El Calafate in Spring
In spring (September, October and November), El Calafate sees average daytime highs around 10°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 146 mm of precipitation over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 5°C in early September to 13°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is El Calafate's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see El Calafate's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 10°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 1°C
- Precipitation
- 146 mm
- 28 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 2.1
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in El Calafate in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 5°C in early September to 13°C by late November.
A typical spring day in El Calafate reaches about 10°C and drops to 1°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.
How spring really feels in El Calafate
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 63 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
El Calafate weather by month
How the three spring months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16° / 7° | 54 | 11.3 | 0 | 15.7 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 15° / 7° | 63 | 10.1 | 0.3 | 14.3 | 4.6 |
| Mar | 13° / 6° | 67 | 12.2 | 0.6 | 12.5 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 10° / 3° | 72 | 11.9 | 2.8 | 10.5 | 2.0 |
| May | 6° / 0° | 66 | 12.2 | 5.5 | 8.8 | 0.4 |
| Jun | 2° / -2° | 50 | 10.1 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 2° / -3° | 50 | 10.6 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 4° / -2° | 53 | 10.9 | 8.5 | 9.7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 7° / -1° | 45 | 8.8 | 5.1 | 11.6 | 0.7 |
| Oct | 10° / 1° | 53 | 9.4 | 3.6 | 13.5 | 2.1 |
| Nov | 12° / 4° | 47 | 10.1 | 1.6 | 15.2 | 3.4 |
| Dec | 14° / 6° | 57 | 11.7 | 0.7 | 16.1 | 4.0 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
El Calafate gets around 146 mm of rain and snow over 28 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 8 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min in early September to 15 h 48 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.2 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit El Calafate?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in El Calafate.
What to pack for El Calafate in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, El Calafate sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer and sun protection. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 28 days see rain.
UV index in El Calafate in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 5 — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 10 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | High | High | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Extreme |
| Feb | 9 | Very high |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 1 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 1 | Low |
| Aug | 2 | Low |
| Sep | 3 | Moderate |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 7 | High |
| Dec | 10 | Very high |
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.
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.
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
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.