Jim Marusak Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 caught the link on the BBC, via drudge. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14067245 this desert usually averages 1 mm (0.04") of precipitation a year because it's rain-shadowed to heck on both sides by fairly tall mountains and getting fog up there is a big deal. well, they got as much as 80cms (32") of snow up there, causing Bolivia and Chile to have to call in emergency crews to the Atacama road (featured recently on Top gear a season or two ago) for more than a few rescues. got to love the screwy weather these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha5 Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 The guy in the video said that they had a similar situation 20 years ago. So its not as rare as you'd think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXWXCHX Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 caught the link on the BBC, via drudge. http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-14067245 this desert usually averages 1 mm (0.04") of precipitation a year because it's rain-shadowed to heck on both sides by fairly tall mountains and getting fog up there is a big deal. well, they got as much as 80cms (32") of snow up there, causing Bolivia and Chile to have to call in emergency crews to the Atacama road (featured recently on Top gear a season or two ago) for more than a few rescues. got to love the screwy weather these days. This event it not just rare - it is unprecedented in the records. I understand that the reporter declares this 'hasn't happened in twenty years" but if you look at the records, nothing even REMOTELY approaching this amount has been seen since we began keeping records. O_o LOMAS FORMATIONS OF THE ATACAMA DESERT Northern Chile Smithsonian Institution http://botany.si.edu...cpd/sa/sa43.htm --- EXCERPT --- Much of western South America is influenced by brief periods of heavy rainfall and relatively high temperature associated with rare but recurrent El Niño events (Dillon and Rundel 1989; Quinn, Neal and Antúnez de Mayolo 1987; McGlone, Kershaw and Markgraf 1992). However, heavy storms are virtually unknown along the north coast of Chile, whereas northern Peruvian coastal cities occasionally receive torrential rains. The maximum precipitations for a 24-hour period recorded in Chile at Arica, Iquique and Antofagasta are 10, 13 and 28 mm respectively (Miller 1976). Johnston (1929) reported 17 mm at Antofagasta during a single day in 1925, a strong El Niño year. However, El Niño years can fail to produce increased precipitation in northern Chile. The El Niño event of 1983 caused heavy rains from northern to southern Peru, and a relatively high 7.3 mm in Iquique, but no notable rains farther south (Romero and Garrido 1985; Rutllant 1985). Nonetheless, that year's fogs appear to have been unusually dense, resulting in excellent flowering in the Chilean lomas formations (Prenafeta 1984). --- END EXCERPT --- Bold added by me for emphasis. If these reports are true, then this amount is greatly in excess of the highest amount ever received prior to this event. I would welcome any documented evidence to the contrary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windspeed Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Wow, this made my eyeballs nearly pop out. 32" of snow in the Atacama?!!!! You must grasp the historical significance of this event. It would be like New York City being in the eyewall of a Category 4 hurricane or Seattle being hit by an EF5 tornado. So minutely possible is an event like this that we may even be extinct before it occurs again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-L-E-X Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Wow, this made my eyeballs nearly pop out. 32" of snow in the Atacama?!!!! You must grasp the historical significance of this event. It would be like New York City being in the eyewall of a Category 4 hurricane or Seattle being hit by an EF5 tornado. So minutely possible is an event like this that we may even be extinct before it occurs again. Amazing-- this is the first I've heard about this! Someone must tell Nate lol. This is the driest place in the world we're talking about here and they've gone nearly 500 years without significant precip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Amazing-- this is the first I've heard about this! Someone must tell Nate lol. This is the driest place in the world we're talking about here and they've gone nearly 500 years without significant precip. I am amazed...the "desierto florido" usually happens in El Niño years when storms track further north and allow enough precipitation to reach the Atacama so that the rare flowers enter bloom. It is supposedly a very beautiful phenomenon. So I think it's even more interesting it happened in neutral ENSO conditions, although there has been a big trough in Chile lately with some below average temperatures and lots of precipitation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-L-E-X Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Wow, that's