SANTIAGO –
Not a single drop of rain fell in Santiago or Chile’s metropolitan region this July for the first time since records have been kept.
Alicia Moya, a meteorologist for Chile’s government, said that multiple meteorological stations across the metropolitan region had registered zero millimetres of precipitation and others around the country had registered record-low readings.
“This hasn’t happened since the 1950s, which is when we have records,” Moya said, adding that the “abnormally dry” July is unusual during the austral winter.
Chile has been suffering a devastating drought for more than a decade and while heavy rains in June brought some relief to drought-hit lakes, the dry July is a sign that drier conditions are likely to persist.
Raul Cordero, a climatologist at the University of Santiago, says that historically Santiago sees at least 50 millimetres (2 inches) of rain in July and any month under 1 millimetre (0.04 inch) is “extraordinary.”
Cordero said the city registered less than 1 millimetre in 2021, adding climate change and chances of La Nina weather phenomenon increase the chances of extraordinarily dry months.
“Unfortunately we’re going to have more dry Julys, without precipitation, sooner rather than later,” Cordero said.
(Reporting by Jorge Vega; Writing by Alexander Villegas; Editing by Sandra Maler)
