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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Arica Chile

In Arica, the summers are warm, arid, and mostly cloudy and the winters are long, cool, dry, and mostly clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 58°F to 78°F and is rarely below 53°F or above 81°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Arica for warm-weather activities is from early March to early January.

Climate in Arica

warmcomfortablecoolcomfortableJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow79%79%35%35%clearovercastprecipitation: 0.0 inprecipitation: 0.0 in0.0 in0.0 inmuggy: 10%muggy: 10%0%0%drydrytourism score: 7.9tourism score: 7.96.86.8
Arica weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 3.2 months, from December 25 to March 30, with an average daily high temperature above 75°F. The hottest month of the year in Arica is February, with an average high of 78°F and low of 68°F.

The cool season lasts for 4.0 months, from June 8 to October 7, with an average daily high temperature below 67°F. The coldest month of the year in Arica is August, with an average low of 59°F and high of 65°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in Arica

Average High and Low Temperature in AricawarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJul 1765°FJul 1765°FFeb 1278°FFeb 1278°F58°F58°F68°F68°FDec 2575°FDec 2575°FMar 3075°FMar 3075°FJun 867°FJun 867°FOct 767°FOct 767°F66°F66°F65°F65°F60°F60°F61°F61°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 77°F78°F77°F73°F70°F66°F65°F65°F66°F68°F71°F74°F
Temp. 72°F73°F72°F68°F65°F63°F61°F61°F62°F64°F67°F70°F
Low 68°F68°F67°F64°F61°F59°F58°F59°F60°F61°F63°F66°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in Arica

Average Hourly Temperature in AricaJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowcoolcomfortablecomfortablewarm
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Caniçal, Portugal (5,007 miles away) and Pájara, Spain (4,959 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Arica (view comparison).

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In Arica, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Arica begins around April 12 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around October 31.

The clearest month of the year in Arica is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 78% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 31 and lasts for 5.4 months, ending around April 12.

The cloudiest month of the year in Arica is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 64% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Arica

Cloud Cover Categories in AricaclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Aug 379%Aug 379%Feb 535%Feb 535%Apr 1256%Apr 1256%Oct 3157%Oct 3157%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 63%64%54%42%33%31%25%22%29%40%46%55%
Clearer 37%36%46%58%67%69%75%78%71%60%54%45%

Arica does not experience significant seasonal variation in the frequency of wet days (i.e., those with greater than 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation). The frequency ranges from -0% to 1%, with an average value of 0%.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Arica

Daily Chance of Precipitation in AricaJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 261%Feb 261%Oct 70%Oct 70%Dec 10%Dec 10%Jan 50%Jan 50%NowNow
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 0.2d0.2d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.2d0.1d0.2d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d

The length of the day in Arica varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 11 hours, 1 minute of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 13 hours, 15 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Arica

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 13.1h12.7h12.2h11.7h11.2h11.0h11.1h11.5h12.0h12.5h13.0h13.2h

The earliest sunrise is at 6:43 AM on September 7, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 6 minutes later at 7:48 AM on April 6. The earliest sunset is at 6:11 PM on June 4, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 12 minutes later at 8:24 PM on January 18.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Arica during 2024, starting in the spring on September 8 and ending in the fall on April 6.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in Arica

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in AricaJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMSep 76:43 AMSep 76:43 AM8:24 PMJan 188:24 PMJan 18Jun 46:11 PMJun 46:11 PM7:48 AMApr 67:48 AMApr 6DSTApr 6DSTApr 6Sep 8DSTSep 8DSTdaynightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Arica

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in AricaJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM0000101010202020303030304040405050606070708000010101010202020303030404040405050506060707080804890NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Arica

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Arica experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from December 18 to April 8, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 3% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Arica is February, with 2.9 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Arica is September, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Arica

Humidity Comfort Levels in AricamuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Sep 130%Sep 130%Mar 410%Mar 410%Dec 183%Dec 183%Apr 83%Apr 83%muggymuggyhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortabledrydry
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 2.8d2.9d2.4d0.6d0.2d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d0.8d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Arica experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.3 months, from September 13 to March 23, with average wind speeds of more than 7.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Arica is November, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.7 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.7 months, from March 23 to September 13. The calmest month of the year in Arica is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.9 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Arica

Average Wind Speed in AricawindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mphNov 188.7 mphNov 188.7 mphJun 256.8 mphJun 256.8 mphSep 137.8 mphSep 137.8 mphMar 237.8 mphMar 237.8 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 8.48.17.97.67.26.96.97.37.98.48.78.6

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Arica is from the south throughout the year.

Wind Direction in Arica

Wind Direction in AricaJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowsouth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Arica is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.0 months, from December 28 to March 30, with an average temperature above 72°F. The month of the year in Arica with the warmest water is February, with an average temperature of 74°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.9 months, from June 22 to October 17, with an average temperature below 65°F. The month of the year in Arica with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 63°F.

Average Water Temperature in Arica

The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 73°F74°F73°F70°F68°F65°F63°F63°F63°F65°F67°F70°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Arica throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Arica for general outdoor tourist activities is from early March to early January, with a peak score in the second week of May.

Tourism Score in Arica

Tourism Score in Aricabest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810107.97.96.86.8NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Arica for hot-weather activities is from late December to early April, with a peak score in the third week of February.

Beach/Pool Score in Arica

Beach/Pool Score in Aricabest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810105.95.90.30.3NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Arica are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Arica

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in AricaJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%100%Jan 1100%Jan 1100%Jul 2100%Jul 2NowNowcoolcomfortablewarmcold
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Growing Degree Days in Arica

Growing Degree Days in AricaJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F1,000°F1,000°F2,000°F2,000°F3,000°F3,000°F4,000°F4,000°F5,000°F5,000°F6,000°F6,000°FJul 990°FJul 990°FSep 19900°FSep 19900°FNov 201,800°FNov 201,800°FJun 305,987°FJun 305,987°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from October 2 to January 18, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.4 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Arica is November, with an average of 8.0 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.7 months, from May 7 to July 31, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.6 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Arica is June, with an average of 5.0 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Arica

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in AricabrightdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWh10 kWh10 kWhNov 138.1 kWhNov 138.1 kWhJun 195.0 kWhJun 195.0 kWhOct 27.4 kWhOct 27.4 kWhJan 187.4 kWhJan 187.4 kWhMay 75.6 kWhMay 75.6 kWhJul 315.6 kWhJul 315.6 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 7.57.36.86.15.45.05.36.07.07.78.07.8

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Arica are -18.475 deg latitude, -70.298 deg longitude, and 148 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Arica contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,001 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 193 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,808 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (14,416 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Arica is covered by artificial surfaces (48%), bare soil (30%), and water (14%), within 10 miles by bare soil (56%) and water (36%), and within 50 miles by bare soil (56%) and water (36%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Arica, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There is only a single weather station, Chacalluta Arica Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Arica.

At a distance of 15 kilometers from Arica, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records.

The station records are corrected for the elevation difference between the station and Arica according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.