Balmaceda, Chile

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Place in Aysén, Chile

Balmaceda

Balmaceda

Coordinates: 45°54′33″S 71°42′02″W﻿ / ﻿45.90917°S 71.70056°W﻿ / -45.90917; -71.70056
Country|  Chile
Region| Aysén
Province| Coyhaique
Municipalidad| Coyhaique
Comuna| Coyhaique
Balmaceda| January 1, 1917
Government

• Type| Municipality
• Mayor| Alejandro Huala Canumán (2012-2016)
Elevation

[1]

| 518 m (1,699 ft)
Population

(2017 census[2])

• Total

| 405
Time zone| UTC−04:00 (Chilean Standard (CLT))
• Summer (DST)| UTC−03:00 (Chilean Daylight (CLST))
Area code| Country + town = 56 + 67
Climate| Csb

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.

## History

[edit]

The first settlers arrived into the zone in the 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 recognized as a town by the government of Chile in 1928, initially being one of the largest inland Chilean settlements in what is now the Aysén Region. In 1945, The Chilean Air Force constructed an airfield, which is no longer in use. Beginning in November 2018, the airline JetSmart began operating routes between Balmaceda and Santiago, Punta Arenas, and Temuco.

## Transport

[edit]

Balmaceda is linked to Route 40, in Argentina, via a 102 km gravel extension road.

## Climate

[edit]

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. It has the warm-summer Mediterranean climate, bordering the extremely rare cold-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb, borderline Csc), with short, though dry summers, and long, somewhat 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.[3]

Climate data for Balmaceda (1991–2020, 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)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 18.4
(65.1)  | 19.0
(66.2)  | 16.3
(61.3)  | 12.5
(54.5)  | 8.2
(46.8)  | 4.6
(40.3)  | 4.3
(39.7)  | 6.9
(44.4)  | 10.2
(50.4)  | 12.8
(55.0)  | 14.9
(58.8)  | 16.9
(62.4)  | 12.1
(53.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)  | 12.6
(54.7)  | 12.6
(54.7)  | 10.4
(50.7)  | 7.4
(45.3)  | 4.2
(39.6)  | 1.4
(34.5)  | 0.8
(33.4)  | 2.8
(37.0)  | 5.2
(41.4)  | 7.4
(45.3)  | 9.4
(48.9)  | 11.4
(52.5)  | 7.1
(44.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 6.9
(44.4)  | 6.1
(43.0)  | 4.5
(40.1)  | 2.2
(36.0)  | 0.3
(32.5)  | −1.9
(28.6)  | −2.7
(27.1)  | −1.2
(29.8)  | 0.3
(32.5)  | 1.9
(35.4)  | 4.0
(39.2)  | 5.9
(42.6)  | 2.2
(36.0)
Record low °C (°F)  | −5.9
(21.4)  | −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)  | −11.6
(11.1)  | −7.7
(18.1)  | −6.0
(21.2)  | −28.3
(−18.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 23.4
(0.92)  | 21.1
(0.83)  | 38.6
(1.52)  | 49.7
(1.96)  | 69.5
(2.74)  | 79.6
(3.13)  | 65.2
(2.57)  | 55.7
(2.19)  | 31.5
(1.24)  | 34.3
(1.35)  | 30.2
(1.19)  | 24.5
(0.96)  | 523.3
(20.60)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 4.2  | 4.1  | 5.5  | 7.2  | 9.4  | 10.1  | 8.2  | 8.4  | 6.2  | 5.2  | 5.0  | 4.2  | 77.8
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 (humidity, 1970–2000)[4][5][6]
Source 2: NOAA (precipitation days 1991–2020),[7] Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun, 1961–1990)[8][a]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Station ID for Balmaceda is 85874 Use this station ID to locate the sunshine duration

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Balmaceda, Chile". geonames.org. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
2. ^ "Ciudades, pueblos, aldeas y caseríos" (PDF) (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute (Chile) (INE). March 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
3. ^ "Balmaceda Airport Snow depths". Archived from the original on 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
4. ^ "Datos Normales y Promedios Históricos Promedios de 30 años o menos" (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
5. ^ "Estadistica Climatologica Tomo III (pg 319-343)" (PDF) (in Spanish). Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil. March 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
6. ^ "Temperatura Mensual Histórica de la Estación Balmaceda Ad. (450005)" (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
7. ^ "Balmaceda Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
8. ^ "Station 85874: Balmaceda". Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration. Deutscher Wetterdienst. Archived from the original on 2017-10-17. Retrieved 9 July 2015.