Rare snowfall in the Atacama Desert

In August 2026, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile experienced rare and extensive snowfall. NASA satellite imagery captured two distinct episodes: one around August 6 that altered the Chajnantor Plateau, and a second on August 19 that saw snow extending from the Andes toward the Pacific coast.

The meteorological phenomenon was driven by a cutoff low—a low-pressure system that separated from the jet stream—combined with an atmospheric trough and coastal moisture. In the city of Taltal, rainfall reached approximately 40 mm over three days, which is roughly ten times the city’s annual average.

The intense snow and strong winds forced the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observatory to place its antennas in protection mode and temporarily suspend operations. While snowfall in this hyper-arid region is not unprecedented, the scale of this event is considered highly unusual, occurring only a few times per decade.

By early September, reports confirmed that a series of winter storms had transformed the typically barren landscape into a white expanse. NASA Landsat 8 and 9 imagery documented the extent of the snow, which stretched from the high Andes toward the Pacific coast near Antofagasta.