A tornado touched down on Monday, July 27, in Chile's Ñuble region, the Dirección Meteorológica de Chile confirmed.
On the afternoon of Monday, July 27, 2026, viral videos showed a rotating column of air in Chillán Viejo and other communes in Ñuble. The Dirección Meteorológica de Chile confirmed it was a tornado, describing it as a funnel cloud that touched the ground.
Meteorologist Arnaldo Zúñiga preliminarily classified the event as an EF1 tornado, with winds between 138 and 177 kilometers per hour. The Servicio Nacional de Prevención y Respuesta ante Desastres reported impacts in Chillán Viejo, Bulnes, San Ignacio and El Carmen.
In El Carmen, Mayor Renán Cabezas reported roofs torn off two homes and a tree falling on a vehicle. One person was injured while riding a bicycle and was treated by SAMU. In Bulnes, at least three structures suffered roof damage.
Atmospheric instability persisted during the day, linked to thunderstorms forecast by the DMC.
