Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Mar del Plata Argentina

In Mar del Plata, the summers are warm and wet, the winters are cold, and it is windy and partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 40°F to 77°F and is rarely below 31°F or above 88°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Mar del Plata for warm-weather activities is from late November to late March.

The warm season lasts for 3.4 months, from December 6 to March 19, with an average daily high temperature above 73°F. The hottest month of the year in Mar del Plata is January, with an average high of 77°F and low of 60°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.6 months, from May 27 to September 13, with an average daily high temperature below 59°F. The coldest month of the year in Mar del Plata is July, with an average low of 40°F and high of 54°F.

In Mar del Plata, 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 Mar del Plata begins around October 16 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around April 13.

The clearest month of the year in Mar del Plata is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 68% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 13 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around October 16.

The cloudiest month of the year in Mar del Plata is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 56% 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 Mar del Plata varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.6 months, from October 2 to April 21, with a greater than 28% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Mar del Plata is January, with an average of 11.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.4 months, from April 21 to October 2. The month with the fewest wet days in Mar del Plata is July, with an average of 5.8 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 Mar del Plata is January, with an average of 11.4 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 38% on January 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. Mar del Plata experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Mar del Plata. The month with the most rain in Mar del Plata is February, with an average rainfall of 4.2 inches.

The month with the least rain in Mar del Plata is July, with an average rainfall of 1.8 inches.

The length of the day in Mar del Plata varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 9 hours, 31 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 14 hours, 49 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:20 AM on December 7, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 46 minutes later at 8:07 AM on June 28. The earliest sunset is at 5:36 PM on June 13, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 40 minutes later at 8:16 PM on January 5.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Mar del Plata 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.

Mar del Plata experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from December 8 to April 1, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 7% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Mar del Plata is February, with 7.5 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Mar del Plata 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 Mar del Plata does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 0.4 miles per hour of 12.8 miles per hour throughout.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Mar del Plata varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the west for 1.6 months, from May 21 to July 10, with a peak percentage of 39% on June 15. The wind is most often from the north for 10 months, from July 10 to May 21, with a peak percentage of 39% on January 1.

Mar del Plata 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 3.4 months, from December 24 to April 6, with an average temperature above 65°F. The month of the year in Mar del Plata with the warmest water is February, with an average temperature of 68°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.8 months, from June 18 to October 11, with an average temperature below 54°F. The month of the year in Mar del Plata with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 50°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Mar del Plata 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 Mar del Plata for general outdoor tourist activities is from late November to late March, with a peak score in the second 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 Mar del Plata for hot-weather activities is from late December to late 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 Mar del Plata typically lasts for 8.7 months (264 days), from around September 15 to around June 6, rarely starting before August 18 or after October 15, and rarely ending before May 6 or after July 1.

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 Mar del Plata should appear around August 24, only rarely appearing before August 10 or after September 8.

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 3.3 months, from November 4 to February 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Mar del Plata is December, with an average of 7.9 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 Mar del Plata is June, with an average of 2.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Mar del Plata are -38.002 deg latitude, -57.558 deg longitude, and 49 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Mar del Plata contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 174 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 54 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (427 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,358 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Mar del Plata is covered by artificial surfaces (68%) and water (23%), within 10 miles by water (49%) and shrubs (15%), and within 50 miles by water (56%) and cropland (21%).