Snow in Chilean desert delivers chill warning on climate

Rain is rare in the Atacama but global warming is triggering changes
Building a snowman in El Salvador, in the Atacama desert. Snow in August is extremely rare
Building a snowman in El Salvador, in the Atacama desert. Snow in August is extremely rare
AP

The Atacama desert in Chile is generally regarded as the driest place on earth. Rainfall is seldom recorded there. Last week, however, to the surprise of meteorologists, parts of the desert were under deep snow.

People in the town of San Pedro de Atacama, about 750 miles from the capital, Santiago, were amazed by the spectacle: although it snows from time to time in the desert, snowfall this late in August is extremely rare.

It was thought to be the heaviest snowfall in three decades and raised fears that melting ice and rainfall could cause flooding. Some roads were closed. A group of 36 people had to be rescued from a bus on Tuesday when it got stuck in the snow. In other parts of