Yellow alert for extreme cold, snow, wind and Zonda for this Sunday, August 9: affected provinces
The National Weather Service (SMN) issued yellow alerts for extreme cold, snowfall, winds, and Zonda for Sunday, August 9, affecting 15 provinces across Argentina. The warnings indicate potential hazardous weather conditions that could temporarily disrupt daily activities. Extreme cold alerts apply to areas including Buenos Aires City, Buenos Aires Province, Tucumán, parts of Catamarca, Corrientes, Córdoba, La Rioja, San Juan, San Luis, Mendoza, La Pampa, Neuquén, Río Negro, and Santa Cruz. The SMN warns that temperatures could pose risks, especially for vulnerable groups such as children, elderly individuals, and those with chronic illnesses. Recommendations include avoiding prolonged exposure to the cold, wearing multiple layers of clothing if necessary, keeping homes heated safely, and ensuring adequate hydration. Snowfall alerts affect southern Mendoza and northwest Neuquén, where persistent snowfall with accumulations between 15 and 25 cm is expected. Wind alerts apply to western La Rioja and Catamarca, with wind speeds reaching up to 100 km/h. Additional Zonda wind alerts were issued for Catamarca, Salta, and part of Tucumán, with wind speeds ranging from 30 to 45 km/h.
The National Weather Service (SMN) issued alerts for orange and yellow levels due to storms, snowfall, and the Zonda wind for Wednesday, August 5, affecting multiple provinces across the country. The alerts indicate potential damage and risk of temporary disruption to daily activities. For Thursday, the service predicted a cyclogenesis that will impact the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA). Orange-level alerts for snowfall apply to western Neuquén, where weather conditions include varying intensity phenomena, some locally strong, accompanied by gusts, hail, heavy rain in short periods, and intense electrical activity. Precipitation accumulation values range between 40 and 80 millimeters, which could exceed these figures in specific areas. In Mendoza and San Juan, similar phenomena are expected with lower intensity, hence the yellow-level alert. Yellow-level alerts for storms affect southern Formosa, Chaco, Corrientes, Misiones, and northern parts of Entre Ríos and Santa Fe. These regions will experience rains and storms of varied intensity, some strong or locally severe, with gusts up to 90 kilometers per hour. Precipitation accumulation values are estimated between 30 and 70 millimeters, possibly exceeding them in isolated cases. The SMN recommended avoiding going outside, not taking out trash, cleaning drains and gutters, disconnecting appliances, cutting off electricity if water enters, closing and moving away from doors and windows, removing or securing objects that might be blown away by the wind, seeking immediate shelter indoors if outdoors, and keeping emergency supplies ready. In addition, a yellow-level alert for extreme cold applies to the west of Santa Cruz, where temperatures can reach dangerous levels, with moderate to high health effects. The SMN’s temperature map highlights this warning for Friday. Central San Juan and western La Rioja will face a Zonda wind with speeds between 30 and 45 kilometers per hour, with gusts potentially exceeding 70 km/h. This phenomenon may cause reduced visibility, sudden temperature increases, and very low relative humidity. The SMN advised avoiding going out during the event, closing doors and windows to prevent dust and hot air entry, removing or securing objects that could be carried away by the wind, such as planters, chairs, or awnings, not seeking shelter under marquees, billboards, trees, or poles, driving carefully, hydrating, protecting eyes and nose from dust with goggles and masks, and not lighting fires. The arrival of a cyclogenesis was also announced, a process capable of enhancing instability, generating strong gusts, and causing abrupt changes in weather conditions. This cyclogenesis will impact the coming days, leading the AMBA to transition from a humid and temperate environment to several days of intense cold. This scenario began forming over recent days and even prompted the issuance of a yellow-level alert. After a week marked by humidity, light rains, and cloudy skies, the SMN forecasts for tomorrow strong storms throughout much of the day, with precipitation probabilities ranging from 40% to 70%, gusts reaching 60 to 69 kilometers per hour, and a wind rotation that will consolidate the entry of cold air. For Wednesday, the temperature in Buenos Aires is expected to fluctuate between a maximum and minimum, though