MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Snow blanket reaches outskirts of Buenos Aires city

Roofs of houses and cars covered in snow

Parts of the city of Buenos Aires were covered in snow on Wednesday as temperatures plummeted to below zero in most of Argentina. Snow was reported in the provinces of Rio Negro, San Luis, San Juan and Cordoba and along most of the Buenos Aires province coastline.

“A wave of polar air is slowly moving towards the centre of Argentina”, warned the country’s Meteorological Office while the Highways Authority called on drivers to be “extremely cautious” when circulating and suggested some roads should be avoided.

“Drivers who do not have to leave urgently should wait until 10 in the morning, and if they need to circulate, please drive with caution, reducing speeds to 40 or 60 kilometres per hour for cars and buses and 40 for trucks” .

Furthermore “low-beam headlights should be on at all times; do not stop on the road or shoulder, do not make any abrupt manoeuvres and, in the presence of ice slow down and avoid sudden stops”

The forecast for the capital Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires is a minimal temperature of 5 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 10 degrees. Temperatures shouldn't vary much before the end of the week. It might rain again in the next hours after the record 90mm that fell on Tuesday. It had not rained so much in July in one single day since 1976.

In the south of the Buenos Aires province, temperatures are the lowest of the year with a minimal of minus 16 degrees in Bahia Blanca.