As soon as autumn ends, a white breeze begins to travel and cover the landscape of many countries in the world. Winter has arrived and with it intense snow and cold, however, not everyone on the planet experiences immense cold and snow, especially some parts of South America. Surely, at some point you wondered why it doesn’t snow in South America and one of the many reasons is the latitude.
Why doesn’t it snow in South America?
The latitude with respect to the defines, almost completely, whether or not there will be snow in a place. For example, those regions near the Equator – by simple position – directly receive the Sun’s rays. In this environment, temperatures are usually higher and this drastically prevents snow from falling.
Although, we must take into account that there are places in South America where the temperatures and altitude encourage snowfall. For example, the peaks of the Andes, Urubici in or Pucón in Chile. Snow reaches all these places because they are surrounded by mountains or are places with high altitudes.
What it takes to create snow
On the other hand, there are the parts of the world where the landscapes are covered in white. Commonly, those places that have snow are because they are further away from the equator and, therefore, receive less sunlight. In essence, these places are colder and their conditions allow snow to fall.
If the appearance of snow depended on temperature alone, it is possible that it would snow in other places in the world. But, the reality is that snow is produced thanks to the work together of many factors.
It not only has to do with the position on the equator, but also the presence of nearby marine currents. A clear example of this operation of currents is with Mexico and . A city in northern Mexico maintains temperatures as low as a city in Canada, but the difference is that the Mexican city receives the warm blow of the Gulf Stream, while the Canadian city is hit by the cold Labrador Current.
Likewise, in the Mexican city (due to its position closer to the Ecuador) it receives sunlight more directly than the city in Canada. These factors are what determine whether or not snow falls in a place. It is not only about generating the greatest cold possible, it is also about getting as far away as possible from a constant source of heat.