Copiapó in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Copiapó sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 1 mm of rain over about 0 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 90% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Copiapó's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Copiapó's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 15°C
- Rainfall
- 1 mm
- 0 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 9.3
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Copiapó in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical summer day in Copiapó reaches about 26°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.
Copiapó 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 | 26° / 16° | 0 | 0 | 13.5 | 9.2 |
| Feb | 26° / 16° | 0 | 0.1 | 13 | 9.3 |
| Mar | 25° / 15° | 5 | 0.3 | 12.2 | 9.5 |
| Apr | 23° / 13° | 2 | 0.3 | 11.4 | 9.5 |
| May | 22° / 9° | 8 | 1 | 10.7 | 8.6 |
| Jun | 20° / 7° | 6 | 0.8 | 10.3 | 8.3 |
| Jul | 20° / 6° | 6 | 1.2 | 10.4 | 8.3 |
| Aug | 21° / 8° | 3 | 0.6 | 11 | 8.7 |
| Sep | 22° / 10° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.8 | 9.1 |
| Oct | 23° / 12° | 0 | 0.2 | 12.7 | 9.5 |
| Nov | 24° / 14° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.4 | 9.7 |
| Dec | 25° / 15° | 1 | 0.1 | 13.7 | 9.5 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 90% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Copiapó gets around 1 mm of rain over 0 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 8 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min in early December to 12 h 36 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 9.0 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Copiapó?
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 Copiapó for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Copiapó in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Copiapó sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.
Sea temperature near Copiapó in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 18°C across summer — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Cool |
| Feb | 19 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 17 | Cool |
| May | 16 | Cool |
| Jun | 15 | Cool |
| Jul | 15 | Bracing |
| Aug | 14 | Bracing |
| Sep | 14 | Bracing |
| Oct | 15 | Bracing |
| Nov | 16 | Cool |
| Dec | 17 | Cool |
UV index in Copiapó in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 15 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 5 | Moderate |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Air quality in Copiapó in Summer
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 10 | Good |
| Apr | 16 | Moderate |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 14 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
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.
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.
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 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.