Severe weather triggered a regional red alert across Chile’s Santiago Metropolitan Region, leading authorities to suspend school classes and respond to widespread property damage caused by flooding, landslides and high winds.
“Likely thunderstorms with a chance of hail and strong local gusts of wind in the coastal mountain range, valley, foothills and mountain range,” the Chilean Meteorological Directorate (DMC) warned in an active alert, confirming that an EF0 tornado packing winds of between 105 and 137 kilometers per hour (65-85 mph) damaged roofs at the Alameda bus terminal in Estacion Central.
The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED) ordered the mobilization of emergency resources to respond to the situation. The agency’s regional directorate confirmed structural damage to 15 homes, while four residential complexes in Nunoa suffered basement flooding that disrupted community drinking water supplies. In Recoleta, mud entered two residences following a landslide in Santiago Metropolitan Park.
Class cancellations and power outages
The Ministry of Education reported that 115 educational centers suspended academic activities Wednesday, while 124 facilities recorded structural damage across 20 municipalities. The Santiago Centro Local Public Education Service, along with municipal authorities in Providencia, Nunoa and Las Condes, confirmed widespread school closures following intense downpours and hailstorms.
The Superintendency of Electricity and Fuels confirmed that 36,000 customers had lost power nationwide by 11 pm local time Tuesday (0200GMT Wednesday), with roughly 23,000 outages concentrated in the capital region.
In the southern Biobio region’s Arauco commune, ground fractures prompted the preventive relocation of 13 families from Villa El Mirador, where shifting terrain threatens more than 300 homes. Emergency services confirmed that no injuries or fatalities had been reported across the affected areas.