Santiago: In one of the driest regions on earth, even a drizzle can cause an emergency. This was clearly visible in Chile where intense rain followed by snow lashed the arid northern Atacama Desert region.
One mining town in the northern desert saw temperature of minus 10 degree Celsius.
A cold front is bringing unusually low temperatures to a large part of Chile, with the heavy snowfall forcing the closure of several ports and mountain passes.
Though countries remain deeply divided over how to fight climate change, such unusual occurrences call for a united effort.
Earlier, less than 100th of an inch of rain fell on the Chilean port city of Iquique on Monday, accompanied by moderate winds of about 17 kph, according to the country's weather service. That was enough to knock out power to several neighborhoods and to damage the roofs of 4,000 precarious dwellings, Governor Miguel Silva said.
Schools were closed on Tuesday so that officials can repair the damage. However, there were no reports anyone was injured.
The city of 170,000 people in northern Chile is in the heart of the barren Atacama Desert, squeezed between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. It averages about 0.02 inch of rain a year, according to University of Chile meteorologists.
"Roofs in this region are to protect people from the sun, not from rain," Silva said.
With little water to worry about, many of Iquique's poor live in homes covered with a bits of wood, plaster or even cardboard that are easily damaged by a little rain and wind. Many have no slope to let water run off.