Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/BUENOS AIRES: Argentina witnessed the coldest days and nights in decades, with temperatures plummeting to a jaw-dropping 30 degrees Celsius as a heatwave gave way to historic snowfalls.
Temperatures in Buenos Aires dropped from a high of 38.1 C (100.6 F) last Sunday to 7.9 C (46.2 F) on Thursday, a record low for February since 1951, according to the National Meteorological Service.
Lowest temperatures ever recorded
The lowest temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius was recorded in Argentina in 1910. This week, the South American country experienced its eighth summer heat wave, with temperatures reaching nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the centre and north.
In the same week, on Friday, snow fell for the first time since records began in the low peaks of the Sierra de la Ventana mountains, 560 kilometres west of Buenos Aires, with a minimum temperature of minus 4 degrees Celsius recorded in the town of the same name.
According to meteorologist Christian Garavaglia, February lows were recorded elsewhere as a mass of cold air from the South Pole entered central Argentina after crossing the Andes from neighbouring Chile.
In just five days, the streets of Buenos Aires went from sunny to grey, with sweat-wiping people donning coats.
According to Garavaglia, the “extreme variability” was most likely caused by a strong La Nina weather phenomenon. According to him, La Nina causes the air and soil to be drier than usual, resulting in more extreme temperatures.
