Climate and average weather in Arica
In Arica, the summers are warm, dry, and mostly cloudy and the winters are mild and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Arica typically varies from 13°C to 26°C, and is rarely below 12°C or above 28°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Arica for warm-weather activities is from mid September to mid May.
- Hottest
- Feb
- 26°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 13°
- Wettest
- Jun
- 30 mm
- Driest
- Mar
- 4 mm
- Rain / yr
- 162 mm
- 53 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.9–13.1 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 80 m
- 18.5°S
- Clearest
- Nov
- 63% cloud
Arica is city of Chile.
- Air quality
- Moderate
- PM2.5 11.6 µg/m³ · 2019
- Density
- 5,554/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1541
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Arica weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid September to mid May.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Arica, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Arica stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is February, with an average high of 26°C and low of 20°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 13°C and high of 19°C.
Days typically run about 6°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 25 |
| Avg low (°C) | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 20 |
| Feb | 26 | 20 |
| Mar | 26 | 19 |
| Apr | 24 | 18 |
| May | 22 | 16 |
| Jun | 20 | 14 |
| Jul | 19 | 13 |
| Aug | 19 | 14 |
| Sep | 20 | 14 |
| Oct | 21 | 15 |
| Nov | 23 | 16 |
| Dec | 25 | 18 |
Average hourly temperature in Arica
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on February afternoons, near 26°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 13°C.
Arica weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 20° | 10 | 2.3 | 13 | 7.4 |
| Feb | 26° / 20° | 7 | 2 | 12.6 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 26° / 19° | 4 | 0.7 | 12.1 | 7.8 |
| Apr | 24° / 18° | 7 | 1.7 | 11.6 | 8.0 |
| May | 22° / 16° | 24 | 8.9 | 11.1 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 20° / 14° | 30 | 12.7 | 10.9 | 5.6 |
| Jul | 19° / 13° | 29 | 10.6 | 11 | 5.7 |
| Aug | 19° / 14° | 20 | 6.8 | 11.4 | 6.2 |
| Sep | 20° / 14° | 15 | 4.4 | 11.9 | 6.7 |
| Oct | 21° / 15° | 9 | 2 | 12.4 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 23° / 16° | 4 | 0.3 | 12.9 | 8.1 |
| Dec | 25° / 18° | 5 | 0.8 | 13.1 | 8.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Arica gets about 162 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 4.4 months, from around May 3 to Sep 13, peaking in June at about 45% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Nov 23.
June is the wettest month by volume, with 30 mm over about 13 wet days; March is the driest, with 4 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 7 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 28 | 42 | 34 | 23 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Rain days | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 2 |
| Feb | 7 | 2 |
| Mar | 2 | 1 |
| Apr | 6 | 2 |
| May | 28 | 9 |
| Jun | 42 | 13 |
| Jul | 34 | 11 |
| Aug | 23 | 7 |
| Sep | 14 | 4 |
| Oct | 6 | 2 |
| Nov | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 3 | 1 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Arica collects about 162 mm of rain across 53 wet days — roughly 14 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 30 mm, while March is the driest at just 4 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 51% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 10 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
| Rain days | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | 2 |
| Feb | 7 | 2 |
| Mar | 4 | 1 |
| Apr | 7 | 2 |
| May | 24 | 9 |
| Jun | 30 | 13 |
| Jul | 29 | 11 |
| Aug | 20 | 7 |
| Sep | 15 | 4 |
| Oct | 9 | 2 |
| Nov | 4 | 0 |
| Dec | 5 | 1 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Arica, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around October 22 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around May 7. The clearest month is November, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 44% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around May 8 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around October 21. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 25 | 25 | 36 | 44 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 44 | 37 |
| Cloudier (%) | 75 | 75 | 64 | 56 | 88 | 98 | 100 | 98 | 94 | 83 | 56 | 63 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 75 |
| Feb | 25 | 75 |
| Mar | 36 | 64 |
| Apr | 44 | 56 |
| May | 12 | 88 |
| Jun | 2 | 98 |
| Jul | 0 | 100 |
| Aug | 2 | 98 |
| Sep | 6 | 94 |
| Oct | 17 | 83 |
| Nov | 44 | 56 |
| Dec | 37 | 63 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 13 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around June 5, only 10 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 2 h 12 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.0 | 12.6 | 12.1 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 10.9 | 11.0 | 11.4 | 11.9 | 12.4 | 12.9 | 13.1 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:21 | 7:37 | 7:47 | 7:54 | 8:03 | 8:15 | 8:17 | 8:04 | 7:39 | 7:13 | 7:00 | 7:04 |
| Sunset (PM) | 8:20 | 8:14 | 7:55 | 7:29 | 7:11 | 7:08 | 7:16 | 7:26 | 7:32 | 7:39 | 7:53 | 8:10 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.0 | 7:21 | 8:20 |
| Feb | 12.6 | 7:37 | 8:14 |
| Mar | 12.1 | 7:47 | 7:55 |
| Apr | 11.6 | 7:54 | 7:29 |
| May | 11.1 | 8:03 | 7:11 |
| Jun | 10.9 | 8:15 | 7:08 |
| Jul | 11.0 | 8:17 | 7:16 |
| Aug | 11.4 | 8:04 | 7:26 |
| Sep | 11.9 | 7:39 | 7:32 |
| Oct | 12.4 | 7:13 | 7:39 |
| Nov | 12.9 | 7:00 | 7:53 |
| Dec | 13.1 | 7:04 | 8:10 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Arica averages about 2 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 4 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.8 months, from around Nov 3 to Apr 27. The sunniest month is November, with roughly 3 sunny days (gloomy).
