Climate and average weather in Illapel

In Illapel, the summers are warm, dry, and clear and the winters are cool and mostly clear.

Best: early January to late April

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Illapel typically varies from 5°C to 24°C, and is rarely below 1°C or above 26°C. January is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Illapel for warm-weather activities are from early January to late April and mid October to late December.

Hottest
Jan
24°
Coldest
Jul
Wettest
Jun
74 mm
Driest
Jan
1 mm
Rain / yr
274 mm
30 wet days
Daylight
9.9–14.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
312 m
31.6°S
Clearest
Feb
12% cloud

Illapel is city in Chile.

Density
3,467/km²
people per km²
Founded
1752

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Illapel weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to late April.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Illapel, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.1 months, from November 22 to March 27, with daily high temperatures above 22°C. The hottest month of the year in Illapel is January, with an average high of 24°C and low of 14°C.

The cool season lasts 3.5 months, from May 25 to September 8, with daily high temperatures below 17°C. The coldest month of the year in Illapel is July, with an average low of 5°C and high of 15°C.

Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights year-round.

10°15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2414
Feb2414
Mar2313
Apr2010
May188
Jun156
Jul155
Aug166
Sep178
Oct199
Nov2211
Dec2313

Average hourly temperature in Illapel

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on January afternoons, near 24°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Illapel weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 14°10.313.89.6
Feb24° / 14°10.213.29.6
Mar23° / 13°6112.29.2
Apr20° / 10°132.111.28.1
May18° / 403.710.46.7
Jun15° / 745.2105.4
Jul15° / 485.210.15.2
Aug16° / 505.110.85.7
Sep17° / 223.911.86.6
Oct19° / 142.412.87.7
Nov22° / 11°3113.68.7
Dec23° / 13°20.4149.4

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Illapel gets about 274 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.3 months, from around May 8 to Oct 15, peaking in June at about 19% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 1.

June is the wettest month by volume, with 74 mm over about 5 wet days; January is the driest, with 1 mm.

0%10%20%30%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainJun 13 · 19%Jan 1 · 0%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan10
Feb10
Mar31
Apr72
May124
Jun185
Jul165
Aug175
Sep134
Oct82
Nov31
Dec10

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Illapel collects about 274 mm of rain across 30 wet days — roughly 23 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 74 mm, while January is the driest at just 1 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 63% of the year’s total.

0255075100JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1161340744850221432
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan10
Feb10
Mar61
Apr132
May404
Jun745
Jul485
Aug505
Sep224
Oct142
Nov31
Dec20

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Illapel, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around October 23 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around April 17. The clearest month is February, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 97% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 18 and lasts for 6.2 months, ending around October 22. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 43% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecFeb 10 · 97%May 27 · 56%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastclearercloudierclearer
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan955
Feb973
Mar928
Apr7921
May6139
Jun5743
Jul6238
Aug6535
Sep6634
Oct7525
Nov8911
Dec955

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around December 16, brings about 14 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around June 16, only 9 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan13.86:588:50
Feb13.27:258:34
Mar12.27:478:02
Apr11.28:087:22
May10.48:296:53
Jun10.08:466:43
Jul10.18:476:54
Aug10.88:247:14
Sep11.87:457:33
Oct12.87:067:53
Nov13.66:418:19
Dec14.06:398:42

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Illapel averages about 21 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 13 and 28 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.7 months, from around Oct 26 to Apr 16. The sunniest month is February, with roughly 28 sunny days (brilliant).

The greyest month is May, down near 15 sunny days — about 48% fewer than the February peak.

05101520253035JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsunniergreyersunniergloomymixedbrightbrilliantFeb 928 daysMay 2713 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan28Brilliant
Feb26Brilliant
Mar27Brilliant
Apr21Bright
May15Mixed
Jun13Mixed
Jul15Mixed
Aug16Bright
Sep16Bright
Oct19Bright
Nov24Brilliant
Dec28Brilliant

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Illapel, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in March, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccomfortabledry
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
Jan7228
Feb6634
Mar8416
Apr982
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct991
Nov991
Dec919

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Wind in Illapel is steady company: average speeds sit near 5 km/hcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmDec 3 · 6 km/hMay 10 · 5 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan6calm
Feb6calm
Mar5calm
Apr5calm
May5calm
Jun5calm
Jul5calm
Aug5calm
Sep5calm
Oct6calm
Nov6calm
Dec6calm

Best time to visit Illapel

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Illapel throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid April, Illapel is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Illapel for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid October to late April, with a peak score in the second week of February.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationFeb 11 · 9.7

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan9.6ideal
Feb9.6ideal
Mar9.2ideal
Apr8.1ideal
May6.7good
Jun5.4fair
Jul5.2fair
Aug5.7good
Sep6.6good
Oct7.7ideal
Nov8.7ideal
Dec9.4ideal

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Illapel for hot-weather activities is from early December to late March, with a peak score in the last week of January.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJan 22 · 8.2

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Illapel, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around January (highs near 24°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 15°C), pack a warm layer.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In January, Illapel sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

Sea temperature near Illapel

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 43 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

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

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr16Cool
May15Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index (midday) in Illapel by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Illapel peaks around January 18 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 18UV 14Jun 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep7Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Illapel

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan97
Feb97
Mar7.55.5
Apr5.51
May3.50
Jun2.50
Jul30
Aug4.50
Sep6.53
Oct86
Nov96.5
Dec97
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Illapel is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecfrost-free year round
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun990
Jul970
Aug990
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Illapel banks about 1,687 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.

05001,0001,500JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan288
Feb253
Mar240
Apr155
May81
Jun15
Jul0
Aug19
Sep69
Oct130
Nov188
Dec249

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Illapel receives about 6.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.9 and 9.1 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Sep 26 to Mar 27. The brightest month is December, averaging about 9.1 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is June, down near 2.9 kWh/m² — roughly 68% less than the December peak.

012345678910JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbrighterdimmerbrighterdimmoderatebrightintenseDec 249.1 kWhJun 192.9 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan8.8Intense
Feb8.0Intense
Mar6.6Intense
Apr4.9Bright
May3.5Moderate
Jun2.9Moderate
Jul3.2Moderate
Aug4.2Bright
Sep5.5Bright
Oct7.1Intense
Nov8.5Intense
Dec9.1Intense

Where is Illapel?

Illapel sits at 31.6°S, 71.2°W, 312 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Los Vilos, 44 km away.

Topography around Illapel

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Illapel has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 501 m around an average of 433 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,467 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,695 m.

The land around Illapel is covered by shrubs (36%) and grassland (33%) within 3 km, shrubs (53%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and shrubs (32%), grassland (25%) and bare terrain (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
501 m
16 km
1,467 m
80 km
4,695 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Los Vilos 44 km · Cabildo 89 km · La Ligua 91 km · Ovalle 115 km · Putaendo 118 km · Hacienda La Calera 128 km · La Calera 128 km · San Felipe 131 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 Illapel (-31.6335°, -71.1697°, elevation 312 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).