Copiapó weather in January

In January, Copiapó sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 11th-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 88% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of January to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Copiapó's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Copiapó's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
1st warmest
Overnight low
16°
12th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
7:04 AM – 8:37 PM
Cloud cover
11%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
9.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.2
out of 10

Copiapó is city in northern Chile.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12.3 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,769/km²
people per km²
Founded
1744

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Copiapó reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°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, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12616
22616
32616
42616
52616
62616
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142616
152616
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

Copiapó weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 1st-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°0013.59.2
Feb26° / 16°00.1139.3
Mar25° / 15°50.312.29.5
Apr23° / 13°20.311.49.5
May22° / 8110.78.6
Jun20° / 60.810.38.3
Jul20° / 61.210.48.3
Aug21° / 30.6118.7
Sep22° / 10°20.411.89.1
Oct23° / 12°00.212.79.5
Nov24° / 14°00.113.49.7
Dec25° / 15°10.113.79.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 88% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 7%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1919
2919
3919
4919
5919
6919
7919
8919
9919
10919
11937
12937
13937
14937
15946
16946
17946
18946
19955
20955
21955
22955
23955
24955
25955
26955
27955
28955
29955
30955
31955

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Copiapó gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 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 0% and peaks near 0% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

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 97% 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
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11982
12982
13982
14973
15973
16973
17973
18964
19964
20964
21964
22964
23964
24964
25964
26964
27964
28964
29973
30973
31973

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, 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.

0246810151015202531
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 January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of January to 13 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:53 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 8:35 PM to 8:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.76:538:35
213.76:548:36
313.76:558:36
413.76:558:36
513.76:568:36
613.76:578:37
713.76:578:37
813.66:588:37
913.66:598:37
1013.67:008:37
1113.67:008:37
1213.67:018:37
1313.67:028:37
1413.67:038:37
1513.67:038:37
1613.67:048:37
1713.57:058:37
1813.57:068:37
1913.57:068:37
2013.57:078:37
2113.57:088:37
2213.57:098:36
2313.47:098:36
2413.47:108:36
2513.47:118:36
2613.47:128:35
2713.47:138:35
2813.47:138:35
2913.37:148:34
3013.37:158:34
3113.37:168:34

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 9.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.02 kWh/m² to a high of 9.44 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 9.09 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246810151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
19.3Intense
29.3Intense
39.3Intense
49.3Intense
59.3Intense
69.3Intense
79.3Intense
89.2Intense
99.2Intense
109.2Intense
119.2Intense
129.2Intense
139.1Intense
149.1Intense
159.1Intense
169.1Intense
179.1Intense
189.1Intense
199.0Intense
209.0Intense
219.0Intense
229.0Intense
239.0Intense
248.9Intense
258.9Intense
268.9Intense
278.9Intense
288.9Intense
298.9Intense
308.8Intense
318.8Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Copiapó?

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

9.2
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
8.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Copiapó for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Copiapó in January

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

In January, Copiapó sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Copiapó in January

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 54 km away) is warmest in February at about 19°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb19Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May16Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Copiapó in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Copiapó peaks around January 20 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 5 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 20UV 15Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Copiapó in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Copiapó is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Copiapó's WHO annual average of 12.3 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1217 µg/m³Jan 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr16Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Copiapó?

Copiapó sits at 27.4°S, 70.3°W, 381 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Caldera, 59 km away.

La SerenaVicuñaCoquimboBelénChilecitoOvalle

Topography around Copiapó

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Copiapó has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 504 m around an average of 464 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,341 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,668 m.

The land around Copiapó is covered by bare terrain (55%) and artificial surfaces (43%) within 3 km, bare terrain (94%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (88%) within 80 km.

3 km
504 m
16 km
1,341 m
80 km
4,668 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Caldera 59 km · Vallenar 141 km · La Serena 296 km · Vicuña 299 km · Coquimbo 304 km · Belén 328 km · Chilecito 342 km · Ovalle 369 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 Copiapó (-27.3674°, -70.3322°, elevation 381 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).