an amazingly beautiful image-- it's hard to imagine that kind of beauty in the desert, much less the driest desert in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Wow, that's an amazingly beautiful image-- it's hard to imagine that kind of beauty in the desert, much less the driest desert in the world. The Atacama is a stunningly scenic desert...here's a photo a friend of mine took when she was travelling during our study abroad semester: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-L-E-X Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Wow, that's gorgeous-- just for some perspective, how high are those mountains in the background, Nate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallow Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Amazing-- this is the first I've heard about this! Someone must tell Nate lol. This is the driest place in the world we're talking about here and they've gone nearly 500 years without significant precip. The Atacama is a relatively large region... while there are some areas within the region that ostensibly haven't recorded precip in 500 years, I'm pretty sure those aren't the areas that recorded snow here. The areas of the desert that recorded snow were likely areas that see precip several times a year, on average. At least, I would guess that's the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny and Warm Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I go to Antofagasta on occasion. The locals tell me that it has only rained three times there in living memory. They may get a drizzle or a sprinkle from time to time, but a real rain event is rare. Last time it rained might have been about ten years ago, and killed many people in the flash flood. The crazy thing is Antofagasta sits up against the ocean and requires desalination plants to survive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amped Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 NASA used it to test the Mars rovers, because the the search for life there was comparably difficult. It also has similar terrain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-L-E-X Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 NASA used it to test the Mars rovers, because the the search for life there was comparably difficult. It also has similar terrain. Wow nice-- I also remember them testing their equipment out in the salt flats in or around Death Valley for similar reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-L-E-X Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 The Atacama is a relatively large region... while there are some areas within the region that ostensibly haven't recorded precip in 500 years, I'm pretty sure those aren't the areas that recorded snow here. The areas of the desert that recorded snow were likely areas that see precip several times a year, on average. At least, I would guess that's the case. Thanks, I was wondering about that and also how they would know that any precip hadn't fallen in a specific area for 500 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Wow, that's gorgeous-- just for some perspective, how high are those mountains in the background, Nate? Those mountains are probably a little above 20,000' tall...the Andes get massive in Northern Chile once you reach Santiago. The Atacama is a relatively large region... while there are some areas within the region that ostensibly haven't recorded precip in 500 years, I'm pretty sure those aren't the areas that recorded snow here. The areas of the desert that recorded snow were likely areas that see precip several times a year, on average. At least, I would guess that's the case. Yes, as you head further south, you encounter more precipitation as it's a blend between a Mediterranean and desert climate. Santiago averages about 14" of rain per year, so there's certainly parts of the Atacama that receive at least a few decent rainfalls/snowfalls per winter. Almost all of the precipitation Chile receives occurs in winter, even in the south. I go to Antofagasta on occasion. The locals tell me that it has only rained three times there in living memory. They may get a drizzle or a sprinkle from time to time, but a real rain event is rare. Last time it rained might have been about ten years ago, and killed many people in the flash flood. The crazy thing is Antofagasta sits up against the ocean and requires desalination plants to survive. The fact that it sits against the ocean explains why there is no precipitation. The strong Humboldt/Antarctic Current creates a powerful inversion which protects against any convection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 The Atacama is a relatively large region... while there are some areas within the region that ostensibly haven't recorded precip in 500 years, I'm pretty sure those aren't the areas that recorded snow here. The areas of the desert that recorded snow were likely areas that see precip several times a year, on average. At least, I would guess that's the case. Based upon the satellite images in the first of the links below, it would appear that this snowfall, though not unspectacular in and of itself, was nevertheless limited to the highest areas of this desert most likely exceeding 10,000 ft asl on its eastern side, straddling or actually in the Andes, bordering northern Argentina and Bolivia, and had virtually no impact in the majority of the much lower lying portion of this desert to its west, i.e. including Arica in the extreme northern portion of it, and the extremely dry Antofagasta portion of it, where it developed its infamous reputation. http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/climate-news/satellite-images-profile-snowfall-in-atacama-desert/25330.