Weather
Across South America, the most reliable snow arrives early this week in the southern Andes, then the pattern turns quieter before a lighter and warmer central Andes shot later in the period. Confidence is highest from Monday afternoon, March 16, through Tuesday afternoon, March 17, when southern Chile and the northern Patagonian Andes should see the steadiest snowfall. After that, Tuesday night through Thursday trends drier for most resorts, and the next push into the central Andes near Santiago looks more modest, more elevation-dependent, and less certain on amounts. Beyond Sunday night, March 22, another southern signal remains on the table, but timing and intensity spread widen enough that it should still be treated as speculative.
Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon is the clearest part of the forecast, with the individual models tightly converged on the timing of a southern Andes storm while still spread on intensity. Snow-level guidance is reasonably clustered as well, generally around 1,100 to 1,700 meters at Chapelco and Corralco, while Nevados de Chillán spends more time closer to 1,800 to 2,000 meters, so the higher terrain is favored and the northern edge of the storm runs wetter. Wind guidance is also fairly consistent in showing exposed ridgelines gusting around 50 to 90 km/h during the steadiest hours. Snow ratios mostly fall in the 3-10 range, which points to dense to moderate snow rather than especially light snow. The practical takeaway is that the early-week snowfall is meaningful, but it comes with heavier snow and some mixed precipitation risk near lower elevations and along the northern fringe.
From Tuesday night through Thursday, the individual models are broadly converging on a quieter stretch with only isolated leftovers, lighter winds, and little in the way of meaningful new snow. That lull should help surfaces settle before the next wave tries to reach the central Andes on Friday into Saturday. Guidance is reasonably aligned on timing there, and wind impacts look manageable overall, but it diverges on intensity and keeps snow levels relatively high, generally around 2,600 to 3,100 meters, so the upper mountains near Valle Nevado, La Parva, El Colorado, and Portillo are favored while lower terrain deals with denser snow or mixed precipitation. Snow ratios in that later central Andes wave mostly stay in the 3-10 range, with only brief periods near 10-12 on the highest slopes, so quality again looks more supportive and packed than especially fluffy.
After Sunday night, March 22, the pattern becomes much less settled, and the individual models diverge noticeably on storm placement, intensity, snow levels, and how much energy survives into next week. A few solutions try to reload south-central Chile with another colder round while also bringing a separate late-period shot toward Las Leñas and even Cerro Castor, but others keep those signals weaker and more fragmented. The realistic outcome at this range is not a clean dry forecast, yet it is also not a lock for a major multi-day cycle. Expect additional snowfall chances after the weekend, with the better odds staying in the southern Andes and the lower-confidence potential for light follow-up snow farther north, but use broad expectations rather than specific totals once the forecast moves beyond Sunday night.
Resort Forecast Totals (Mon Mar 16 – Tue Mar 17)
- Corralco – 15 cm-22 cm
- Cerro Catedral – 12 cm-17 cm
- Chapelco – 9 cm-13 cm
- Nevados de Chillán – 4 cm-6 cm
- Valle Nevado – 1 cm
- El Colorado – 0 cm
- La Parva – 0 cm
- Las Leñas – 0 cm
- Portillo – 0 cm
- Cerro Castor – 0 cm
