Rare snowstorm hits Earth’s driest desert in Atacama, Chile
Snow blanketed Chile’s Atacama Desert on June 26, 2025, disrupting transport and closing schools across Tarapacá, Antofagasta, and Atacama regions.
Rare August snowfall blankets swathes of Chile’s Atacama desert
A rare August snowfall blanketed swathes of Chile's Atacama desert on August 25, 2021, with parts of it reportedly receiving as much as 82 cm (32 inches). "This does not occur yearly. Maybe a relatively important snowfall like the one today can happen…
Atacama Desert flooded after 7 years of rain fell in just 12 hours
At least 10 people have been killed by catastrophic floods in northern regions of Chile after thunderstorms brought the equivalent of 7 years of rain in just 12 hours on March 26. Search and rescue operations are still in progress and authorities fear the number of casu
Atacama Desert coated with record snowfall
One of the driest places on the planet got a wintry blast this week. The Atacama Desert region in Chile was coated with its heaviest snow cover in nearly two decades, the BBC reported. An estimated 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) piled up in the normally arid