"Patagonia Is Absolutely Buried"; Rare Snow Blankets Chile's Capital; Snowbird, Utah Surpasses 600 Inches; + Alaska's Near-Record Snow Season Also Means "Big Fire Danger"

"It has been snowing for nearly a week now. Everyone has been blown away. The locals are claiming this is an historical event."

"Patagonia Is Absolutely Buried"

The early-May snow in South America has been truly jaw-dropping.

Beginning in Bariloche, Argentina —and adding to Tuesday's report— autumn appears to have been skipped entirely, with the Río Negro region jumping straight into winter after receiving as much as 8 feet of snow.

Ski resorts here weren’t due to open for another month+.

“Heavy snowfall that fell in the mountain region of Río Negro keeps the Bariloche airport closed. For now, it was reported that the measure will be in effect until 10 a.m. on Monday.” — mishikasingh on X

“Ridiculous amounts of snow at the base of Catedral in Patagonia Argentina” — Powderhounds on X

"This is not normal," said David Owen, of Andes backcountry guiding service PowderQuest in a recent interview for powder.com.

"Everyone has been blown away. The locals are claiming this is an historical event. It has been snowing for nearly a week now. While May always sees snow in Patagonia, the intensity of these back to back storms has never been seen at this time of year.

"Patagonia is absolutely buried.

"While Bariloche has been hit the hardest, all the ski areas in Argentina's Patagonia are also covered in snow. Over in Chile, Nevados de Chillan, Corralco and the smaller ski areas south have also been hit quite hard this week," concluded Owen.

Rare Snow Blankets Chile's Capital

Rare early-season snow is even clipping the Chilean capital of Santiago, with substantial accumulations noted in communes such as Lo Barnechea, Las Condes, Vitacura, Puente Alto, La Reina and Pirque.