Why does Punta Arenas receive less precipitation than some areas farther north in southern Chile?

Punta Arenas receives significantly less precipitation than areas farther north in southern Chile primarily because it is located within a rain shadow on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains.31

In southern Chile, the prevailing mid-latitude westerlies carry moisture-laden air from the Pacific Ocean toward the continent. As these winds rise to cross the Andes, the air cools and releases the vast majority of its moisture as orographic precipitation on the western slopes and coastal regions. By the time the air masses descend onto the eastern, or lee, side of the mountains—where Punta Arenas is situated—they have been largely depleted of their humidity. Consequently, while regions to the north along the western coast experience some of the highest precipitation levels in the world, Punta Arenas receives only about 18 inches of precipitation annually.123