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El Ciudadano

Original article: Calor extremo afectará zona central de Chile este fin de semana: Se podría llegar a los 38° entre Santiago y Ñuble

Starting Friday, January 9, and continuing through Monday, January 12, a potential heat wave will dominate central Chile, driven by a series of high-pressure systems leading to clear skies and extreme temperatures.

Agro-climatologist Patricio González Colville from the Center for Research and Transfer in Irrigation and Agroclimatology (Citra) at the University of Talca provided this information.

González explained that «the development of a warm ridge in the mid-levels of the atmosphere, along with warm crosswinds, will create favorable conditions for a weekend with extremely high temperatures, impacting people, agriculture, and increasing the risk of wildfires,» he warned.

According to Citra’s models, particularly on Sunday, areas like El Monte, Buin, Paine, Melipilla, and Curacaví in Santiago could see maximum temperatures ranging from 36 to 38 °C.

For the regions of O’Higgins, Maule, and Ñuble, the highest temperatures are expected on Saturday, reaching between 36 to 37 °C in urban areas and potentially 38 °C in rural agricultural zones. By Sunday, extreme maximums are projected to remain between 36 to 37 °C.

Regarding the impact of this heat wave on agriculture, Professor Patricio González forecasted that the sustained intense heat during Saturday and Sunday will lead to low relative humidity levels: «With this dry atmosphere, evapotranspiration rates will increase, causing water losses from the soil and crops, especially between 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM.»

This condition exacerbates water stress on crops, necessitating more frequent irrigation to prevent thermal stress on plants and avoid reductions in fruit quality, the expert detailed.

Another crucial consideration highlighted by the agro-climatologist is the adaptability of homes to extreme heat: «Cities create ‘heat islands’ due to low tree cover, extensive pavement, lack of grass, buildings that obstruct airflow, and the geographical basin in which many central valley cities are located, which hampers nighttime heat dissipation.»

It’s Just the Beginning

According to the academic from the University of Talca, this is likely to be a recurring issue throughout January and February of 2026, prompting a need to rethink adaptation policies regarding the livability and bioclimatic comfort of cities in the face of daytime and nighttime heat.

«Probabilistic model projections have shown that 2024, 2025, and 2026 are on track to be the warmest years recorded in the 21st century globally,» he emphasized.

«Concerns about human health and agriculture due to global warming put us at a political crossroads regarding whether we are approaching, as a country, the limits of adaptation and tolerance to the impending extreme heat and what we will do in the short term to mitigate it and protect our population,» concluded Professor Patricio González Colville.

El Ciudadano

La entrada Severe Heat Wave to Impact Central Chile This Weekend: Temperatures May Soar to 38°C Between Santiago and Ñuble se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.