‘Polar bomb’ brings sudden temperature drop to Buenos Aires

Argentina is in the grip of a sharp cold snap as a mass of Antarctic air pushes north after reaching Patagonia on Tuesday and spreading across the rest of the country. Dubbed a “polar bomb” by local media, the cold air mass will send temperatures in Buenos Aires down to a low of 1°C on Thursday and Friday, with highs of just 10°C and 11°C, respectively, according to the National Meteorological Service (SMN, by its Spanish initials). The first half of the week already brought the first cold spell of the winter to the capital, with minimum temperatures ranging between 3°C and 5°C and highs hovering around 14°C from Monday through Wednesday, similar to last Sunday. “June is coming to a close as a mass of Antarctic air moves across much of Patagonia before spreading to the rest of the country,” meteorologist Ignacio López Amorín said in a weather update posted by the SMN on social media published on Tuesday. López Amorín said Ushuaia, Argentina’s southernmost city, saw heavy snowfall, with a wind chill of -6°C and southerly winds of up to 50 kilometers per hour. He explained that the outbreak of Antarctic air is being driven by the interaction between a high-pressure system and a low-pressure system, strengthening the southerly flow and channeling frigid air directly from Antarctica across the country. The cold air mass will bring “a sharp drop in temperature” to central and northern Patagonia, along with snowfall in Neuquén and Mendoza, he said. By Wednesday, it will reach central Argentina. “The cold air will intensify significantly on Thursday morning, as a high-pressure system settles over central Argentina,” López Amorín added. Will it snow? While snow in Buenos Aires City is considered highly unlikely, frost is expected across the central region — including the capital — on Thursday and Friday. Most of the country, with the exception of the northernmost and southernmost provinces, is under a yellow extreme cold alert, including Buenos Aires Province and the capital.  According to the SMN, a yellow temperature alert indicates conditions that could have a mild to moderate impact on health, particularly for children, older adults and people with chronic illnesses.