Impossible Snowfall: NASA Captures Decade-Long Phenomenon in Atacama Desert
On June 25, 2025, an unprecedented snowfall covered part of the arid Atacama Desert in white, disrupting scientific operations and providing an invaluable opportunity to better understand how this fragile environment responds to exceptional weather events. NASA satellite images confirmed this rare phenomenon a few weeks later, showcasing a sight that hadn’t been seen in a decade.
An episode that broke the pattern of the driest desert
After over a decade without rain, an isolated cold cyclone brought moisture from the Pacific into South America at the end of June 2025, resulting in snowflakes in areas above 2,500 meters in altitude, including the surroundings of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Operations were temporarily suspended due to the snow accumulation.
The traces of the phenomenon, seen from space
NASA’s Terra satellite captured images of the snow-covered Atacama Desert, with subsequent passes confirming accumulations in elevated and shady areas. This rare event sparked great interest in the scientific community, providing a unique opportunity to study the distribution and disappearance of snow in a region known for rapid sublimation processes.
