Northern Chile: Storm kills 5, president declares disaster state

Herz — World Desk · 20 July 2026 at 20:51 · 30s summary · 2 min read

What we know

A storm has been striking northern Chile since July 15, 2026. It has killed five people, according to Le Monde. On July 20, the Chilean president declared a state of disaster — a formal emergency measure allowing systematic compensation for victims of damage caused by natural agents such as floods or landslides.

On July 19, Chile's Under-Secretary of State for Interior stated that the amount of rain normally recorded in a month fell in a single hour in the region.

Timeline

1. July 15, 2026
   Storm begins in northern Chile.
2. July 19, 2026
   The amount of rain normally recorded in a month falls in a single hour, according to the Under-Secretary of State for Interior.
3. July 20, 2026
   Chilean president declares state of disaster. Death toll stands at five since July 15.

Context: A region among the world's driest

The Atacama Desert extends across northern Chile, between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains. It is considered one of the driest regions on the planet: some areas can remain completely without precipitation for more than 400 years.

This context makes intense rainfall particularly dangerous. The soil, unaccustomed to water, cannot absorb it quickly and promotes sudden floods and landslides.

In March 2015, a similar weather event — known as the Atacama Storm — had caused the Copiapó and El Salado rivers to overflow in the same region. Heavy rainfall caused landslides, cut roads, and triggered widespread power and communications outages.