Record cold grips Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
The three South American countries have all recorded sharply below-zero temperatures as the polar air originated from Antarctica and swept across the region. In Argentina, at least nine homeless people have died from the cold this winter, according to NGO Proyecto 7. The capital Buenos Aires recorded its lowest temperature since 1991 at -1.9 degrees Celcius (28.6 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, while the coastal city of Miramar saw snow for the first time in 34 years. Further south, the town of Maquinchao recorded -18C on Tuesday.
Electricity demand caused cuts across Buenos Aires, leaving thousands without power for over 24 hours in some areas. The government suspended gas supplies to industries and petrol stations Wednesday to ensure household supplies, and removed price controls on gas cylinders Thursday.
Uruguay declared a nationwide 'red alert' after six people died, allowing President Yamandu Orsi's government to forcibly move homeless people to shelters. Montevideo recorded its lowest maximum temperature since 1967 at 5.8C on June 30, according to meteorologist Mario Bidegain. Chile also activated homeless shelter plans during the coldest days. The city of Chillan, 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Santiago, hit -9.3C, according to the Chilean Meteorological Directorate.
'What happened this week in Chile and the Southern Cone in general is a cold wave caused by an escape of a polar air mass from Antarctica,' climatologist Raul Cordero from the University of Santiago told AFP. Snow even fell in parts of the Atacama Desert, the world's driest, for the first time in a decade. 'It is not so common for these cold air masses to extend so far north, so we cannot rule out that this is also caused by climate change,' meteorologist Arnaldo Zuniga told AFP.
The region expects relief in the coming days, with Buenos Aires reaching 12C on Thursday, Montevideo 14C and Santiago 24.7C. 'I was quite surprised by the change from cold to hot—the change was very drastic,' student Dafne Naranjo, 18, said in Santiago.
Climatologist Cordero said heatwaves have become more frequent than cold spells in recent years.
'The frequency of heatwaves has tripled, whether in summer or winter, not only in the Southern Cone but throughout the world,' he said. – AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
16 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Record cold grips Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
SANTIAGO, Chile: A polar air mass has brought record low temperatures to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, causing at least 15 deaths and forcing governments to restrict gas supplies and activate emergency shelters. The three South American countries have all recorded sharply below-zero temperatures as the polar air originated from Antarctica and swept across the region. In Argentina, at least nine homeless people have died from the cold this winter, according to NGO Proyecto 7. The capital Buenos Aires recorded its lowest temperature since 1991 at -1.9 degrees Celcius (28.6 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, while the coastal city of Miramar saw snow for the first time in 34 years. Further south, the town of Maquinchao recorded -18C on Tuesday. Electricity demand caused cuts across Buenos Aires, leaving thousands without power for over 24 hours in some areas. The government suspended gas supplies to industries and petrol stations Wednesday to ensure household supplies, and removed price controls on gas cylinders Thursday. Uruguay declared a nationwide 'red alert' after six people died, allowing President Yamandu Orsi's government to forcibly move homeless people to shelters. Montevideo recorded its lowest maximum temperature since 1967 at 5.8C on June 30, according to meteorologist Mario Bidegain. Chile also activated homeless shelter plans during the coldest days. The city of Chillan, 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Santiago, hit -9.3C, according to the Chilean Meteorological Directorate. 'What happened this week in Chile and the Southern Cone in general is a cold wave caused by an escape of a polar air mass from Antarctica,' climatologist Raul Cordero from the University of Santiago told AFP. Snow even fell in parts of the Atacama Desert, the world's driest, for the first time in a decade. 'It is not so common for these cold air masses to extend so far north, so we cannot rule out that this is also caused by climate change,' meteorologist Arnaldo Zuniga told AFP. The region expects relief in the coming days, with Buenos Aires reaching 12C on Thursday, Montevideo 14C and Santiago 24.7C. 'I was quite surprised by the change from cold to hot—the change was very drastic,' student Dafne Naranjo, 18, said in Santiago. Climatologist Cordero said heatwaves have become more frequent than cold spells in recent years. 'The frequency of heatwaves has tripled, whether in summer or winter, not only in the Southern Cone but throughout the world,' he said. – AFP
Kuwait Times
4 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Europe swelters in record heatwave
