Arica weather in January

In January, Arica sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 10 mm of rain across 2.3 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Arica's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arica's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
10 mm
2.3 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
7:21 AM – 8:20 PM
Cloud cover
75%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

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.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Arica reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12519
22519
32519
42519
52619
62619
72619
82619
92619
102619
112619
122619
132619
142620
152620
162620
172620
182620
192620
202620
212620
222620
232620
242620
252620
262620
272620
282620
292620
302620
312620

Arica weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 20°102.3137.4
Feb26° / 20°7212.67.4
Mar26° / 19°40.712.17.8
Apr24° / 18°71.711.68.0
May22° / 16°248.911.16.5
Jun20° / 14°3012.710.95.6
Jul19° / 13°2910.6115.7
Aug19° / 14°206.811.46.2
Sep20° / 14°154.411.96.7
Oct21° / 15°9212.47.3
Nov23° / 16°40.312.98.1
Dec25° / 18°50.813.18.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22575
32575
42575
52575
62476
72575
82476
92575
102575
112575
122575
132674
142476
152476
162575
172476
182476
192476
202476
212476
222476
232476
242575
252575
262575
272575
282575
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Arica gets around 10 mm of rain over 2.3 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 7% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
16
26
36
46
56
66
77
87
97
107
117
127
137
147
158
168
178
188
198
209
219
228
238
248
258
268
278
288
297
307
317

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 71% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
130673
228684
327694
426704
525714
624715
723725
823716
922726
1022726
1122717
1221727
1321718
1421718
1520719
16207010
17197110
18197011
19187111
20187012
21177112
22177112
23167113
24167113
25167113
26157213
27157213
28157114
29157114
30147313
31147313

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:12 AM to 7:29 AM, and sunset from 8:17 PM to 8:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.17:128:17
213.17:128:17
313.17:138:18
413.17:138:18
513.17:148:18
613.17:148:19
713.17:158:19
813.17:168:19
913.17:168:19
1013.07:178:20
1113.07:178:20
1213.07:188:20
1313.07:198:20
1413.07:198:20
1513.07:208:20
1613.07:218:20
1713.07:218:21
1813.07:228:21
1913.07:228:21
2013.07:238:21
2113.07:248:21
2212.97:248:21
2312.97:258:21
2412.97:258:21
2512.97:268:20
2612.97:278:20
2712.97:278:20
2812.97:288:20
2912.97:288:20
3012.87:298:20
3112.87:298:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.24 kWh/m² to a high of 7.76 kWh/m² in November across the year — January's 6.85 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
106.9Intense
116.9Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
156.9Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Arica?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Arica for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Arica in January

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

In January, Arica sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Arica in January

The nearest coast averages about 22°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

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.

16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan22Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr20Refreshing
May20Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct18Cool
Nov20Cool
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Arica in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeFeb 9UV 15Jul 11UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

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.

3 km
290 m
16 km
863 m
80 km
4,342 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Tacna 51 km · Ilo 145 km · San Antonio 155 km · Moquegua 157 km · Iquique 194 km · Alto Hospicio 200 km · Pozo Almonte 205 km · Mollendo 243 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
Catholic 57%none 26%Evangelical or Protestant 16%other Christians and traditions related to 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 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).