Weather emergencies trigger school closures in Chile and Costa Rica

Severe weather conditions have led to school closures in parts of Chile and Costa Rica.

In Chile, the Ministry of Education (Mineduc) announced that classes remain suspended this Wednesday, August 19, across the Arica y Parinacota, Tarapacá, and Antofagasta regions. The suspension affects both public and private institutions from preschool through secondary education. The measure follows a frontal system causing significant difficulties in the northern territory. Additionally, a state of exception has been declared for the Tocopilla province, and several areas, including the Iquique province and Huara commune, are under a Red Alert due to meteorological events.

In Costa Rica, the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) has reduced the number of educational centers with suspended classes to 473, roughly half of the total affected during the peak of the climate emergency. While the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) reported a decrease in rainfall due to the movement of tropical wave number 33, authorities warned that soil saturation levels remain between 90% and 100% in the Caribbean and South Pacific basins. The MEP continues to monitor the situation alongside emergency management agencies as risks of storms and electrical activity persist.