Calama in Fall

In fall (March, April and May), Calama sees average daytime highs around 21°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 12 mm of rain over about 2 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 22°C in early March to 19°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is Calama's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Calama's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
21°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
7°C
Rainfall
12 mm
2 wet days
Avg wind
11 km/h
Travel score
8.7
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Calama in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 22°C in early March to 19°C by late May.

A typical fall day in Calama reaches about 21°C and drops to 7°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.

10°15°20°25°MarAprMay

How fall really feels in Calama

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

fall sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Calama weather by month

How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 10°92.413.28.2
Feb22° / 10°112.712.88.2
Mar22° / 61.112.28.7
Apr22° / 20.311.58.9
May20° / 50.510.98.6
Jun19° / 40.310.78.3
Jul19° / 30.610.88.2
Aug20° / 30.411.28.7
Sep21° / 10.211.99.0
Oct22° / 0012.59.2
Nov23° / 0013.19.3
Dec23° / 10.313.48.9

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

Calama gets around 12 mm of rain over 2 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%MarAprMay

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Fall

Winds average 11 km/h across fall.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min in early March to 10 h 42 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 6.4 kWh/m².

02468MarAprMay
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit Calama?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

8.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

fall is one of the better times to visit Calama for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Calama in Fall

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

In fall, Calama sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 7°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a warm layer.

sun protectionlight clothesa warm layer

UV index in Calama in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Calama peaks around January 1 at about 17 (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 highVery highExtremeJan 1UV 17Jul 11UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7High
Aug10Very high
Sep13Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov16Extreme
Dec17Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Calama?

Calama sits at 22.5°S, 68.9°W, 2,275 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is San Pedro de Atacama, 90 km away.

Pozo AlmonteAlto HospicioIquiqueUyuniVillazón

Topography around Calama

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Calama.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Calama has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 119 m around an average of 2,268 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,554 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,822 m.

The land around Calama is covered by artificial surfaces (56%) and bare terrain (29%) within 3 km, bare terrain (94%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (99%) within 80 km.

3 km
119 m
16 km
1,554 m
80 km
3,822 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
Fall weather nearby: San Pedro de Atacama 90 km · Tocopilla 137 km · Antofagasta 201 km · Pozo Almonte 261 km · Alto Hospicio 272 km · Iquique 280 km · Uyuni 311 km · Villazón 345 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 Calama (-22.4567°, -68.9237°, elevation 2,275 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.