El Chalten weather in May

In May, El Chalten sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 265 mm of precipitation across 20.3 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 2°C in the first days to -0°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of May to 8 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is El Chalten's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Chalten's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
5th coldest
Precipitation
265 mm
20.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
9:21 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
78%
10th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
1.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 2°C in the first days to -0°C by the end.

A typical May day in El Chalten reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-3
22-3
32-3
42-3
52-3
62-4
72-4
82-4
92-4
102-4
112-4
122-4
131-4
141-4
151-4
161-4
171-4
181-4
191-5
200-5
210-5
220-5
230-5
240-5
250-5
260-5
270-5
280-5
290-5
300-6
31-1-6

How May really feels in El Chalten

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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 May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

El Chalten weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22377
32278
42278
52278
62179
72179
82179
92278
102278
112278
122278
132278
142179
152179
162179
172278
182179
192179
202179
212179
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
271981
281981
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

El Chalten gets around 265 mm of rain and snow over 20.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 66% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days, and about 20 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16866
26966
36966
46967
56967
66967
76967
86967
96966
106866
116866
126765
136765
146665
156665
166565
176564
186464
196464
206464
216364
226363
236363
246363
256364
266364
276464
286464
296465
306465
316465

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May 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 May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, 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.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of May to 8 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:59 AM to 9:39 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 5:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.78:596:39
29.69:006:37
39.69:026:35
49.59:036:33
59.49:056:32
69.49:066:30
79.39:086:28
89.39:096:27
99.29:116:25
109.29:126:24
119.19:146:22
129.19:156:21
139.09:176:19
149.09:186:18
158.99:196:16
168.99:216:15
178.99:226:14
188.89:236:12
198.89:256:11
208.79:266:10
218.79:276:08
228.69:296:07
238.69:306:06
248.69:316:05
258.59:326:04
268.59:346:03
278.59:356:02
288.49:366:01
298.49:376:00
308.49:385:59
318.39:395:59

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 1.32 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 — May's 1.32 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit El Chalten?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

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

What to pack for El Chalten in May

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

In May, El Chalten sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 20 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in El Chalten in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 2. 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
May 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).