How climate change supercharged an extreme heatwave in South America in the middle of winter

Aug 11, 2023

The heatwave is having a significant impact on people and infrastructure, with power outages, water shortages and crop damage reported. Image: Pexels/Nair Cristopher Sánchez Muñoz

Matthew Patterson

Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Atmospheric Physics, University of Oxford

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The blocking anticyclone driving the Chile-Argentina heatwave. GFS analysis data, Author provided

Chile is already being affected by climate-driven extremes, such as these wildfires in early 2023. Image: Pablo Hidalgo / EPA

An increase in averages means an increase in extremes. Image: Australia Climate Commission/IPCC, CC BY-SA

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