A tornado preliminarily classified as EF-2 struck Requínoa in Chile’s O’Higgins Region at about 17:30 LT (20:30 UTC) on October 26, 2026, damaging homes, a school, and electrical infrastructure. The National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (SENAPRED) listed one person injured and 85 homes damaged as of October 27.
A new snowfall accompanied by winds of 90 km/h (55 mph) reached the Chajnantor Plateau in Chile’s Atacama Desert on August 18, 2026, keeping astronomical observations suspended at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The antennas remained in survival mode as winter weather continued to affect high-altitude roads, border crossings and communities across northern Chile.
A frontal system that affected central and southern Chile between August 1 and 2, 2026, left two people dead, 1 399 affected, 156 in shelters and 536 isolated as of August 3. Ten red alerts and 10 yellow alerts remained active because of rising rivers and overflow risks, while authorities reported 5 550 homes damaged or destroyed and 23 104 customers without electricity.
Heavy rain and flooding associated with a prolonged frontal system have killed 10 people and left four missing across Chile since July 14, with the most extensive isolation concentrated in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions. The National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response reported 104 271 people isolated, 2 281 affected, and 1 031 in shelters on July 21.
Five foreign tourists died after being trapped by a powerful snowstorm in Torres del Paine National Park, southern Chile, on Monday, November 17, 2025. Four other members of the group were rescued alive amid strong winds and heavy snow.
A tornado stuck northeastern Linares, Chile on September 20, 2025, damaging multiple homes and leaving over 800 customers out of power.
A polar air mass originating from Antarctica brought record low temperatures to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay between June 30 and July 3, 2024, causing at least 15 deaths and prompting emergency shelter activation and gas supply restrictions across the region.
Chile recorded some of its coldest temperatures in history on June 30, as a polar wave brought subzero conditions from the Altiplano to Patagonia. The extreme cold led to closure of a key border crossing between Chile and Argentina starting on July 1 due to ice and snow accumulations.
Snow blanketed Chile’s Atacama Desert on June 26, 2025, disrupting transport and closing schools across Tarapacá, Antofagasta, and Atacama regions.
A rare tornado struck the southern Chilean city of Puerto Varas at approximately 15:30 LT on Sunday, May 25, 2025. The tornado caused significant damage to homes, vehicles, and infrastructure, left eight people injured, and thousands without power.
