Severe hailstorm hits Santiago, triggers red alert

A violent electrical storm and unusual hail struck Chile's Metropolitan Region on October 13, 2026, prompting Senapred to declare a Red Alert. The event caused flooding, traffic disruptions, Metro service issues, and power outages affecting over 28,000 customers.

Meteorologist Elio Brufort of the Chilean Meteorological Directorate (DMC) classified the event as post-frontal instability following a frontal system passage. Peak intensity occurred between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM, with rainfall reaching 25 millimeters in Macul and 20 millimeters across much of the region within three hours, while western Santiago recorded only five millimeters.

“It is so violent, this hail meteorological phenomenon, because it falls very fast and everywhere at once.”

Brufort explained that hail formed due to strong updrafts cooling ice crystals until they fell rapidly and simultaneously across the city. He warned that electrical storms could persist overnight even as rainfall diminished.

Scientists link the increasing frequency of such extreme convection events to El Niño-driven Pacific thermal anomalies altering precipitation dynamics in central Chile. Specialists warn these severe storms will become more common in coming seasons.