White Earthquake

The White Earthquake (Spanish: Terremoto Blanco) was a climatic event consisting of intense winds, cold, snowfall and rain that occurred through southern Chile in August 1995.

[2] Chilean Navy ships Aquiles, Chacabuco and Elicura transported fodder and firewood to various localities, in some cases despite severe weather conditions.

[5] The amounts of snow that fell in Punta Arenas in the whole winter of 1995 was measured at 33.6 cm, less than recorded in 1899, 1904, 1918, 1937 and 1977 when no crisis of the magnitude of the White Earthquake occurred.

[4] The direct cause of the White Earthquake was an extremely large subtropical cyclone that moved into Patagonia, influencing the weather as far away as Taltal, Calama and San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile.

[5] This created conditions for cold southeasterly winds to enter Patagonia with air at 0°C at sea level and cooler at higher altitudes.

Map of Chile showing communes in state of catastrophe during the White Earthquake in red. Communes in pink were declared zones of "agrarian emergency". Communes in both state of catastrophe and agrarian emergency are shown in dark red