Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Chonchi Chile

In Chonchi, the summers are short and comfortable; the winters are long, cold, and wet; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 40°F to 67°F and is rarely below 32°F or above 74°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Chonchi for warm-weather activities is from late December to late February.

The warm season lasts for 2.9 months, from December 19 to March 15, with an average daily high temperature above 64°F. The hottest month of the year in Chonchi is January, with an average high of 66°F and low of 51°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.6 months, from May 23 to September 11, with an average daily high temperature below 53°F. The coldest month of the year in Chonchi is July, with an average low of 41°F and high of 50°F.

In Chonchi, 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 Chonchi begins around October 24 and lasts for 5.2 months, ending around March 29.

The clearest month of the year in Chonchi is February, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 62% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around March 29 and lasts for 6.8 months, ending around October 24.

The cloudiest month of the year in Chonchi is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 66% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Chonchi varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.2 months, from April 5 to September 12, with a greater than 42% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Chonchi is June, with an average of 16.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.8 months, from September 12 to April 5. The month with the fewest wet days in Chonchi is February, with an average of 8.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Chonchi is June, with an average of 16.7 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 57% on May 27.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Chonchi experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Chonchi. The month with the most rain in Chonchi is June, with an average rainfall of 6.9 inches.

The month with the least rain in Chonchi is January, with an average rainfall of 2.5 inches.

The length of the day in Chonchi varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 9 hours, 3 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 15 hours, 19 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:10 AM on December 9, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 15 minutes later at 8:26 AM on June 27. The earliest sunset is at 5:27 PM on June 14, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 8 minutes later at 9:35 PM on January 3.

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

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.

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.

The perceived humidity level in Chonchi, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.

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 Chonchi experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from May 11 to September 10, with average wind speeds of more than 7.4 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Chonchi is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.3 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.0 months, from September 10 to May 11. The calmest month of the year in Chonchi is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.5 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Chonchi varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 2.2 months, from January 23 to March 28, with a peak percentage of 46% on February 24. The wind is most often from the west for 2.6 weeks, from March 28 to April 15 and for 3.6 months, from October 3 to January 23, with a peak percentage of 35% on March 31. The wind is most often from the north for 5.6 months, from April 15 to October 3, with a peak percentage of 45% on July 28.

Chonchi 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 2.8 months, from December 22 to March 16, with an average temperature above 56°F. The month of the year in Chonchi with the warmest water is January, with an average temperature of 57°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.1 months, from June 9 to October 14, with an average temperature below 52°F. The month of the year in Chonchi with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 50°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Chonchi 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 Chonchi for general outdoor tourist activities is from late December to late February, with a peak score in the last week of January.

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 Chonchi for hot-weather activities is from mid January to mid February, with a peak score in the first week of February.

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).

The growing season in Chonchi typically lasts for 10 months (310 days), from around August 10 to around June 16, rarely starting after September 20, or ending before May 22.

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.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Chonchi should appear around October 16, only rarely appearing before October 5 or after October 28.

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 extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.4 months, from November 9 to February 19, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Chonchi is January, with an average of 6.7 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from April 24 to August 25, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.3 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Chonchi is June, with an average of 1.2 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Chonchi are -42.620 deg latitude, -73.777 deg longitude, and 144 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Chonchi contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 322 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 109 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (2,257 feet). Within 50 miles also contains large variations in elevation (2,802 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Chonchi is covered by water (61%), cropland (19%), and trees (18%), within 10 miles by trees (55%) and water (31%), and within 50 miles by water (67%) and trees (29%).