Río Gallegos weather in May

In May, Río Gallegos sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 26 mm of precipitation across 5.9 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of May to 8 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Río Gallegos's 2nd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Río Gallegos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
26 mm
5.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 36 min
9:15 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
57%
2nd clearest
Wind
19 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
1.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 7°C by the end.

A typical May day in Río Gallegos reaches about 8°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 5°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1103
2103
3102
4102
5102
6102
7102
8102
992
1092
1192
1292
1392
1492
1592
1682
1781
1881
1981
2081
2181
2281
2371
2471
2571
2671
2771
2870
2970
3070
3160

How May really feels in Río Gallegos

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.

Río Gallegos weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 7th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
44951
54852
64951
74951
84951
94951
104951
115050
125050
135050
145050
155050
165149
175050
185149
195149
205248
215149
225149
235149
245149
255149
265149
275050
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Río Gallegos gets around 26 mm of rain and snow over 5.9 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 20% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1211
2211
3211
4211
5211
6211
7211
8211
9211
10211
11211
12211
13211
14201
15201
16201
17191
18191
19191
20181
21181
22181
23181
24181
25181
26182
27182
28182
29192
30192
31192

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 19 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of May to 8 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 90 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:50 AM to 9:35 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 5:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.58:506:18
29.48:526:16
39.38:546:14
49.38:556:12
59.28:576:10
69.28:596:09
79.19:006:07
89.09:026:05
99.09:046:03
108.99:056:02
118.99:076:00
128.89:085:58
138.89:105:57
148.79:125:55
158.79:135:53
168.69:155:52
178.69:165:50
188.59:185:49
198.59:195:48
208.49:215:46
218.49:225:45
228.39:235:44
238.39:255:42
248.29:265:41
258.29:285:40
268.29:295:39
278.19:305:38
288.19:315:37
298.09:335:36
308.09:345:35
318.09:355:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 1.19 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 — May's 1.19 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.1Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.0Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.0Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Río Gallegos?

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

1.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Río Gallegos.

What to pack for Río Gallegos in May

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

In May, Río Gallegos sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Río Gallegos in May

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 1. 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
May 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).