Río Gallegos in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Río Gallegos sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 124 mm of rain over about 31 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Río Gallegos's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Río Gallegos's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 18°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 8°C
- Rainfall
- 124 mm
- 31 wet days
- Avg wind
- 24 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Río Gallegos in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C.
A typical summer day in Río Gallegos reaches about 18°C and drops to 8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in Río Gallegos
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
summer 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 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 | 18° / 8° | 42 | 10.9 | 0 | 15.9 | 5.6 |
| Feb | 18° / 8° | 34 | 8.2 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 16° / 7° | 37 | 9 | 0 | 12.5 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 12° / 4° | 30 | 7.4 | 0 | 10.4 | 3.5 |
| May | 8° / 1° | 26 | 5.9 | 0.4 | 8.7 | 1.7 |
| Jun | 5° / -1° | 22 | 5.8 | 1.5 | 7.7 | 0.1 |
| Jul | 5° / -1° | 21 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 8.1 | 0.2 |
| Aug | 8° / 0° | 21 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 9.6 | 1.3 |
| Sep | 11° / 2° | 21 | 6.1 | 0.6 | 11.6 | 2.7 |
| Oct | 14° / 4° | 22 | 6.6 | 0.2 | 13.6 | 4.1 |
| Nov | 16° / 6° | 31 | 9.2 | 0 | 15.4 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 17° / 7° | 48 | 12.2 | 0 | 16.3 | 5.0 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Río Gallegos gets around 124 mm of rain over 31 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 24 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 16 h 06 min in early December to 13 h 36 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 5.9 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Río Gallegos?
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 reasonable time to visit Río Gallegos for sightseeing.
What to pack for Río Gallegos in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Río Gallegos sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 8°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 31 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Río Gallegos in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 10°C across summer — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Bracing |
| Feb | 11 | Bracing |
| Mar | 11 | Bracing |
| Apr | 9 | Bracing |
| May | 8 | Bracing |
| Jun | 6 | Bracing |
| Jul | 5 | Bracing |
| Aug | 4 | Bracing |
| Sep | 4 | Bracing |
| Oct | 6 | Bracing |
| Nov | 8 | Bracing |
| Dec | 9 | Bracing |
UV index in Río Gallegos in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 9 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 9 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Very high |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 2 | Moderate |
| May | 1 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 1 | Low |
| Aug | 1 | Low |
| Sep | 2 | Moderate |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 6 | High |
| Dec | 9 | Very high |
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.
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.
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 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.