Balmaceda, Chile

Balmaceda is a Chilean village (Spanish: aldea) located south east of Coyhaique in Aysén Region. Balmaceda has around 500 inhabitants, and has Aysén Region's largest airport and meteorological station, Balmaceda Airport.

Balmaceda
Balmaceda
Coordinates: 45°54′33″S 71°42′02″W
Country Chile
RegionAysén
ProvinceCoyhaique
MunicipalidadCoyhaique
ComunaCoyhaique
BalmacedaJanuary 1st, 1917
Government
 • TypeMunicipalidad
 • AlcadeAlejandro Huala Canumán (2012-2016)
Elevation518 m (1,699 ft)
Population
 (2002 census[2])
 • Total456
Time zoneUTC−04:00 (Chilean Standard (CLT))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−03:00 (Chilean Daylight (CLST))
Area code(s)Country + town = 56 + 67
ClimateCsc

History

The first settlers arrived into the zone in early-20th century after being expelled from Argentina since the borders between Chile and Argentina were drawn in 1902. In 1917 Balmaceda was officially founded and was named after the Chilean president José Manuel Balmaceda. Balmaceda was initially one of the largest inland Chilean settlements in what is now the Aysén Region.

Transport

Balmaceda is linked to ruta 40, in Argentina, through a 102km extension road in rípio (not paviment - may/2019 info).

Climate

The climate of Balmaceda is an unusual combination of the dry-summer Mediterranean characteristic more typical of Central Chile with the subpolar oceanic characteristics more typical of southern Chile. Uniquely to the region surrounding Lago General Carrera,[3] it has the extremely rare cold-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csc, bordeline Dsc), with short, though dry summers, and long, snowy though not severe winters. Precipitation, however, is markedly lower than on the coast of Chile owing to the rain shadow of the Andes, being about one-sixth to one-seventh what is received on the coast at the same latitude. Snow is very common during the winter but rarely stays on the ground.[4]

Climate data for Balmaceda (1981–2010, extremes 1952–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 33.2
(91.8)		 35.3
(95.5)		 32.0
(89.6)		 24.4
(75.9)		 18.3
(64.9)		 17.2
(63.0)		 14.5
(58.1)		 15.1
(59.2)		 22.7
(72.9)		 27.8
(82.0)		 30.0
(86.0)		 32.0
(89.6)		 35.3
(95.5)
Average high °C (°F) 18.0
(64.4)		 18.7
(65.7)		 16.1
(61.0)		 12.1
(53.8)		 7.8
(46.0)		 4.2
(39.6)		 4.1
(39.4)		 6.7
(44.1)		 10.0
(50.0)		 12.6
(54.7)		 14.6
(58.3)		 16.6
(61.9)		 11.8
(53.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.1
(53.8)		 11.9
(53.4)		 9.5
(49.1)		 6.3
(43.3)		 3.2
(37.8)		 0.5
(32.9)		 0.0
(32.0)		 1.9
(35.4)		 4.3
(39.7)		 6.7
(44.1)		 8.9
(48.0)		 10.9
(51.6)		 6.4
(43.5)
Average low °C (°F) 6.8
(44.2)		 6.1
(43.0)		 4.5
(40.1)		 2.3
(36.1)		 0.0
(32.0)		 −2.2
(28.0)		 −2.9
(26.8)		 −1.3
(29.7)		 0.2
(32.4)		 2.1
(35.8)		 4.0
(39.2)		 5.7
(42.3)		 2.1
(35.8)
Record low °C (°F) −4.3
(24.3)		 −7.2
(19.0)		 −10.3
(13.5)		 −14.6
(5.7)		 −17.3
(0.9)		 −28.3
(−18.9)		 −25.2
(−13.4)		 −20.1
(−4.2)		 −15.8
(3.6)		 −10.0
(14.0)		 −7.7
(18.1)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −28.3
(−18.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 24.2
(0.95)		 20.2
(0.80)		 40.2
(1.58)		 51.1
(2.01)		 64.9
(2.56)		 82.7
(3.26)		 66.8
(2.63)		 54.6
(2.15)		 38.1
(1.50)		 39.9
(1.57)		 28.0
(1.10)		 30.3
(1.19)		 541.0
(21.30)
Average precipitation days 8 5 8 10 15 15 15 13 11 9 8 8 125
Average relative humidity (%) 72 74 77 82 86 87 86 83 79 75 72 72 79
Mean monthly sunshine hours 303 266 236 156 117 94 114 161 203 291 292 310 2,543
Source 1: Dirección Meteorológica de Chile (precipitation days and humidity, 1970–2000)[5][6][7]
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun, 1961–1990)[8][lower-alpha 1]

Notes
  1. Station ID for Balmaceda is 85874 Use this station ID to locate the sunshine duration
gollark: Who cares, really.
gollark: I just die enough (from my slightly poorly designed base and fall damage in it) that my hunger just replenishes by magic.
gollark: Pfft, "using food".
gollark: Wait, what is the other half used for?
gollark: Ridiculous. Nuclear is the one true power source.

References
  1. "Balmaceda, Chile". geonames.org. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  2. http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/demografia_y_vitales/demografia/demografia.php
  3. World Climate Map
  4. Balmaceda Airport Snow depths
  5. "Datos Normales y Promedios Históricos Promedios de 30 años o menos" (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  6. "Estadistica Climatologica Tomo III (pg 319-343)" (PDF) (in Spanish). Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil. March 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-17. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  7. "Temperatura Mensual Histórica de la Estación Balmaceda Ad. (450005)" (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  8. "Station 85874: Balmaceda". Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration. Deutscher Wetterdienst. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
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