Weather
Summary
Nevados de Chillán takes the jackpot with 24″-40″ by Sunday night, Corralco is a strong second with 12″-19″, and the central Andes from Valle Nevado to Las Leñas stack up a respectable 7″-15″ focused Saturday night. Snow levels start near 6,900 feet in the central Andes then fall toward 4,600 to 5,300 feet through Sunday, so high-elevation resorts stay all snow while southern bases briefly flirt with mixed precip before turning over. Snow quality runs good to excellent in the central Andes with SLRs mostly 12–18:1 and colder temps in the teens and 20s, while the south starts dense then trends drier with SLRs building into the 10–11:1 range.
Forecast Discussion
Friday night to Saturday opens the window with a W to NW flow and the first round of accumulations. In the central Andes, expect a modest start with 2″-4″ by midday Saturday for Valle Nevado, La Parva, and El Colorado, and 3″-5″ for Las Leñas; Portillo grabs 4″-6″ through Saturday as moisture deepens. SLRs run 12–15:1 central, so snow quality is already decent. Farther south, Corralco lands 4″-6″ through Saturday with low SLRs near 8–10:1 and snow levels peaking around 5,200 feet, which is right around the 5,019 foot base, so a brief base-level mix or very wet snow is possible before cooling resumes. Nevados de Chillán jumps out early with 8″-12″ by Friday night, though the first wave is heavy with SLRs near 7–11:1; gusts near 38 mph keep it stormy.
Saturday night is the sweet spot for most skiers as colder air and steadier NW flow lock in. Central Chile and Mendoza see the best turns with another 3″-6″ overnight for Valle Nevado, La Parva, El Colorado, Las Leñas, and 4″-6″ at Portillo. SLRs spike into the 14–18:1 range here, so expect lighter, drier snow and improved surfaces top to bottom given base elevations from 7,677 to 9,379 feet and snow levels falling into the 5,600 to 4,600 foot band. In the south, the main pulse hits again with Corralco adding 4″-7″ and Nevados de Chillán another 11″-19″; winds veer NW and remain breezy but trend down from peak gusts.
Sunday into Monday tapers the event, leaves leftovers up north, and lingers longest in the south. The central resorts squeeze out another 2″-4″ Sunday with continued cold temps in the teens and 20s and low winds, keeping quality high. South of the Bio Bio, Corralco picks up a trailing 3″-6″ through Sunday before winding down on Monday with cooling snow levels that fall to near 3,500 feet. Nevados de Chillán rides a healthy back edge with 5″-9″ Sunday as SLRs sit near 11:1 and winds ease. Farther south at Cerro Castor, a compact Sunday night to Monday wave drops 2″-3″ with strong SW winds that can impact upper mountain operations, but it is all snow with snow levels near sea level.
Resort-by-Resort Snowfall Totals
- Nevados de Chillán – 24″-40″ Fri (09/19)–Sun Night (09/21)
- Corralco – 12″-19″ Fri Night (09/19)–Mon (09/22)
- Las Leñas – 9″-14″ Fri Night (09/19)–Sun Night (09/21)
- Valle Nevado – 8″-13″ Fri Night (09/19)–Sun Night (09/21)
- La Parva – 7″-12″ Fri Night (09/19)–Sun Night (09/21)
- El Colorado – 7″-11″ Fri Night (09/19)–Sun Night (09/21)
- Portillo – 6″-10″ Sat (09/20)–Sun Night (09/21)
- Cerro Castor – 2″-3″ Sun Night (09/21)–Mon Night (09/22)
