A powerful cold snap has gripped southern South America, bringing temperatures far below seasonal norms and pushing rapidly northward as high pressure builds across the continent.

Over the weekend, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay faced temperatures 10–15°C below average, with nighttime lows plunging deep into negative territory. In Puerto Natales, Chile, a chilling -15.7°C was recorded — nearly 14°C below the region’s June minimum average. The severity of the cold led Chile’s Meteorological Directorate to issue frost warnings, underscoring the unusually harsh start to winter.

While the southern cone battled subzero temperatures, a separate storm system farther north brought intense rainfall to southeastern Bolivia and southern Brazil. Rio Grande do Sul, a region already reeling from deadly floods just a week earlier, recorded 92mm of rain in a single day. The resulting river overflow caused further damage and hardship for already displaced communities.

With the storm system moving off into the Atlantic, the door has opened for cold air to spread into central parts of South America. Forecasters expect areas like Paraguay, Bolivia, and southeastern Peru — where temperatures often reach 30°C — to experience daytime highs struggling to break into the mid-teens.

As this wintry blast continues its advance, millions across the continent are bracing for a colder-than-usual start to July.