PARIS: Schools were partially shut in France, iconic monuments closed to tourists, and cities across Europe put on high alert as a record-breaking early summer heatwave spread across the continent Tuesday. Withering conditions that have baked southern Europe for days crept northward where such extremes are much rarer, with Paris on 'red alert' and high temperature warnings issued in Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. Tens of thousands of people have died in Europe during past heatwaves, prompting authorities to issue warnings for old and young, the sick, and others vulnerable to what experts call a 'silent killer'. Scientists said it was unusual for such heat to hit Europe this early in the season, but that human-caused climate change from burning fossil fuels was making these once-rare events far more likely. Records have tumbled, with France and Portugal experiencing their highest-ever single-day temperatures in June, Spain its warmest June, and the Netherlands its hottest opening day of July. In England, the weather service said it was the hottest June since records began in 1884. The Mediterranean Sea recorded a new June high of 26.01 degrees Celsius on Sunday, just the latest abnormal marine heatwave in the basin, harming sea life and turbocharging storms. The summit of the Eiffel Tower was shut for a second straight day, and was due to remain closed on Wednesday. On Tuesday in Brussels, the city's Atomium monument, famed for its giant stainless steel balls, was exceptionally shut as temperatures reached 37 degrees Celsius. Under scorching skies, Paris imposed its first 'red alert' in five years, empowering officials to limit or ban sporting events, festivals and school outings for children. The heat is expected to peak on Tuesday, with Paris facing highs of 38C, but authorities have extended the alert into Wednesday. Some parks will remain open all night, pools have extended visiting hours, and cooling centers in churches and museums are offering respite from the lack of greenery and concrete surfaces that amplify the heat. 'We're living a bit like moles,' Nicole, 85, told AFP in the stifling air of her apartment in a tower block in Paris. Across France, the government said it expected nearly 1,350 schools to be partially or completely shut, with teachers complaining that overheated and unventilated classrooms were making students unwell. Authorities are fanning out to check on the elderly, chronically ill and the homeless. 'When it's cold, I add blankets and hats. But when it's hot like this, what can I do? Nothing, just wait for it to pass and hope I don't faint,' said Jo, a 55-year-old homeless man in Bordeaux, in southwestern France. As far north as the Netherlands, some regions were placed on the second-highest alert on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 38C. Schools in Rotterdam and across West Brabant province adopted 'tropical schedules' to ensure students started and finished earlier to avoid the worst of the day's heat. In Germany, temperatures could peak at 40C on Wednesday. In Spain and Portugal, where highs of 46C were recorded in some locations over the weekend, a level of respite was expected, though temperatures could still exceed 40C in parts. A two-year-old boy died in northeastern Spain on Tuesday after being left in the back of a car parked in the sun, police said. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said its teams of volunteers had mobilized across Europe to give out water and assist the most vulnerable. 'Extreme heat doesn't have to be a disaster: knowledge, preparedness and early action make all the difference,' said IFRC spokesman Tommaso Della Longa. Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, said despite cities taking strides to adapt to heatwaves, this latest episode was still exposing millions of Europeans to danger. 'We're still seeing infrastructure challenges associated with heatwaves, pressure on national healthcare systems, and we still have excess deaths,' she told AFP. A heatwave in 2022 killed an estimated 60,000 people across Europe, mostly elderly. The World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday that heat was a 'silent killer' and the death toll from prolonged, extreme exposure was often under-reflected in official statistics. Spokeswoman Clare Nullis said every death from heat was unnecessary, and society would have to adapt to more heatwaves in future. 'It's something we have to learn to live with,' Nullis said. She added: 'What can we expect in the future? More of the same, even worse.' – AFP
Kuwait Times
5 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Portugal on red alert as temperature hits record 46.6C degrees
Temperature records broken in Spain and Portugal LISBON: Portugal recorded its highest-ever single-day temperature in June -- 46.6 degrees Celsius -- while last month was the hottest in Spain, the countries' weather services said Tuesday. The IPMA agency said the record temperature -- the equivalent of 115.9 degrees Fahrenheit -- was registered on Sunday at Mora, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the capital, Lisbon. That beat the previous June high of 44.9C in the southwestern town of Alcacer do Sal in 2017. Some 37 percent of IPMA monitoring stations recorded temperatures higher than 40C on Sunday, it added. A number of regions, including around the capital, were put on red alert on Sunday and Monday because of the heatwave, that has spread across much of Europe. Eight Portuguese inland regions remained on the second-highest alert with the highest risk of forest fires, especially woodland areas in the centre and north of the country. In Spain, the Aemet weather service said the country had its hottest June on record, with an average temperature of 23.6C. The "extremely hot" June "pulverised records", surpassing the normal average for July and August as well as the previous June record of 22.8C set in 2017. Temperatures in southern Spain soared to 46C on Saturday -- another June high -- while scientists said the Mediterranean Sea was warmer than usual at 26.01C on Sunday, another June record. Human-induced climate change is being blamed for stoking hotter and more intense heatwaves, particularly in cities, where tightly packed buildings amplifies temperatures. Michael Byrne, a reader in climate science at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, said heat domes -- when warm air is trapped in the atmosphere -- were nothing new. "What is new are the temperatures heat domes deliver. Europe is more than two degrees Celsius warmer than in pre-industrial times, so when a heat dome occurs it drives a hotter heatwave," he added. "Climate change is loading the dice such that when a heat dome does occur, it brings hotter and more dangerous temperatures," he added. - AFP
