ranging from 14 �C in the south to 19 �C in the north (and nights between 5 �C and 11 �C) and very high precipitation, from 2,000 to more than 7,000 mm in local micro-climates. Snow is uncommon at the coast in the north, but happens more often in the south, and frost is usually not very intense.
Immediately east from the coast are the Andes, cut by deep fjords in the south and by deep lakes in the north, and with varying temperatures according to the altitude. The tree line ranges from close to 2,000 m on the northern side (except for the Andes in northern Neuquen in Argentina, where sunnier and dryer conditions allow trees to grow up to close to 3,000 m), and diminishes southward to only 600�800 m in Tierra del Fuego. Precipitation changes dramatically from one spot to the other, and diminishes very quickly eastward. An example of this is Laguna Fr�as, in Argentina, receives 4,400 mm yearly. The city of Bariloche, about 40 km further east, receives about 1,000 mm, and the airport, another 15 km east, receives less than 600 mm. The easterly slopes of the Andes are home to several Argentine cities: San Mart�n de los Andes, Bariloche, El Bols�n, Esquel, El Calafate. Temperatures there are milder in the summer (in the north, between 20 �C and 24 �C, with cold nights between 4 �C and 9 �C; in the south, summers are between 16 �C and 20 �C, at night temperatures are similar to the north) and much colder in the winter, with frequent snowfall (although snow cover rarely lasts very long). Daytime highs range from 3 �C to 9 �C in the north, and from 0 �C to 7 �C in the south, whereas nights range from ?5 �C to 2 �C everywhere. Cold waves can bring much colder values: -21 �C have been recorded in Bariloche, and most places can often see temperatures between ?12 �C and ?15 �C and highs staying around 0 �C for a few days.
Directly east of these areas, the weather becomes much harsher: precipitation drops to between 150 and 300 mm, the mountains no longer protect
