Temperatures in parts of Chile and northern Argentina have climbed 10°C to 20°C above average in the past few weeks. Cities in the Andes Mountains reached 38°C or higher, while the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, recorded temperatures above 30°C, beating the previous August record by more than 5°C. Temperatures peaked at 39°C in the city of Rivadavia. Keep in mind that this is the middle of winter in this part of the world. And it's far enough south that seasonal variations have a significant impact on temperatures. Buenos Aires, for example, is as far south as Japan, Tibet, or Tennessee are to the north. (Matthew Patterson)