El Calafate weather in February

In February, El Calafate sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 63 mm of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 hours at the start of February to 13 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is El Calafate's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Calafate's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
12th coldest
Precipitation
63 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
6:55 AM – 9:12 PM
Cloud cover
60%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

El Calafate is town in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina.

Density
998/km²
people per km²
Founded
1927

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month.

A typical February day in El Calafate reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 2°C warmer than March.

10°15°20°25°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1167
2167
3167
4167
5167
6167
7167
8167
9167
10167
11167
12167
13167
14167
15167
16157
17157
18157
19157
20157
21157
22157
23157
24157
25157
26157
27157
28157

How February really feels in El Calafate

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

February sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

El Calafate weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 5411.3015.74.7
Feb15° / 6310.10.314.34.6
Mar13° / 6712.20.612.53.5
Apr10° / 7211.92.810.52.0
May / 6612.25.58.80.4
Jun / -2°5010.17.87.90.0
Jul / -3°5010.68.58.30.0
Aug / -2°5310.98.59.70.0
Sep / -1°458.85.111.60.7
Oct10° / 539.43.613.52.1
Nov12° / 4710.11.615.23.4
Dec14° / 5711.70.716.14.0

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
45050
55050
65050
74951
85050
95050
105050
115050
125050
134951
144951
155050
164951
174852
184852
194852
204852
214852
224753
234654
244753
254753
264852
274852
284852

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitation

El Calafate gets around 63 mm of rain and snow over 10.1 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 36% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202528
Rain chance (%)
135
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1335
1435
1536
1636
1737
1837
1938
2038
2138
2239
2339
2439
2539
2640
2740
2841

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of February feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100

Wind in February

Winds average 10 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 hours at the start of February to 13 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 90 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 6:31 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 9:34 PM to 8:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.06:319:34
215.06:339:33
314.96:359:31
414.96:369:30
514.86:389:28
614.86:409:27
714.76:419:25
814.76:439:24
914.66:459:22
1014.66:479:21
1114.56:489:19
1214.56:509:17
1314.46:529:16
1414.36:549:14
1514.36:559:12
1614.26:579:10
1714.26:599:09
1814.17:019:07
1914.07:029:05
2014.07:049:03
2113.97:069:01
2213.97:078:59
2313.87:098:57
2413.77:118:55
2513.77:138:53
2613.67:148:51
2713.67:168:49
2813.57:188:47

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 5.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.82 kWh/m² to a high of 7.16 kWh/m² in December across the year — February's 5.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.1Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Bright
85.9Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.6Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.4Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
254.9Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.7Bright
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit El Calafate?

Our two travel scores rate February for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

February is a reasonable time to visit El Calafate for sightseeing.

What to pack for El Calafate in February

From February's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In February, El Calafate sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in El Calafate in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in El Calafate peaks around January 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 12UV 10Jun 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb9Very high
Mar5High
Apr3Moderate
May1Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Low
Sep3Moderate
Oct6High
Nov7High
Dec10Very high
Location & terrain

Where is El Calafate?

El Calafate sits at 50.3°S, 72.3°W, 205 m above sea level, in Argentina. The nearest listed city is El Chalten, 121 km away.

Río GallegosPunta ArenasLas HerasRío GrandePico TruncadoCoyhaique

Topography around El Calafate

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of El Calafate.

Within 3 km, the terrain around El Calafate has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 256 m around an average of 239 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,322 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,782 m.

The land around El Calafate is covered by grassland (54%) within 3 km, grassland (53%) and water (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and bare terrain (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
256 m
16 km
1,322 m
80 km
2,782 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
February weather nearby: El Chalten 121 km · Puerto Natales 155 km · Río Gallegos 255 km · Punta Arenas 328 km · Las Heras 489 km · Río Grande 494 km · Pico Truncado 506 km · Coyhaique 530 km

Argentina travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 46% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$14,898
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
14.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 575
Religion
Roman Catholic 63%none 19%Evangelical 15%Jehovah's Witness and Church of Jesus Christ 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for El Calafate (-50.3407°, -72.2768°, elevation 205 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).