Stratiform Clouds on the North and Central Part of Chile

Chile is a country that limits the Southern Pacific Ocean, and is affected by stratiform clouds on the north and central coast of the country. The cloudiness behavior on both regions was analysed using a 15-year period. Results show two different seasonal cycles for north and central part of Chile. It was found that there is a maximum (minimum) overcast days with stratiform clouds during the winter (summer) and minimum (maximum) during the summer (winter) in the northen (central) sector. The seasonal variability is high in the northen part and low in the southern. There is a significant difference on thernical and dynamics conditions in the origin of the cloudiness during both seasons.