Chilean Mudslide Caused by Heavy Rain and Mountain Snow
June 19, 2012; 6:50 PM
Recent heavy rain and mountain snow combined to cause a mudslide in central Chile over the weekend.
The mudslide occurred near the popular skiing resort of Farellones, in the Andes just to the northeast of Santiago.
The mudslide cut off access to about 30 people by closing the only road from the resort out of the mountains. The good news is that no one was injured in the mudslide.
Reports indicate more than an inch of rain fell in Santiago over the past week, marking the heaviest rainfall from one storm system in over a year. During 2011, Santiago only received 4.32 inches of rainfall, about 30 percent of normal.
Typically, a prolonged drought followed by a heavy rainfall event can increase the threat of mudslides.
In the higher elevations near Farellones, 1-2 feet of fresh snow was reported.
The heaviest snowfall in the Andes has also lead to the closure of the Los Libertadores border crossing between Los Andes in Chile and Mendoza in Argentina.
Elsewhere in the region, a significant earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 struck just southeast of Mendoza Monday morning. There have been no reported causalities; however, some minor building damage occurred.