This South America snow forecast features an ongoing central Andes refresh today, then a colder and wetter Friday through Monday storm focused on southern Chile and northern Patagonia. Confidence is strongest from Thursday afternoon, June 18, through Monday midday, June 22, when timing and placement are best aligned. Current resort reports show several areas still at 0% lifts or in pre-opening mode, so this is mainly an early-season base-building and selective-access forecast rather than a broad lift-served powder setup.
The storm is already underway in the central Andes, with Portillo, La Parva, Valle Nevado, and El Colorado continuing to pick up light snow through Thursday night. The models converge well on timing and snow levels, with snow falling mainly above about 1,800-2,400 meters and SLRs around 11-16, which supports moderate to fairly light snow quality at higher elevations. Intensity is modest and winds look manageable compared with the southern storm, so totals through Monday are generally 5-9 cm for the central Chile resorts, with Portillo near 6-8 cm.
From Friday into Monday, the better storm energy shifts into southern Chile and northern Patagonia, with the models converging on the storm window but spreading on exact intensity. Corralco is the favored area for accumulation, with Nevados de Chillán also solid and Chapelco to Cerro Catedral in a lighter but meaningful band. The most favored southern terrain carries 30-78 cm in the detailed totals below. Snow levels during snowfall mostly run near 800-1,700 meters in the south, occasionally closer to 2,000 meters near Nevados de Chillán, and SLRs of 5-13 point to dense snow at lower elevations with fairer, drier snow higher up. Winds are the bigger ski-impact variable, with exposed gusts around 60-90 km/h possible in the windier southern terrain.
After Monday, confidence drops as the models diverge sharply on the next Wednesday through Saturday wave. A conservative read keeps the pattern unsettled but not locked in, with scattered light to moderate snow for Patagonia and southern Chile and a lower-confidence chance that central Chile reloads if the wetter solution verifies. Snow levels look more variable in that period, from roughly 1,000 meters in colder southern bursts to well above 2,000 meters in the central Andes, and wind potential is also less consistent. Broadly, expect many areas to stay in the 5-20 cm range, with an outside chance of 30-60 cm where the stronger solution lands.
South America Snow Forecast Resort Totals (Thu Jun 18 – Mon Jun 22)
- Corralco – 52-78 cm
- Nevados de Chillán – 30-45 cm
- Chapelco – 16-23 cm
- Cerro Catedral – 13-18 cm
- Valle Nevado – 7-9 cm
- Portillo – 6-8 cm
- El Colorado – 6-8 cm
- La Parva – 5-7 cm
- Las Leñas – 4-6 cm
- Cerro Castor – 2-3 cm