El Chalten in Fall

In fall (March, April and May), El Chalten sees average daytime highs around 4°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 782 mm of precipitation over about 62 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs ease from about 8°C in early March to -0°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is El Chalten's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see El Chalten's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
4°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
-3°C
Precipitation
782 mm
62 wet days
Avg wind
7 km/h
Travel score
0.2
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in El Chalten in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 8°C in early March to -0°C by late May.

A typical fall day in El Chalten reaches about 4°C and drops to -3°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.

-10°10°MarAprMay

How fall really feels in El Chalten

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 92 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
92
wind chill below the day's low

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

El Chalten weather by month

How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 25222.819.515.60.8
Feb / 20217.813.614.21.1
Mar / -1°25020.917.312.50.5
Apr / -3°26820.418.810.60.0
May / -4°26520.3208.90.0
Jun-2° / -7°22119.720.680.0
Jul-2° / -7°21919.920.88.40.0
Aug-1° / -6°21520.421.49.80.0
Sep / -5°17919.220.511.60.0
Oct / -4°22819.920.413.50.0
Nov / -2°234212115.10.0
Dec / -1°26222.820.7160.2

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

El Chalten gets around 782 mm of rain and snow over 62 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%MarAprMay

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Fall

Winds average 7 km/h across fall.

0246810MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min in early March to 8 h 18 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 2.5 kWh/m².

024MarAprMay
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit El Chalten?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

0.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in El Chalten.

What to pack for El Chalten in Fall

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

In fall, El Chalten sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 62 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in El Chalten in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 4 — 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 Chalten peaks around December 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 23UV 12Jun 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Low
Sep4Moderate
Oct7High
Nov8Very high
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is El Chalten?

El Chalten sits at 49.3°S, 72.9°W, 0 m above sea level, in Argentina. The nearest listed city is El Calafate, 121 km away.

Puerto NatalesRío GallegosCoyhaiqueLas HerasPuerto AysénPunta ArenasPico Truncado

Topography around El Chalten

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around El Chalten has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 458 m around an average of 530 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,616 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,553 m.

The land around El Chalten is covered by grassland (57%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, bare terrain (37%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and snow and ice (32%), grassland (25%) and bare terrain (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
458 m
16 km
2,616 m
80 km
3,553 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
Fall weather nearby: El Calafate 121 km · Puerto Natales 268 km · Río Gallegos 362 km · Coyhaique 422 km · Las Heras 428 km · Puerto Aysén 437 km · Punta Arenas 448 km · Pico Truncado 462 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 Chalten (-49.3299°, -72.886°, elevation 0 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.