Argentina's Unexpected Snowfall
July 11, 2007 — -- Buenos Aires, Argentina--World War I was still being fought an ocean away when it last snowed in Buenos Aires. June 22, 1918 was the last registered snowstorm in this Argentine city on the South Atlantic Ocean.
A combination of a huge burst of polar air (southern) and extreme humidity created a morning of sleet. As the frigid air mass rolled in, the sleet gradually turned to snow by mid-afternoon. At midnight the light but persistent snowstorm had gone on for ten hours and local meteorologists were predicting it would last until Tuesday morning.Buenos Aires residents were surprised by the storm on their Independence Day at the end of a three day weekend. Revellers gathered in parks and plazas, giddily romping in the snow, many experiencing it for the first time. Late at night a large crowd congregated at the downtown obelisk, a site usually reserved for celebrating soccer triumphs.Weather changes in this region have created havoc over the last few years. Two years ago a tropical storm struck the Uruguayan coast, the first such incident in recorded history. Last winter a frightening hailstorm ravaged Buenos Aires in mid-winter destroying cars and homes with baseball-sized hail stones.
This southern winter has been as cold as any in the last few decades, causing problems with Argentina's electric grid and natural gas supply. Government energy officials were scurrying around trying to work deals with neighboring Bolivia (for added gas imports) and Brazil (for electricity) in the face of a nationwide cold spell which is expected to last at least until the end of the week.
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