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Desert http://www.extremescience.com/zoom/index.php/driest-desert http://theglobalguy.com/world-travels/south-america/the-atacama-desert-and-bolivian-salt-flats http://en.wikipedia....livia_and_Chile http://en.wikipedia....iki/Antofagasta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 The article below originated from the online version of El Diorio, a newspaper in La Paz, Bolivia. Nevada en los Lípez Activan operativo de rescate y piden ayuda a San Cristóbal Potosí sufre uno de sus peores desastres climatológicos de los últimos años, que ya cobraron la vida de una persona. Potosí, (Agencias).- Un operativo para evacuar a las seis mil personas afectadas por la nevada que cayó en Nor y Sur Lípez fue iniciado ayer por la Gobernación de Potosí y el Ministerio de Defensa. Autoridades de la Gobernación potosina tienen el dato de que el temporal que ya ha provocado la muerte de una persona de 50 años, afecta a 27 comunidades asentadas en el extremo sudeste de Bolivia, en la frontera con Chile. “De acuerdo a los reportes que tengamos, vamos a ir evacuando a las familias, tanto de Nor Lípez, como de Sur Lípez; que están en esta situación”. informó desde Uyuni el secretario general de Desarrollo Productivo de la Gobernación de Potosí, Jhonny Ancasi. Los grupos movilizados están divididos en varias comisiones. Por ejemplo, “uno irá a San Pablo de Lípez, llevando una moto niveladora, además de asistencia de alimentos, hasta llegar al municipio”. “Nosotros estamos yendo, en otra comisión, a Quetena Grande y Quetena Chico, donde vamos a tener seguramente mucho trabajo en el rescate de las personas, ya que supuestamente sigue nevando en ese lugar, que es lo que más nos preocupa”, dijo Ancasi. El funcionario de la Gobernación potosina no ocultó su preocupación porque otras comunidades también queden aisladas, al margen de que las viviendas rústicas se derrumben por el peso de la nieve. Ancasi informó que el gobernador de Potosí, Felix Gonzales, se trasladó hasta la mina San Cristóbal, operada por la japonesa Sumitomo, en búsqueda de ayuda porque se requiere maquinaria pesada para despejar las rutas tapadas por la nieve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellinwood Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 The article below originated from the online version of El Diorio, a newspaper in La Paz, Bolivia. No comprendo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witness Protection Program Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 No comprendo. It says that it snowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 No comprendo. The text below is the translation verbatim obtained from an online translation website: Potosí, (Agencies) .-The operative one to evacuate to six thousand persons affected by the snowfall that fell down in Nor and South Lípez was initiated yesterday by the Government of Potosí and the Defense Department. Authorities of the Government potosina have the fact of which the storm that has already provoked the death of a 50-year-old person, fond of 27 communities placed in the extreme Southeast of Bolivia, in the border with Chile. “ In accordance with the reports that we have, we are going to be evacuating the families, both of Nor Lípez, and of South Lípez; that are in this situation ”. there reported from Uyuni the General Secretary of Productive Development of the Government of Potosí, Jhonny Ancasi. The mobilized groups are divided in several commissions. For example, “ one will go to San Pablo of Lípez, taking a motorbike bulldozer, in addition to food assistance, up to coming to the municipality ”. “ We are going, in another commission, to Quetena Grande and Quetena Chico, where we are going to have surely a lot of work in the rescue of the persons, since supposedly it keeps on snowing in this place, which is what more worries us ”, said Ancasi. The official of the Government potosina did not conceal his worry because other communities also remain outlying, to the margin of which the rustic housings collapse for the weight of the snow. Ancasi informed that the governor of Potosí, Felix Gonzales, moved up to the mine St Kitts, produced by the Japanese Sumitomo, in search of help because machinery is needed weighed to clear the routes covered by the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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