specific figures were not fully detailed in the report. On Monday, August 3, the SMN warned of another front bringing strong storms to the AMBA, indicating a deterioration in weather conditions with heavy rains and a drop in temperature starting the weekend. During the morning, isolated rains were expected, with temperatures around 14°C in Buenos Aires. By afternoon and night, storms were forecasted with precipitation chances between 10% and 40%. The day would be characterized by an eastward prevailing wind. The extended weather forecast for the week showed stability on Tuesday, albeit with a cool atmosphere, with temperatures around 15°C and 12°C, partially cloudy skies, and mist during early mornings and nights. For Wednesday, a minimum of 12°C and a maximum of 16°C were predicted. Morning would start with mists, followed by partly cloudy skies later in the day. No precipitation probability was expected, while wind speed would increase towards evening and night, reaching 13 to 22 km/h. On Thursday, temperatures would oscillate between 13°C and 16°C. The morning would be partly cloudy, but cloud cover would increase in the afternoon and night, returning the possibility of rain or showers. Wind would be light in the morning and moderate in the second half of the day. For the last day of the week, a temperature drop was expected, with a minimum of 7°C and a maximum of 15°C. The sky would remain partly cloudy all day, with no rain probability, while wind would blow between 7 and 12 km/h in the morning and increase to 13 to 22 km/h in the evening and night. By Friday, August 7, the arrival of a mass of polar air over Buenos Aires and the AMBA marked the consolidation of stable winter conditions. Following the passage of the storm front that affected the region in the previous hours, atmospheric clearing was favored by wind rotation. In Buenos Aires, the temperature would start the day with a markedly cold atmosphere, with a minimum of 4°C to 5°C in the early morning, rising to just 13°C in the afternoon. Humidity would gradually decrease to near 77%, combined with optimal visibility. In the Greater Buenos Aires area, temperatures would feel more intensely cold, with marks in the north and west of the conurbation reaching 3°C, registering a thermal sensation even lower in suburban areas. In the south of the conurbation, weak frosty mornings before noon were expected. Wind would predominantly come from the southwest, rotating temporarily to the west and northwest with moderate speeds between 10 and 32 km/h. No rain probability was expected for any time frame of the day, consolidating a sunny scenario over the territory of Buenos Aires and its suburbs. The AMBA was preparing for a Friday with extreme cold and a weekend with freezing temperatures, with minimums of 5°C. During the nighttime, the temperature would rapidly descend again to settle around 8°C. Cloudiness would remain practically nonexistent, facilitating heat loss toward the following dawn. Alerts and climate conditions in other parts of Argentina indicated that the Early Warning System (SAT) was monitoring mountainous provinces, including Mendoza, Neuquén, and Río Negro, under warnings for intense rainfall and snow accumulation in high-altitude zones. Intense winds were also under watch in Chubut and Santa Cruz, where gusts from the west would exceed operational limits in road corridors. A large system of high pressure controlled the central zone, covering Córdoba, Santa Fe, and Entre Ríos, ensuring stability and dry conditions. In northern Argentina, including Salta, Jujuy, and Formosa, there was a marked temperature drop compared to previous days, although without significant precipitation. The extended forecast and weekly trend confirmed the persistence of the cold air mass over the central band of the country. For Saturday, August 8, the official body forecasted a slightly cloudy sky, with extreme temperatures ranging from 6°C minimum to 11°C maximum, with moderate winds from the south. The sky would break into pieces as a fierce storm covered streets with water and left thousands in darkness in the AMBA. Sunday, August 9, would feature a frosty sunrise with 4°C minimum in urban areas and 2°C in rural areas of the Greater Buenos Aires. The maximum would rise modestly to 13°C, driven by a radiant sun dominating the afternoon. The trend toward the beginning of the next week confirmed the continued presence of stable and dry weather. Winds would rotate to the north starting on Monday, allowing a slight and gradual increase in maximum temperature readings.
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