Barometric Pressure Forecast for San Rafael, Argentina
Barometric pressure forecast for San Rafael, Argentina — an irrigated oasis in southern Mendoza sitting in the rain shadow of the Andes, where the Zonda wind rearranges the barometer. See current barometric pressure and what it means for weather-sensitive people.
Download Pressure Pal to track barometric pressure and get migraine alerts for San Rafael and your area.
Pressure and weather in San Rafael
San Rafael sits in southern Mendoza province at around 750 metres, on the plain where the Diamante and Atuel rivers leave the Andean foothills and feed the vineyards and orchards that make the district green against otherwise arid Cuyo scrubland. The great wall of the Andes rises immediately to the west, and it shapes almost everything the barometer does here. Pacific systems are wrung dry as they climb the cordillera, and when the descending air spills down the eastern slope it arrives as the Zonda — a hot, desiccating foehn wind that pairs a sharp temperature rise with a distinctive fall in current barometric pressure on the lee side, most often between May and November. Zonda episodes can develop within hours and are among the most abrupt weather pressure changes anywhere in Argentina. Behind them, the cold front that drove the pattern usually crosses a day or so later and swings the barometer back up hard. In summer the second pattern takes over: intense afternoon convection builds over the foothills and drifts east, and southern Mendoza is one of the most hail-prone winegrowing regions on the planet, with each storm cell producing its own quick local pressure dip. Between events, the semi-arid climate keeps pressure high and settled for long stretches. For weather-sensitive residents, a barometric pressure forecast for San Rafael is most useful through the Zonda season, when atmospheric pressure can move a long way in a single afternoon.
What this means for you
Can barometric pressure cause headaches? In lee-of-the-Andes towns like San Rafael the Zonda is the pattern worth watching, because it drops barometric pressure and raises temperature at the same time, often within a few hours. Pairing this barometric pressure forecast with a migraine tracker app like Pressure Pal lets you see pressure change today as it begins rather than after the wind arrives. Track barometric pressure today and get alerts when atmospheric pressure starts to move.