El Chalten in Spring
In spring (September, October and November), El Chalten sees average daytime highs around 3°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 641 mm of precipitation over about 60 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 0°C in early September to 5°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is El Chalten's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see El Chalten's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 3°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- -4°C
- Precipitation
- 641 mm
- 60 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in El Chalten in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 0°C in early September to 5°C by late November.
A typical spring day in El Chalten reaches about 3°C and drops to -4°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.
How spring really feels in El Chalten
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 91 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 Chalten 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 | 7° / 1° | 252 | 22.8 | 19.5 | 15.6 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 8° / 1° | 202 | 17.8 | 13.6 | 14.2 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 7° / -1° | 250 | 20.9 | 17.3 | 12.5 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 4° / -3° | 268 | 20.4 | 18.8 | 10.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 1° / -4° | 265 | 20.3 | 20 | 8.9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | -2° / -7° | 221 | 19.7 | 20.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | -2° / -7° | 219 | 19.9 | 20.8 | 8.4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | -1° / -6° | 215 | 20.4 | 21.4 | 9.8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 1° / -5° | 179 | 19.2 | 20.5 | 11.6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 3° / -4° | 228 | 19.9 | 20.4 | 13.5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 4° / -2° | 234 | 21 | 21 | 15.1 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 6° / -1° | 262 | 22.8 | 20.7 | 16 | 0.2 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
El Chalten gets around 641 mm of rain and snow over 60 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 42 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 5.3 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit El Chalten?
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 Chalten.
What to pack for El Chalten in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, El Chalten sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat, rain gear and sun protection. About 60 days see rain.
UV index in El Chalten in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 2 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 1 | Low |
| Aug | 2 | Low |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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 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.