A powerful frontal system sweeping central and southern Chile on September 24, 2026, has left thousands without power, caused river overflows and structural damage across multiple regions, and forced emergency evacuations and the suspension of classes in several communities.
Severe weather conditions struck the southern part of the country, bringing intense rainfall and high winds that triggered red alerts and emergency responses from the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service, known as Senapred. The severe weather follows earlier storm activity in the Biobío Region during the national holidays celebration.
Senapred Declares Red Alerts as Rivers Overflow in Arauco and Cautín
Heavy downpours pushed rivers past their banks in several areas, prompting immediate evacuation orders. In the Araucanía Region, approximately 70 homes sustained damage in the town of Trovolhue within the Carahue commune after the Centinela and San Juan rivers overflowed their banks. Senapred declared a red alert for the Cautín Province in response to the flooding.
Coastal areas of La Araucanía accumulated more than 200 millimeters of rainfall, inundating streets and homes. Authorities ordered evacuations for multiple sectors in Pucón, including La Fortuna, Ex Balsa Quelhue, San Luis, Menetúe, Relicura, and Carileufu, due to rising waters in the Trancura, Claro, and Luicura rivers. Additional evacuation orders went into effect for Curarrehue and Reigolil as the Maichin and Trancura rivers threatened nearby banks.
In the Biobío Region, authorities placed the commune of Arauco under a red alert due to river overflow risks near the Pichilo River, while surrounding provinces remained under yellow alerts.
Power Outages, Road Closures, and Class Suspensions Across Southern Regions
The storm disruption extended across multiple regions, affecting infrastructure, transit, and education. According to figures from the Superintendency of Electricity and Combustibles, early-morning tallies recorded thousands of customers without electrical service across the affected zones. The hardest-hit area for outages was La Araucanía, followed by Los Lagos, Los Ríos, Biobío, and Maule.
Transportation links faced severe disruptions. In La Araucanía, flooding closed several routes, and the Pino Hachado border pass was shut down as a preventive measure. In the Los Lagos Region, a mudslide blocked both directions of Route CH-225 near the La Máquina sector, while a stretch of the same highway at kilometer 45.3 was closed preventively. The Rural Sanitary Service supply in the Yates sector of Cochamó was interrupted by the rising Los Cachos River.
Classroom operations were suspended to protect students and staff. Educational establishments closed in the Araucanía communes of Freire, Padre Las Casas, Pitrufquén, and Pucón, as well as across the entire Los Lagos commune of Cochamó. In Tirúa and Arauco, specific schools such as the Agua de Molino and Valle Arauco schools also halted classes.
Earlier Holiday Disruptions and Ongoing Meteorological Alarms
The current storm follows an earlier weather system that disrupted Independence Day celebrations in the Biobío Region. That earlier front left thousands of people affected, 392 damaged homes, and six injuries after strong winds and rain caused a temporary metal structure at the Live Biobío Antuco National Holidays festival to partially collapse.
Emergency operations are in place and we have crews from police, fire, and public works working diligently to get branches clear, downed wires safe, and return Rochester to normal travel.
The Directorate of Meteorological of Chile maintains an active alarm for intense precipitation combined with a high freezing level across La Araucanía, Los Ríos, and Los Lagos. Four yellow alerts remain in force, covering weather events and river overflow risks in Mariquina and Lanco, as emergency crews continue monitoring conditions and clearing affected roads.