HELADAS EN PUNO (Para nuestros asiduos visitantes de habla inglesa)

PUNO AND AREQUIPA SUFFER FREEZING TEMPERATURES

Flor Bojorquez in LIVING IN PERÚ 5JUL16

Winter in Lima brings it’s cloudy skies and light rain, however this is nothing compared to other places in Peru.

Cruzero Alto, a zone within Puno that stands 4,520 meters above sea level, is one of the coldest, inhabited places in Peru. With temperatures dropping as low as 8 degrees below zero at night, this zone is battered by freezing winds. So far, 3 people have died within the last week as they had no access to medical care.

In order for the people living in this area to receive any kind of treatment or medical attention, they have to travel 20 to 30 kilometers to reach the Santa Lucia zone.

Freezing weather threatens the lives of the inhabitants of Cruzero Alto, one of the coldest inhabited place in Peru.

In the district of San Antonio de Chuca in Arequipa, people have to walk through knee-high snow, and just like Cruzero Alto, are very much affected as well by the extreme cold. El Comercio reports that this year has seen 23 reported deaths and 243 cases of pneumonia, while in the last week 17,281 people have suffered from respiratory infections.

Now, the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (Senamhi) are warning the public of heavy snowfall in the central highlands south of the country, and it will affect 13 regions, including Arequipa and Puno.

The strongest snowfall will occur Thursday afternoon and early Friday morning in areas that are 4,000 meters above sea level.On the other hand, areas below the 4,000 meters will experience heavy rain and dark skies attributing to extreme cold.