El Chalten in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), El Chalten sees average daytime highs around 7°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 717 mm of precipitation over about 63 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 5°C in early December to 8°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is El Chalten's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see El Chalten's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 7°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 0°C
- Precipitation
- 717 mm
- 63 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in El Chalten in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 5°C in early December to 8°C by late February.
A typical summer day in El Chalten reaches about 7°C and drops to 0°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in El Chalten
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in summer is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
El Chalten weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) 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 Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
El Chalten gets around 717 mm of rain and snow over 63 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 8 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 15 h 42 min in early December to 13 h 24 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.5 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit El Chalten?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in El Chalten.
What to pack for El Chalten in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, El Chalten sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 63 days see rain.
UV index in El Chalten in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). 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.