The greyest month is June, down near 0 sunny days — about 99% fewer than the November peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 2 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 4 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 3 | Gloomy |
| May | 0 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 0 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 0 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 0 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 0 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 1 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 3 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 3 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Arica, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 4.5 months, from around December 11 to April 26. The muggiest month is February, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 91% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around April 27 to December 10, and June is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 69 | 91 | 90 | 67 | 24 | 4 | 0 |
| Comfortable (%) | 20 | 9 | 18 | 54 | 65 | 31 | 9 | 10 | 32 | 75 | 87 | 60 |
| Humid (%) | 71 | 79 | 75 | 45 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 39 |
| Muggy (%) | 9 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 20 | 71 | 9 |
| Feb | 0 | 9 | 79 | 12 |
| Mar | 0 | 18 | 75 | 7 |
| Apr | 1 | 54 | 45 | 1 |
| May | 24 | 65 | 11 | 0 |
| Jun | 69 | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 91 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 90 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 67 | 32 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 24 | 75 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov | 4 | 87 | 8 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 60 | 39 | 1 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Arica is steady company: average speeds sit near 8 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | calm |
| Feb | 8 | calm |
| Mar | 8 | calm |
| Apr | 8 | calm |
| May | 8 | calm |
| Jun | 8 | calm |
| Jul | 8 | calm |
| Aug | 8 | calm |
| Sep | 9 | calm |
| Oct | 9 | calm |
| Nov | 9 | calm |
| Dec | 9 | calm |
Best time to visit Arica
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Arica throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early May, Arica is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Arica for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid September to mid May, with a peak score in the last week of November.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 8.1 | 8.0 |
| Rating | good | good | ideal | ideal | good | good | good | good | good | good | ideal | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.5 | good |
| Feb | 7.4 | good |
| Mar | 7.8 | ideal |
| Apr | 8.0 | ideal |
| May | 6.5 | good |
| Jun | 5.6 | good |
| Jul | 5.7 | good |
| Aug | 6.2 | good |
| Sep | 6.7 | good |
| Oct | 7.3 | good |
| Nov | 8.1 | ideal |
| Dec | 8.0 | ideal |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Arica for hot-weather activities is from mid November to late April, with a peak score in the third week of March.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Arica, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around February (highs near 26°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 19°C), pack rain gear.
In February, Arica sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.
Sea temperature near Arica
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) is warmest in February at about 23°C and coldest in August near 17°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 28 to Apr 30 — about 5.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 22 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 21 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 23 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 22 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 20 | Refreshing |
| May | 20 | Cool |
| Jun | 19 | Cool |
| Jul | 17 | Cool |
| Aug | 17 | Cool |
| Sep | 17 | Cool |
| Oct | 18 | Cool |
| Nov | 20 | Cool |
| Dec | 21 | Refreshing |
UV index (midday) in Arica by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Arica peaks around February 9 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 11 at about 7 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 7 | High |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Arica
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in February the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5.5 | 4 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 8 | 6 |
| Apr | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| May | 6.5 | 4 |
| Jun | 6 | 2.5 |
| Jul | 6 | 2.5 |
| Aug | 7 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 8 | 6.5 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 8.5 | 6.5 |
Growing season
Arica is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Arica banks about 3,424 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 393 | 369 | 391 | 323 | 267 | 209 | 189 | 193 | 208 | 248 | 285 | 347 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 393 |
| Feb | 369 |
| Mar | 391 |
| Apr | 323 |
| May | 267 |
| Jun | 209 |
| Jul | 189 |
| Aug | 193 |
| Sep | 208 |
| Oct | 248 |
| Nov | 285 |
| Dec | 347 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Arica receives about 6.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.2 and 7.8 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.9 months, from around Sep 12 to Apr 10. The brightest month is November, averaging about 7.7 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 4.3 kWh/m² — roughly 45% less than the November peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.8 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.0 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 6.2 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 7.6 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.8 | Intense |
| Feb | 6.6 | Intense |
| Mar | 6.4 | Intense |
| Apr | 6.0 | Bright |
| May | 4.9 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.2 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.4 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.2 | Bright |
| Sep | 6.2 | Intense |
| Oct | 7.2 | Intense |
| Nov | 7.8 | Intense |
| Dec | 7.6 | Intense |
Where is Arica?
Arica sits at 18.5°S, 70.3°W, 80 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Tacna, 51 km away.
Topography around Arica
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Arica.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Arica has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 290 m around an average of 49 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 863 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,342 m.
The land around Arica is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) and bare terrain (26%) within 3 km, bare terrain (56%) and water (37%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (69%) and water (27%) within 80 km.
Chile travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / F / L
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 48% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $17,995
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.3 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 6.3
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 14.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 517
- 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 Arica (-18.4755°, -70.3006°, elevation 80 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).