A rare, record snowfall with sub-zero temperatures has covered South America.

This is the end of winter in South America, but as the seasons begin to change, Old Man Winter packed a whopper on Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru.

The unusually cold winter in South America has followed one of the coldest winters in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Can you say: pole shifts and climate change…

Peru

Tens of thousands of animals have frozen to death over the past week in Peru as a “snow state of emergency” was extended into multiple regions in Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

No one was prepared for the heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures – the heaviest snowfall to hit Peru in a decade.

Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.

The last weekend of August 2013, the Atacama Desert got blasted with snow. This region is the known as the driest place on Earth, averaging less than one inch of precipitation per year – that’s for both rain and snow.  But as August ended, some places in this region got over 80 cms (31 inches) of snow – the heaviest snow received in over 30 years.

Chile and Bolivia

Low temperatures have affected Chile, southern Brazil, and eastern Peru. The cold snap also hit Bolivia in the tropical region of Santa Cruz, and in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires.

The amount of tropical life lost is a great tragedy.