driest places was just covered in snowScienceDaily - Environment