An unusual autumn freeze grips parts of South America, giving Chile its coldest May in 74 years

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chileans are bundling up for their coldest autumn in more than 70 years mere days after sunning in T-shirts. It has been a dramatic change of wardrobe brought about by a sudden cold front gripping portions of South America unaccustomed to bitter wind chills in the Southern Hemisphere’s autumn. Temperatures along the coast of Chile and in Santiago, the capital, dipped near freezing and made this month the coldest May the country has seen since 1950, according to the Chilean meteorological agency. A succession of polar air masses moved over southern swaths of the continent.