SnowBrains Forecast: 5+ Feet For South America This Week

A major midweek-to-weekend cycle targets the central Chilean Andes first, then peaks Thursday night into Friday with cold, high-ratio powder, while the south-central volcanoes run a longer Tuesday–Sunday event and Argentina scores its best snow Thursday–Friday (Las Leñas leads). Central Chile (Tres Valles/Portillo) stacks roughly 32″–62″ by Friday night with snow levels plunging to near 2,000 feet and snow-to-liquid ratios rising into the mid to upper teens. Nevados de Chillán and Corralco pile on 33″–62″ through Sunday, starting a bit denser then trending lighter before a late-weekend warm bump. Across the Andes, Las Leñas bags 22″–38″ with very cold air late; Chapelco and Catedral see lighter but still worthwhile refreshes, best Thursday–Friday.

Monday–Tuesday sets the table with light snow and modest winds in the central Andes. Tres Valles and Portillo tack on generally 1″–3″ under moderate snow ratios near 13:1 and snow levels around 6,500–7,300 feet, so it’s all snow top to bottom given bases above 7,600 feet. Winds stay light to moderate and temperatures sit in the 20s.

Tuesday night–Friday night delivers the hammer for the central Andes with deep, cold powder. Guidance shows a sustained NW flow with SLRs broadly 12–19:1, peaking into the upper teens by Friday as temperatures drop into the teens and even single digits. Snow levels crash from near 7,100 feet early to roughly 3,600 feet Thursday night and near 2,000 feet by Friday night, locking in quality. The standout window is Thursday night when Tres Valles/Portillo show overnight bursts in the teens to upper 20s. Expect strong NW winds at times—gusts into the 30s and low 40s on Thursday—creating blowing snow and low visibility on exposed ridges before easing Friday.

South-central Chile (Nevados de Chillán/Corralco) runs a longer Tuesday–Sunday cycle with the best quality Thursday night–Friday. Early in the event, snow levels hover near or above base elevations (around 5,000 feet) with SLRs near 8–10:1, so expect some mixed or wetter snow on the lowest runs Tuesday–Wednesday. From Thursday into Friday, colder air drops snow levels to roughly 2,000–2,300 feet and SLRs rise toward 14–16:1, producing the lightest turns of the cycle. Winds are periodically strong (gusts mid to upper 40s possible Thursday–Saturday) with steady accumulation continuing into Saturday before a warm bump Sunday lifts snow levels toward 2,800–4,900 feet and nudges ratios back into the 10–12:1 range.

Argentina turns on mid to late week, with Las Leñas leading and the Lake District more modest but timely. Las Leñas snows Tuesday night–Saturday with snow levels well below the 7,349-foot base (down toward 700 feet by Saturday) and SLRs roughly 13–19:1, so expect cold, dry powder and fresh refills Thursday night into Friday. Farther south, Chapelco and Catedral trend lighter overall but time their best quality Thursday–Friday as snow levels sink near 2,000 feet and SLRs rise into the 10–13:1 range; early periods can flirt above base with some mixed or wetter snow, and a weekend warmup pushes levels back toward 3,700–4,400 feet with winds peaking late (gusts mid to upper 40s), favoring earlier turns.

RESORT-BY-RESORT SNOWFALL TOTALS

• Valle Nevado – 36″–62″ Mon (08/18) – Fri night (08/22)
• Nevados de Chillán – 36″–62″ Tue (08/19) – Sun (08/24)
• El Colorado – 34″–59″ total (2″–3″ Mon (08/18) – Tue (08/19) + 32″–56″ Tue night (08/19) – Fri night (08/22))
• Corralco – 33″–58″ Tue (08/19) – Sun (08/24)
• Portillo – 34″–57″ total (2″–3″ Mon (08/18) – Tue night (08/19) + 31″–54″ Tue night (08/19) – Fri night (08/22))
• La Parva – 32″–56″ Mon (08/18) – Fri night (08/22)
• Las Leñas – 22″–38″ Tue night (08/19) – Sat (08/23)
• Chapelco – 9″–18″ Tue night (08/19) – Sun (08/24)
• Cerro Catedral Alta Patagonia – 8″–17″ total (1″–3″ Tue (08/19) – Wed (08/20) + 6″–15″ Wed night (08/20) – Sun (08/24))