Calama in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Calama sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 21 mm of rain over about 5 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 23°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Calama's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Calama's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 23°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 10°C
- Rainfall
- 21 mm
- 5 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.4
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Calama in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 23°C.
A typical summer day in Calama reaches about 23°C and drops to 10°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in Calama
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
summer 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 summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22° / 10° | 9 | 2.4 | 13.2 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 22° / 10° | 11 | 2.7 | 12.8 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 22° / 9° | 6 | 1.1 | 12.2 | 8.7 |
| Apr | 22° / 7° | 2 | 0.3 | 11.5 | 8.9 |
| May | 20° / 5° | 5 | 0.5 | 10.9 | 8.6 |
| Jun | 19° / 3° | 4 | 0.3 | 10.7 | 8.3 |
| Jul | 19° / 3° | 3 | 0.6 | 10.8 | 8.2 |
| Aug | 20° / 4° | 3 | 0.4 | 11.2 | 8.7 |
| Sep | 21° / 6° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.9 | 9.0 |
| Oct | 22° / 7° | 0 | 0 | 12.5 | 9.2 |
| Nov | 23° / 8° | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 9.3 |
| Dec | 23° / 9° | 1 | 0.3 | 13.4 | 8.9 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Calama gets around 21 mm of rain over 5 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 12 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min in early December to 12 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 8.4 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Calama?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is one of the better times to visit Calama for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Calama in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Calama sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 10°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.
UV index in Calama in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 17 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | Very high |
| Jul | 7 | High |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 15 | Extreme |
| Nov | 16 | Extreme |
| Dec | 17 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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
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.