El Calafate weather in September

In September, El Calafate sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 45 mm of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 5°C in the first days to 8°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of September to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is El Calafate's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Calafate's year-round climate.

Daytime high
8th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
4th coldest
Precipitation
45 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
7:55 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
62%
6th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
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 September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 5°C in the first days to 8°C by the end.

A typical September day in El Calafate reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 3°C warmer than August and about 3°C cooler than October.

-5°10°15°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
15-1
25-1
35-1
45-1
55-1
65-1
76-1
86-1
96-1
106-1
116-1
126-1
136-1
146-1
156-1
1670
1770
1870
1970
2070
2170
2270
2370
2480
2580
2680
2780
2880
2980
3080

How September really feels in El Calafate

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 30 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
30
wind chill below the day's low

The story in September is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

El Calafate weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 8th-warmest and 12th-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 September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24555
34555
44753
54852
64852
74852
84852
94852
104852
114852
124753
134753
144753
154753
164852
174753
184654
194654
204654
214654
224555
234555
244555
254555
264555
274654
284555
294555
304555

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitationSnow

El Calafate gets around 45 mm of rain and snow over 8.8 wet days in September, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13122
23121
33121
43121
53121
63120
73120
83120
93220
103220
113220
123320
133320
143320
153220
163219
173119
183118
193018
203017
212916
222816
232815
242714
252713
262713
272612
282612
292611
302611

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September 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%151015202530
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
29100
30100

Wind in September

Winds average 7 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of September to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 108 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 8:29 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 7:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.78:297:09
210.78:277:10
310.88:247:12
410.98:227:13
510.98:207:15
611.08:187:17
711.08:157:18
811.18:137:20
911.28:117:21
1011.28:087:23
1111.38:067:24
1211.48:047:26
1311.48:027:28
1411.57:597:29
1511.67:577:31
1611.67:557:32
1711.77:527:34
1811.87:507:35
1911.87:487:37
2011.97:457:39
2112.07:437:40
2212.07:417:42
2312.17:387:43
2412.17:367:45
2512.27:347:46
2612.37:327:48
2712.37:297:50
2812.47:277:51
2912.57:257:53
3012.57:227:54

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 3.42 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 — September's 3.42 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.9Moderate
62.9Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
254.0Moderate
264.0Bright
274.1Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.3Bright
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit El Calafate?

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

0.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

September is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in El Calafate.

What to pack for El Calafate in September

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

In September, El Calafate sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in El Calafate in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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
September 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).