At least 15 people died due to extreme cold
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Polar air has brought record low temperatures to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The extreme cold has killed at least 15 people and forced governments to restrict gas supplies and activate emergency shelters.
All three of these South American countries have recorded sub-zero temperatures sharply as polar winds emanate from Antarctica and spread across the region.
According to the NGO Projecto 7, at least nine homeless people have died in Argentina this winter due to the cold.
The capital Buenos Aires recorded its lowest temperature since 1991 at minus 1.9 degrees Celsius (28.6 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, while the coastal city of Miramar saw its first snowfall in 34 years. Further south, the town of Maquinchao recorded minus 18 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.
Electricity demand causes cuts in Buenos Aires. Some areas were without power for more than 24 hours.
The government on Wednesday suspended gas supply to industries and petrol stations and removed price controls on gas cylinders to ensure domestic supply.
desert snow
Uruguay has declared a nationwide 'red alert' after the death of six people. This has allowed the government of President Yamandu Orsi to forcibly move homeless people into shelters.
According to meteorologist Mario Bidegen, Montevideo recorded its lowest temperature since 1967 at 5.8 degrees Celsius on June 30.
Chile has also activated homeless shelter schemes on the coldest days. According to Chile's meteorological directorate, the city of Chilan, 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Santiago, touched minus 9.3 degrees Celsius.
'What happened this week in Chile and the Southern Cone in general is a cold wave escaping from the polar air mass from Antarctica', said climatologist Raul Cordero of the University of Santiago .
For the first time in a decade, snow has fallen in some parts of the world's driest Atacama desert.
'It's not that common for these cold air groups to extend north, so we can't rule out that this is also due to climate change', meteorologist Arnaldo Zuniga said .
This sector expects relief in the coming days. On Thursday, it reached 12 degrees Celsius in Buenos Aires, 14 degrees Celsius in Montevideo and 24.7 degrees Celsius in Santiago.
'I was very surprised by the change from cold to hot - the change was very rapid,' said Daphne Naranjo, an 18-year-old student in Santiago.
Climatologist Cordero said that heat waves have become more frequent than cold weather in recent years.
'The frequency of heat waves has tripled, whether it's summer or winter, not just in the Southern Cone but around the world,' he said.
