Río Gallegos weather in October

In October, Río Gallegos sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 22 mm of precipitation across 6.6 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of October to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Río Gallegos's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Río Gallegos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
6th warmest
Overnight low
6th coldest
Precipitation
22 mm
6.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
6:33 AM – 8:11 PM
Cloud cover
67%
9th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical October day in Río Gallegos reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 3°C warmer than September and about 2°C cooler than November.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1123
2133
3133
4133
5133
6133
7133
8133
9133
10134
11134
12134
13134
14144
15144
16144
17144
18144
19144
20144
21144
22144
23144
24144
25144
26145
27155
28155
29155
30155
31155

How October really feels in Río Gallegos

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 27 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
27
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Río Gallegos weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 9th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33862
43862
53862
63763
73664
83664
93664
103664
113664
123565
133565
143565
153565
163466
173466
183565
193565
203565
213664
223664
233664
243664
253664
263763
273664
283664
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Río Gallegos gets around 22 mm of rain and snow over 6.6 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 22% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
322
422
522
622
721
821
921
1021
1121
1221
1320
1420
1520
1620
1720
1821
1921
2021
2122
2222
2322
2423
2523
2623
2724
2824
2924
3025
3125

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October 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 October

Winds average 23 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2324breezy
2424breezy
2524breezy
2624breezy
2724breezy
2824breezy
2924breezy
3024breezy
3124breezy

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of October to 14 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 120 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:07 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 7:45 PM to 8:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.67:077:45
212.77:057:47
312.87:027:48
412.87:007:50
512.96:587:52
613.06:567:53
713.06:537:55
813.16:517:57
913.26:497:59
1013.26:468:00
1113.36:448:02
1213.46:428:04
1313.46:408:06
1413.56:388:07
1513.66:358:09
1613.66:338:11
1713.76:318:13
1813.86:298:14
1913.86:278:16
2013.96:258:18
2114.06:238:20
2214.06:218:22
2314.16:198:23
2414.16:178:25
2514.26:158:27
2614.36:138:29
2714.36:118:31
2814.46:098:32
2914.56:078:34
3014.56:058:36
3114.66:038:38

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.83 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 — October's 4.83 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Bright
34.1Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.7Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.2Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Río Gallegos?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Río Gallegos in October

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

In October, Río Gallegos sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layersun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Río Gallegos in October

The nearest coast averages about 6°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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
October 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).