Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Punta Alta Argentina

In Punta Alta, the summers are warm and mostly clear, the winters are cold and partly cloudy, and it is windy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 40°F to 85°F and is rarely below 30°F or above 95°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Punta Alta for warm-weather activities is from early November to late March.

The hot season lasts for 3.4 months, from November 29 to March 9, with an average daily high temperature above 80°F. The hottest month of the year in Punta Alta is January, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.4 months, from May 18 to August 30, with an average daily high temperature below 62°F. The coldest month of the year in Punta Alta is July, with an average low of 40°F and high of 56°F.

In Punta Alta, 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 Punta Alta begins around October 18 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around April 13.

The clearest month of the year in Punta Alta is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 73% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 13 and lasts for 6.2 months, ending around October 18.

The cloudiest month of the year in Punta Alta is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 53% 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 Punta Alta varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 7.1 months, from September 22 to April 25, with a greater than 18% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Punta Alta is February, with an average of 7.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 4.9 months, from April 25 to September 22. The month with the fewest wet days in Punta Alta is June, with an average of 3.2 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 Punta Alta is February, with an average of 7.1 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 26% on February 3.

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. Punta Alta experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Punta Alta. The month with the most rain in Punta Alta is February, with an average rainfall of 2.7 inches.

The month with the least rain in Punta Alta is June, with an average rainfall of 1.0 inches.

The length of the day in Punta Alta varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 9 hours, 26 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 14 hours, 54 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:36 AM on December 7, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 52 minutes later at 8:27 AM on June 28. The earliest sunset is at 5:52 PM on June 12, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 45 minutes later at 8:36 PM on January 4.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Punta Alta during 2024.

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.

Punta Alta experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from December 10 to March 31, 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 Punta Alta is February, with 3.8 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Punta Alta is July, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

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 Punta Alta experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from November 18 to March 11, with average wind speeds of more than 11.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Punta Alta is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.2 months, from March 11 to November 18. The calmest month of the year in Punta Alta is September, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.4 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the west for 4.3 months, from April 15 to August 24, with a peak percentage of 48% on June 17. The wind is most often from the north for 7.7 months, from August 24 to April 15, with a peak percentage of 35% on January 1.

Punta Alta 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 significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.6 months, from December 6 to March 25, with an average temperature above 67°F. The month of the year in Punta Alta with the warmest water is January, with an average temperature of 71°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.5 months, from June 9 to September 25, with an average temperature below 53°F. The month of the year in Punta Alta with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 49°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Punta Alta 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 Punta Alta for general outdoor tourist activities is from early November to late March, with a peak score in the second week of December.

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 Punta Alta for hot-weather activities is from mid December to mid February, with a peak score in the second week of January.

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 Punta Alta typically lasts for 9.0 months (273 days), from around September 2 to around June 1, rarely starting before July 21 or after October 4, and rarely ending before May 9 or after June 24.

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 Punta Alta should appear around August 9, only rarely appearing before July 30 or after August 23.

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 3 to February 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Punta Alta is December, with an average of 8.2 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from April 27 to August 18, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.2 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Punta Alta is June, with an average of 2.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Punta Alta are -38.876 deg latitude, -62.074 deg longitude, and 26 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Punta Alta contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 108 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 33 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (312 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (3,940 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Punta Alta is covered by shrubs (48%), cropland (18%), trees (15%), and grassland (12%), within 10 miles by water (40%) and shrubs (28%), and within 50 miles by shrubs (38%) and water (28%).