Argentines looked forward to this week with concern, as forecasts pointed to above-average temperatures for the beginning of the year. The National Weather Service had stated that Córdoba, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and the Buenos Aires metropolitan region would reach more than 40ºC.
If, in previous days, memes about the heat had circulated and there were queues to buy gallons of water in the markets, this Tuesday (11) what Argentines feared most happened: a blackout affected almost the entire metropolitan region of Buenos Aires, and at least 700,000 people were left without electricity in dozens of neighborhoods in the capital, such as Belgrano, Núñez, Palermo, Recoleta and Colegiales.
According to the electric company Edenor, in a statement, a power transmission line stopped working due to a fire in San Martín, which affected generators at the Porto Novo power station, reaching “the northern corridor of the city of Buenos Aires and the Metropolitan region”.
As shops closed and taxi drivers began to run out of the streets, the lack of electricity also affected what was already facing problems: the Covid detection test centers, both public and private, which exhibit huge queues due to the new wave of contagions.
Some vaccination sites, such as the headquarters of the River Plate football club, had to suspend immunization, and several stores left hastily written notes on the doors informing them of the closure.
One of the memes on the networks shows a boy with an Argentine flag running from the Teletubbies children’s characters, which read: “omicron, delta, inflation, dollar, heat wave”. Another showed the Earth, the Sun, and, in between, Argentina in the shape of a comet on its way to the star’s flames.
Traffic in the capital was affected by the malfunction of traffic lights, including on avenues, and gas stations interrupted service citing fears of fires. ATMs don’t work.
Blackouts are common in the Buenos Aires summer and often provoke political demonstrations, when neighborhoods are without water or electricity for weeks. In 2022, the situation worries the authorities even more, as the temperatures forecast for the next few days should not let up. According to the Meteorological Service, there is no forecast of rain, and the weather should be warmer at least until next Saturday. The temperature is expected to exceed 44ºC in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area on Thursday or Friday.
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