A winter heat wave bringing historically high temperatures to Chile is a "window" to an increasingly warm future, according to scientists.

Globally, July was already the hottest month on record, and the first days of August brought a heat wave to parts of northern and central Chile, bringing springlike weather to the capital during the Southern Hemisphere wintertime.

Recently, the temperature in the Coquimbo region in the north of the country reached as high as 37 degrees Celsius. In the capital, Santiago, the highest temperature reached 25 degrees Celsius, while in the past, the normal temperature in winter in the city was about 15 degrees Celsius.

"In a way, this is a window into the future, we are seeing conditions that are going to normalize," said Martin Jacques, a climatologist and professor at Chile's University of Concepcion. "What now seems very extreme could gradually become more and more normal in a few years."

"Having temperatures of 37 degrees (99 degrees Fahrenheit) in the middle of southern winter is extraordinary," said Raul Cordero, a climatologist at the University of Santiago. "It is a temperature anomaly of almost 15 degrees above typical values and unfortunately it is not a local problem, it is a global problem."

The Chilean meteorological department said the hot weather is expected to last until the end of the week. By that time, the highest temperature in some parts of northern and central Chile will also exceed 30 degrees Celsius.

(With input from Reuters.)

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