The National Meteorological Service (SMN) issued an orange alert for this Friday due to severe storms affecting the City of Buenos Aires, Greater Buenos Aires, and much of the province of Buenos Aires.
According to the official forecast, intense rainfall, hail, and gusts of up to 50 km/h are expected, with a minimum temperature of 14 degrees and a maximum of 21. The storms are expected to begin during Friday morning, although adverse conditions would intensify toward the afternoon.
The orange alert, which anticipates the possibility of isolated strong storms, some of a severe nature, intense precipitation over short periods, hail of various sizes, and strong electrical activity, covers a strip ranging from the south of Entre Ríos and southeast of Santa Fe to Mar del Plata and Miramar, passing through almost the entire Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires province.
In this area, according to the SMN, accumulated rainfall of between 40 and 80 millimeters is expected, with the possibility of higher readings in localized areas.
Given this scenario, authorities recommend avoiding outdoor activities during the storms, not taking shelter under trees or electricity poles, securing objects that could be moved by the wind, keeping drainage systems clear, and following updates issued through the official channels of the National Meteorological Service.
At the same time, a yellow warning, also for storms, is in effect for much of the rest of Buenos Aires province, as well as the northwest of La Pampa and the province of Santa Fe.
According to the SMN warning, areas under a yellow alert may be affected by storms of varying intensity, some strong or locally severe.
These phenomena could be accompanied by strong gusts, hail, heavy rainfall over short periods, and intense electrical activity. In these areas, accumulated precipitation values of between 30 and 50 millimeters are estimated, although they could be exceeded in specific locations.
In addition, an orange alert for strong winds is in effect for the Andean zone of Catamarca and the northeast of San Luis, while in Mendoza, La Rioja, and San Juan there is a warning of the same level for Zonda winds. In this latter region, gusts of up to 100 km/h may be recorded, accompanied by a significant reduction in visibility, a sudden rise in temperature, and conditions of very low relative humidity.
In the south of the country, the west of Neuquén is under an orange alert for snowfall and wind, and the level of the warning drops to yellow toward the center of that province, the west of Río Negro, and the province of Santa Cruz, whose Andean sector is expected to experience extreme cold temperatures that could be "very dangerous," according to the SMN.
