Río Gallegos weather in February

In February, Río Gallegos sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 34 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 12 min at the start of February to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Río Gallegos's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Río Gallegos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
11th coldest
Rainfall
34 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
6:40 AM – 9:03 PM
Cloud cover
66%
8th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Río Gallegos is capital and largest settlement of the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz in Argentina.

Founded
1885

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical February day in Río Gallegos reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 2°C warmer than March.

10°15°20°25°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1188
2188
3188
4188
5188
6188
7188
8188
9188
10188
11188
12188
13188
14188
15188
16188
17188
18188
19188
20188
21188
22188
23188
24188
25188
26188
27188
28178

How February really feels in Río Gallegos

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

February sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Río Gallegos weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 4210.9015.95.6
Feb18° / 348.2014.45.9
Mar16° / 379012.54.9
Apr12° / 307.4010.43.5
May / 265.90.48.71.7
Jun / -1°225.81.57.70.1
Jul / -1°215.51.58.10.2
Aug / 215.31.19.61.3
Sep11° / 216.10.611.62.7
Oct14° / 226.60.213.64.1
Nov16° / 319.2015.44.8
Dec17° / 4812.2016.35.0

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33862
43862
53862
63862
73961
83961
93961
103961
113961
123961
133961
143961
153961
163862
173862
183862
193862
203862
213763
223763
233763
243763
253763
263763
273763
283763

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitation

Río Gallegos gets around 34 mm of rain over 8.2 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202528
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
528
627
727
827
927
1027
1127
1228
1328
1428
1528
1629
1729
1829
1930
2030
2130
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2731
2831

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February 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%151015202528
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

Wind in February

Winds average 23 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 12 min at the start of February to 13 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 96 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 6:15 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 9:26 PM to 8:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.26:159:26
215.16:169:25
315.16:189:24
415.06:209:22
515.06:229:20
614.96:249:19
714.96:259:17
814.86:279:16
914.76:299:14
1014.76:319:12
1114.66:339:11
1214.66:349:09
1314.56:369:07
1414.56:389:05
1514.46:409:03
1614.36:429:01
1714.36:449:00
1814.26:458:58
1914.16:478:56
2014.16:498:54
2114.06:518:52
2214.06:538:50
2313.96:558:48
2413.86:568:46
2513.86:588:44
2613.77:008:41
2713.67:028:39
2813.67:048:37

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 5.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.81 kWh/m² to a high of 6.52 kWh/m² in December across the year — February's 5.05 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.4Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.1Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Río Gallegos?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
1.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

February is a reasonable time to visit Río Gallegos for sightseeing.

What to pack for Río Gallegos in February

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

In February, Río Gallegos sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 8 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Río Gallegos in February

The nearest coast averages about 11°C in February — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 26 km away) is warmest in February at about 11°C and coldest in August near 4°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan11Bracing
Feb11Bracing
Mar11Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun6Bracing
Jul5Bracing
Aug4Bracing
Sep4Bracing
Oct6Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Río Gallegos in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Río Gallegos peaks around December 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highDec 22UV 9Jun 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb8Very high
Mar4Moderate
Apr2Moderate
May1Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug1Low
Sep2Moderate
Oct5Moderate
Nov6High
Dec9Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Río Gallegos?

Río Gallegos sits at 51.6°S, 69.3°W, 1 m above sea level, in Argentina. The nearest listed city is Punta Arenas, 205 km away.

Punta ArenasPuerto NatalesEl CalafateRío GrandeUshuaiaEl ChaltenPuerto DeseadoPico Truncado

Topography around Río Gallegos

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Río Gallegos has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 18 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 162 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 m.

The land around Río Gallegos is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, grassland (74%) within 16 km, and grassland (70%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
18 m
16 km
162 m
80 km
312 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
February weather nearby: Punta Arenas 205 km · Puerto Natales 225 km · El Calafate 255 km · Río Grande 262 km · Ushuaia 360 km · El Chalten 362 km · Puerto Deseado 494 km · Pico Truncado 545 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 Río Gallegos (-51.6253°, -69.2523°, elevation 1 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).