Massive snow cover across Chile’s Coquimbo Andes

In August 2026, snow cover across the western Andes in Chile’s Coquimbo Region stood at twice its usual extent. According to the Centre for Advanced Studies in Arid Zones (CEAZA), the monthly median snow-covered area for August exceeded 10,000 km², about 5,000 km² above historical records.

This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on 21 August 2026, shows extensive snow cover along the Andes in the Coquimbo Region. The insets from August 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024 provide a comparison with earlier years, during which snow cover was less important.

Copernicus Sentinel-3 data support the monitoring of snow cover at global scale, providing information relevant to the assessment and management of water resources.