Arica weather in March

In March, Arica sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 4 mm of rain across 0.7 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-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 12% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Arica's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arica's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
0.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
7:47 AM – 7:55 PM
Cloud cover
67%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical March day in Arica reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 7°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, March runs on par with February and about 2°C warmer than April.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12620
22620
32620
42620
52620
62620
72620
82620
92620
102620
112620
122620
132620
142619
152619
162619
172619
182619
192619
202619
212619
222619
232619
242619
252619
262619
272619
282519
292519
302519
312519

Arica weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32773
42773
52872
62872
72872
82971
93070
103169
113169
123268
133367
143466
153565
163664
173763
183862
193961
204060
214159
224258
234258
244357
254456
264555
274654
284654
294753
304753
314852

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Arica gets around 4 mm of rain over 0.7 wet days in March, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 2% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
23
33
43
52
62
72
82
92
102
112
122
132
142
152
162
172
182
192
202
212
222
232
242
252
262
272
282
292
302
312

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the humid band about 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1108010
211809
311809
411809
512799
612799
712799
813789
913789
1014779
1114779
1214779
1315769
1415769
1515778
1616768
1716768
1817758
1917767
2018757
2118766
2219756
2320755
2421745
2522744
2623734
2724733
2825723
2927712
3028702
3130682

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:43 AM to 7:50 AM, and sunset from 8:06 PM to 7:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.47:438:06
212.47:438:06
312.47:438:05
412.37:448:04
512.37:448:03
612.37:448:03
712.37:458:02
812.37:458:01
912.37:458:00
1012.27:458:00
1112.27:467:59
1212.27:467:58
1312.27:467:57
1412.27:467:56
1512.17:477:56
1612.17:477:55
1712.17:477:54
1812.17:477:53
1912.17:487:52
2012.17:487:51
2112.07:487:51
2212.07:487:50
2312.07:497:49
2412.07:497:48
2512.07:497:47
2612.07:497:46
2711.97:497:45
2811.97:507:45
2911.97:507:44
3011.97:507:43
3111.97:507:42

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.42 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 — March's 6.42 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Arica?

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

7.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

March 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 March

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

In March, Arica sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 19°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Arica in March

The nearest coast averages about 22°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 13 (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
March 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).