Copiapó weather in March

In March, Copiapó sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 5 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 94% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Copiapó's 1st-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Copiapó's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
4th warmest
Overnight low
15°
10th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
7:45 AM – 7:57 PM
Cloud cover
7%
1st clearest
Wind
7 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.5
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical March day in Copiapó reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12615
22615
32615
42615
52615
62615
72615
82615
92615
102615
112515
122515
132515
142515
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252514
262514
272514
282414
292414
302414
312414

Copiapó weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 4th-warmest and 4th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 94% of the time in March, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 2% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 4%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6973
7973
8973
9964
10964
11964
12964
13964
14955
15955
16955
17955
18955
19955
20955
21955
22955
23964
24964
25964
26964
27964
28964
29964
30964
31964

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Copiapó gets around 5 mm of rain over 0.3 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
222
232
242
252
262
272
282
291
301
311

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1955
2955
3955
4964
5964
6964
7973
8973
9973
10982
11982
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in March

Winds average 7 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:36 AM to 7:53 AM, and sunset from 8:13 PM to 7:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.67:368:13
212.67:378:12
312.67:378:11
412.57:388:10
512.57:398:09
612.57:398:08
712.47:408:07
812.47:408:06
912.47:418:05
1012.47:428:04
1112.37:428:03
1212.37:438:01
1312.37:438:00
1412.37:447:59
1512.27:447:58
1612.27:457:57
1712.27:457:56
1812.17:467:55
1912.17:477:54
2012.17:477:53
2112.17:487:51
2212.07:487:50
2312.07:497:49
2412.07:497:48
2512.07:507:47
2611.97:507:46
2711.97:517:44
2811.97:517:43
2911.87:527:42
3011.87:527:41
3111.87:537:40

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 7.28 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 — March's 7.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.9Intense
27.9Intense
37.8Intense
47.8Intense
57.8Intense
67.7Intense
77.7Intense
87.6Intense
97.6Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.3Intense
167.3Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.1Intense
217.1Intense
227.0Intense
237.0Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Copiapó?

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

9.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

March 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 March

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

In March, Copiapó sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Copiapó in March

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 13 (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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March 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
March 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).