Arica weather in September

In September, Arica sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 15 mm of rain across 4.4 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of September to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Arica's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arica's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
9th warmest
Overnight low
14°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
15 mm
4.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
7:39 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
73%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
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 September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical September day in Arica reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 1°C warmer than August and about 1°C cooler than October.

10°15°20°25°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11914
21914
31914
41914
52014
62014
72014
82014
92014
102014
112014
122014
132014
142014
152014
162014
172014
182014
192014
202014
212014
222014
232014
242014
252014
262014
272014
282014
292015
302015

Arica weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 9th-warmest and 5th-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 September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 94%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1496
2496
3496
4496
5496
6595
7595
8595
9595
10595
11595
12595
13595
14595
15595
16595
17595
18694
19694
20694
21793
22793
23793
24892
25892
26892
27892
28991
29991
30991

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Arica gets around 15 mm of rain over 4.4 wet days in September. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 15% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
118
218
318
418
518
618
718
818
917
1017
1116
1215
1315
1414
1513
1613
1712
1812
1912
2012
2111
2212
2312
2412
2512
2613
2713
2813
2913
3013

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the dry band about 68% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
184160
283170
382180
481190
580200
679210
778220
877230
975241
1074251
1173261
1272271
1372271
1471281
1570291
1668302
1767312
1866322
1965332
2063352
2162362
2260382
2358402
2457412
2556431
2654451
2752471
2850491
2949501
3047521

Wind in September

Winds average 9 km/h in September.

Across September, 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.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of September to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 7:52 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 7:30 PM to 7:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.67:527:30
211.67:517:30
311.77:507:30
411.77:497:30
511.77:487:31
611.77:487:31
711.77:477:31
811.87:467:31
911.87:457:31
1011.87:447:31
1111.87:437:32
1211.87:427:32
1311.87:417:32
1411.97:407:32
1511.97:407:32
1611.97:397:32
1711.97:387:33
1811.97:377:33
1912.07:367:33
2012.07:357:33
2112.07:347:33
2212.07:337:33
2312.07:327:34
2412.07:317:34
2512.17:307:34
2612.17:307:34
2712.17:297:34
2812.17:287:35
2912.17:277:35
3012.17:267:35

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 6.24 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 — September's 6.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Arica?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Arica for sightseeing.

What to pack for Arica in September

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

In September, Arica sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Arica in September

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in September — 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 September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 11 (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
September 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).