As per reports, Argentina’s Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) has issued a Red Alert for extreme cold and heavy persistent snowstorms across several southern Patagonian and Andean provinces on Thursday (23 July).
• The SMN has placed southeastern Chubut (Escalante, Sarmiento, Florentino Ameghino) and western Santa Cruz under a red alert for extremely low temperatures, with minimum values dropping between negative four and negative 11 degrees Celsius.
• Persistent heavy snowstorms are forecast across the Andean cordillera, with local snow accumulations expected to reach between 50 centimetres and 1.5 metres across high-altitude passes in Mendoza, Neuquén, and Río Negro.
• Road maintenance authorities (Vialidad Nacional) have enforced temporary closures and travel restrictions on major mountain passes, including the Pino Hachado border crossing to Chile, due to ice accumulation and zero-visibility blizzards.
• The affected areas include Comodoro Rivadavia, Escalante, Sarmiento, Esquel, Trevelin, Bariloche, and high-altitude mountain corridors across Chubut, Santa Cruz, Neuquén, Río Negro, and Mendoza provinces, with primary road networks at risk including Ruta Nacional 40, RN 231, RN 237, and RN 242.
