Chile issues tornado alert for three southern regions

The Chilean Meteorological Directorate issued an alert on Friday for the possible development of tornado‑like clouds in the Araucanía, Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions, with the phenomenon expected between the afternoon and night of Saturday, 1 August. Earlier this week an EF‑1 tornado struck Chillán Viejo (Bulnes sector), producing winds estimated at up to 178 km/h and causing moderate damage.

University of Tarapacá researcher Oliver Meseguer explained that tornadoes require a combination of warm, relatively humid surface air, cold air aloft and a relatively high Coriolis force, conditions that can occur in winter. He noted that these factors are most likely between the Biobío and Ñuble regions but can appear elsewhere. Meseguer warned that, in the context of climate change, such events are expected to become more frequent and intense.