El Chalten weather in March

In March, El Chalten sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 250 mm of precipitation across 20.9 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of March to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is El Chalten's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Chalten's year-round climate.

Daytime high
3rd warmest
Overnight low
-1°
10th coldest
Precipitation
250 mm
20.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
7:48 AM – 8:15 PM
Cloud cover
75%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 6°C by the end.

A typical March day in El Chalten 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 2°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C cooler than February and about 3°C warmer than April.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
181
281
381
480
580
670
770
870
970
1070
1170
1270
1370
1470
1570
1670
176-1
186-1
196-1
206-1
216-1
226-1
236-1
246-1
256-1
266-1
276-1
286-1
296-1
306-1
315-2

How March really feels in El Chalten

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

El Chalten weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42674
52674
62575
72575
82575
92575
102575
112476
122476
132575
142575
152575
162575
172476
182476
192377
202377
212476
222476
232476
242476
252476
262476
272575
282575
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

El Chalten gets around 250 mm of rain and snow over 20.9 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 67% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days, and about 17 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16750
26851
36852
46953
56953
66954
76955
86956
96956
106956
116957
126957
136957
146857
156857
166757
176757
186757
196656
206656
216656
226656
236555
246555
256555
266555
276555
286555
296555
306555
316555

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March 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%151015202531
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
31100

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of March to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 114 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:23 AM to 8:11 AM, and sunset from 8:46 PM to 7:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.47:238:46
213.37:258:44
313.37:278:42
413.27:288:40
513.17:308:38
613.17:328:36
713.07:338:34
812.97:358:32
912.97:368:30
1012.87:388:28
1112.87:408:26
1212.77:418:23
1312.67:438:21
1412.67:448:19
1512.57:468:17
1612.57:488:15
1712.47:498:13
1812.37:518:10
1912.37:528:08
2012.27:548:06
2112.17:558:04
2212.17:578:02
2312.07:598:00
2412.08:007:57
2511.98:027:55
2611.88:037:53
2711.88:057:51
2811.78:067:49
2911.68:087:46
3011.68:107:44
3111.58:117:42

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 3.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.97 kWh/m² to a high of 7.27 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 3.87 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.6Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.0Bright
144.0Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit El Chalten?

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

0.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

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

What to pack for El Chalten in March

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

In March, El Chalten sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 21 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in El Chalten in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — 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
March 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. 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).