Calama weather in January

In January, Calama sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 9 mm of rain across 2.4 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Calama's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Calama's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
10°
12th coldest
Rainfall
9 mm
2.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
7:08 AM – 8:22 PM
Cloud cover
45%
12th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
8.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Calama is city in Chile.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,838/km²
people per km²

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 22°C through the month.

A typical January day in Calama reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12310
22310
32310
42310
52310
62310
72310
82310
92210
102210
112210
122210
132210
142210
152210
162210
172210
182210
192210
202210
212210
222210
232210
242210
252210
262210
272210
282210
292210
302210
312210

How January really feels in Calama

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

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

January 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 January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36436
46238
56238
66238
76139
86139
96040
106040
116040
125842
135842
145941
155941
165941
175941
186040
196040
206139
216238
226238
236238
246436
256436
266535
276535
286535
296535
306535
316436

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Calama gets around 9 mm of rain over 2.4 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 8% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
24
34
45
55
65
76
86
97
107
117
127
137
148
158
168
178
188
199
209
219
229
239
249
259
269
2710
2810
2910
3011
3111

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:58 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 8:19 PM to 8:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.46:588:19
213.36:598:20
313.36:598:20
413.37:008:20
513.37:018:21
613.37:018:21
713.37:028:21
813.37:038:21
913.37:038:21
1013.37:048:22
1113.37:058:22
1213.37:058:22
1313.37:068:22
1413.37:078:22
1513.27:078:22
1613.27:088:22
1713.27:098:22
1813.27:098:22
1913.27:108:22
2013.27:118:22
2113.27:118:22
2213.27:128:22
2313.27:138:22
2413.17:138:22
2513.17:148:21
2613.17:158:21
2713.17:158:21
2813.17:168:21
2913.17:178:21
3013.17:178:20
3113.07:188:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 8.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.88 kWh/m² to a high of 9.11 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 8.29 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.7Intense
28.7Intense
38.7Intense
48.6Intense
58.6Intense
68.6Intense
78.5Intense
88.5Intense
98.4Intense
108.4Intense
118.4Intense
128.3Intense
138.3Intense
148.3Intense
158.3Intense
168.2Intense
178.2Intense
188.2Intense
198.2Intense
208.2Intense
218.2Intense
228.1Intense
238.1Intense
248.1Intense
258.1Intense
268.1Intense
278.1Intense
288.1Intense
298.0Intense
308.0Intense
318.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Calama?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Calama in January

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

In January, Calama sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 10°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Calama in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 17 (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
January 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. 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).