The South America snow forecast favors a major refresh in the central Andes as an ongoing storm strengthens Monday night into Tuesday. Valle Nevado leads the expected accumulation, with substantial snowfall also around El Colorado, La Parva, and Portillo. Rising snow levels will make the main pulse heavier than the initial snow, while farther south the outlook favors smaller, wetter accumulations and increasing spring warmth.
Snow already falling across central Chile continues Sunday night and Monday before the strongest pulse arrives Monday night through Tuesday. All five models support a substantial storm here, although precipitation amounts and the persistence of snowfall into Wednesday vary. Snow levels initially sit near 1,900 to 2,200 meters, then rise toward 2,200 to 2,600 meters during Tuesday’s heavier precipitation. Warmer solutions bring the rain-snow transition closer to 3,000 meters, so upper elevations have the clearest advantage. Valle Nevado stays mostly between -6°C and -2°C through Wednesday, supporting better preservation than the warmer forecast locations around La Parva and Portillo. Expect moderately light snow early at the coldest elevations, becoming more settled and dense during the main pulse, especially at Portillo. Gusts near 40 km/h at Valle Nevado and El Colorado on Tuesday could redistribute fresh snow on exposed slopes. Las Leñas also receives its main accumulation Tuesday, but its season ended September 28, so that snowfall offers a mountain refresh without lift access.
The central storm weakens Wednesday, with smaller trailing showers lingering into Friday before a lull Saturday morning. Confidence is strongest in the Monday-to-Wednesday storm core, with less agreement on the late-week showers; the totals below cover additional snowfall from Sunday afternoon through Saturday morning, October 10. Farther south, ongoing showers ease around Corralco early Monday before another modest pulse Tuesday, while Nevados de Chillán has its strongest precipitation Tuesday. Snow levels around 1,700 to 2,000 meters at Chillán favor dense upper-mountain snow and rain or mixed precipitation lower down. Its mountain report shows the ski season ended September 20. Chapelco and Cerro Catedral receive much smaller refreshes, with marginal temperatures limiting snow quality and gusts around 50 to 65 km/h Sunday into Monday affecting exposed terrain. Chapelco’s published season ended September 30.
From later Saturday into the following week, another central-Andes snow opportunity remains plausible, but its strength is less certain. The models broadly retain precipitation chances around central Chile, with the GFS favoring a considerably stronger follow-up than most other guidance. That supports watching the pattern without committing to another major storm yet. Southern areas lean increasingly dry and mild, encouraging settlement and softening of existing snow rather than sustained powder preservation. Cerro Castor has no meaningful snowfall signal and closes its season Sunday, October 4.
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South America Snow Forecast Resort Totals (Sun Oct 04 – Sat Oct 10)
- Valle Nevado – 92-130 cm
- El Colorado – 84-119 cm
- Portillo – 82-114 cm
- La Parva – 78-111 cm
- Las Leñas – 40-57 cm
- Nevados de Chillán – 22-31 cm
- Cerro Catedral – 7-10 cm
- Corralco – 5-6 cm
- Chapelco – 4-6 cm
- Cerro Castor – 0 cm