Polar wave: What is the coldest town in Argentina and where to escape to feel warm in winter?

The cold wave has hit our country with a vengeance these past few days, reviving the classic rift between the "summer team" and the "winter team": some rant and squander and bundle up; others revel in the bone-chilling cold, with temperatures expected to reach below zero by the end of this week in some areas of Greater Buenos Aires. However, like every winter, they have already settled in across much of the country .

If we talk about regions, the coldest in Argentina is Patagonia , although there are significant differences depending on the area, the altitude above sea level, and the proximity or distance from the ocean, which acts as the great moderator of temperatures.

That is why the coldest areas are " inland ", far from large bodies of water, and the cold is accentuated in places of a certain altitude , while the humidity conditions and the winds influence the thermal sensation to usually drop several degrees more than the actual temperature.

Several of the towns that usually reach records of negative thermal records each winter are located between the south of Mendoza and the center of Santa Cruz , although the palms in the average go to a small town located on the Río Negro plateau , 275 km from Bariloche, 370 from Las Grutas and 336 from El Bolsón.

This is Maquinchao , a town of almost 3,000 inhabitants located 888 meters above sea level , and which would be something like paradise for lovers of cold and snow, and hell for those always looking for sun, beach and heat.

According to statistics from the National Meteorological Service, the lowest temperature recorded in Maquinchao was in 1991 , when thermometers reached a staggering 35.3 degrees below zero .

And although this record hasn't been broken in the last 34 years, the fact is that every winter the town continues to rank among the coldest in terms of average winter temperatures.

In the winter of 2008, temperatures reached 10 below zero in Antarctica and 25 below zero in Maquinchao , the same level as in the winter of 1990. And this year there was a warning that worried some: on May 15, at 8 a.m., the lowest temperature in the country was once again recorded in this town in Río Negro, with 11 degrees below zero, in the middle of autumn .

Maquinchao is located in the so-called "Southern Line" region of Río Negro , and low temperatures are part of the place's identity. Every winter, temperatures reach several degrees below zero, and it's not uncommon for residents to be isolated by heavy snowfall , although, locals say, the cold and snow are no longer as intense as they were decades ago.

In addition to its cold weather and snow, Maquinchao is known for its livestock farming , based on sheep breeding. In fact, even the meaning of its name is related to both the cold and livestock: it comes from the Tehuelche language and is interpreted as " wintering place " or " place to spend the winter ," from the Tehuelche terms "maguen" (winter) and "chawe" or "kawe" (place).

Maquinchao was declared the “ Provincial Capital of Wool ” in 2004, and every February – now with the cold weather – it celebrates the Provincial Wool Festival .

Although it is the coldest town in winter, the truth is that due to its Mediterranean location, far from the oceans, it records a wide thermal range , and in summer the average maximum temperature is a pleasant 26 degrees .

Located on Provincial Route 23 , which crosses the province from the coast to the mountain range, Maquinchao is one of the points from which you can visit the immensity of the Somuncurá plateau .

In addition to Maquinchao, other towns that tend to experience low temperatures in Argentina are nearby Bariloche , which on July 17, 2017 broke its historical minimum, when it reached 22.4 degrees below zero , surpassing the previous record, on July 30, 1963, which had been 21.1 degrees below zero.

Malargüe , in southern Mendoza, also tends to experience extreme temperatures in winter. In fact, this Monday, June 23, with the onset of a cold snap in the center of the country, this city near the La Payunia reserve ranked as the coldest in continental Argentina , recording -7.5°C, while the wind chill reached -12°C.

Uspallata , in the Mendoza foothills, is another spot with very cold records every winter: this Monday it was close to 5 degrees below zero (-4.8), while Esquel , in the northwest of Chubut, is another city with significant cold: 4.5 ° C below zero last Monday, after an unusually warm May: last month the minimum had been “only” 1.9 below zero, much less than the 6.2 ° C below zero in May 2024; the -5.1 in the same month in 2023 and the negative 7.7 ° C left by May 2022. On July 18, 2023, Esquel was the coldest city in the country, with 9.1 degrees below zero .

However, this city also records very high temperatures in summer , which have reached almost 35 degrees, so if it is cold all year round, those who like low temperatures should look at Río Gallegos , capital of Santa Cruz, where the average annual temperature is around 7.6 degrees, around 2 degrees in winter, with lows that have reached -20 °C.

On the other hand, those looking to escape the cold could set their sights on Formosa , which is the warmest Argentine province in winter and one of those with the highest temperatures throughout the year, according to Clima.com, along with Chaco, eastern Salta, Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Corrientes and much of Misiones.

And in the center of Formosa, almost 300 km from the provincial capital, is what is considered the hottest city in the country : Las Lomitas , where maximum temperatures easily exceed 40 °C in winter, and although minimum temperatures can reach 0 degrees, throughout the day they usually climb to 28 or 30 °C. In fact, the annual average temperature is 24 degrees .

In this case, the city's name is due to "the gentle undulations of the surrounding terrain that give rise to small hills," according to Formosa's official tourism website, which also details that the city is the capital of the Patiño department and "one of the most important population centers in the interior of the province, with about 12,000 inhabitants ."

Fortín Soledad, located 64 kilometers from Las Lomitas, is one of the main access points to the spectacular landscape of Bañado La Estrella , the second largest wetland in Argentina after the Esteros del Iberá , where you can observe a variety of fauna, from a number of snakes to alligators or river otters to otters, capybaras and more than 300 species of birds .