Climate and average weather in Rancagua
In Rancagua, the summers are warm, dry, and clear and the winters are cool, snowy, and partly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Rancagua typically varies from 1°C to 26°C, and is rarely below -4°C or above 29°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 Rancagua for warm-weather activities are from early January to late April and early November to late December.
- Hottest
- Jan
- 26°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 1°
- Wettest
- Jun
- 167 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 6 mm
- Rain / yr
- 747 mm
- 68 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.7–14.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 520 m
- 34.2°S
- Clearest
- Jan
- 14% cloud
Rancagua is city in O'Higgins Region, Chile.
- Air quality
- High
- PM2.5 25.9 µg/m³ · 2019
- Density
- 4,021/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1743
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Rancagua 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
Daily average highs and lows in Rancagua, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.9 months, from November 26 to March 25, with daily high temperatures above 23°C. The hottest month of the year in Rancagua is January, with an average high of 26°C and low of 14°C.
The cool season lasts 3.2 months, from May 23 to August 27, with daily high temperatures below 16°C. The coldest month of the year in Rancagua is July, with an average low of 1°C and high of 13°C.
Days typically run about 13°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 25 |
| Avg low (°C) | 14 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 14 |
| Feb | 26 | 13 |
| Mar | 24 | 11 |
| Apr | 20 | 7 |
| May | 17 | 4 |
| Jun | 14 | 2 |
| Jul | 13 | 1 |
| Aug | 15 | 2 |
| Sep | 17 | 4 |
| Oct | 19 | 6 |
| Nov | 22 | 9 |
| Dec | 25 | 12 |
Average hourly temperature in Rancagua
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 26°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 1°C.
Rancagua weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 14° | 6 | 1.4 | 0 | 14 | 8.9 |
| Feb | 26° / 13° | 7 | 1.5 | 0 | 13.3 | 8.9 |
| Mar | 24° / 11° | 11 | 1.8 | 0 | 12.3 | 9.1 |
| Apr | 20° / 7° | 44 | 3.9 | 0 | 11.2 | 7.7 |
| May | 17° / 4° | 99 | 7.3 | 0.1 | 10.2 | 5.7 |
| Jun | 14° / 2° | 167 | 9.4 | 1.4 | 9.8 | 3.9 |
| Jul | 13° / 1° | 124 | 9.2 | 1.5 | 10 | 3.9 |
| Aug | 15° / 2° | 108 | 8.6 | 1.2 | 10.7 | 4.7 |
| Sep | 17° / 4° | 81 | 10 | 0.4 | 11.8 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 19° / 6° | 60 | 8.5 | 0.2 | 12.9 | 6.6 |
| Nov | 22° / 9° | 26 | 4.7 | 0 | 13.8 | 8.0 |
| Dec | 25° / 12° | 13 | 2 | 0 | 14.2 | 8.9 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Rancagua gets about 747 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.9 months, from around May 10 to Nov 6, peaking in September at about 33% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 26.
June is the wettest month by volume, with 167 mm over about 9 wet days; January is the driest, with 6 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 33 | 27 | 16 | 7 |
| Rain days | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | 1 |
| Feb | 5 | 2 |
| Mar | 6 | 2 |
| Apr | 13 | 4 |
| May | 23 | 7 |
| Jun | 32 | 9 |
| Jul | 29 | 9 |
| Aug | 29 | 9 |
| Sep | 33 | 10 |
| Oct | 27 | 9 |
| Nov | 16 | 5 |
| Dec | 7 | 2 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Rancagua collects about 747 mm of rain across 68 wet days — roughly 62 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 167 mm, while January is the driest at just 6 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 53% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 6 | 7 | 11 | 44 | 99 | 167 | 124 | 108 | 81 | 60 | 26 | 13 |
| Rain days | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
| Snow days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Feb | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Mar | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| Apr | 44 | 4 | 0 |
| May | 99 | 7 | 0 |
| Jun | 167 | 9 | 1 |
| Jul | 124 | 9 | 2 |
| Aug | 108 | 9 | 1 |
| Sep | 81 | 10 | 0 |
| Oct | 60 | 9 | 0 |
| Nov | 26 | 5 | 0 |
| Dec | 13 | 2 | 0 |
Snow in Rancagua
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Rancagua averages about 5 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly May 28 to Sep 19 — about 3.8 months.
July is snowiest, with roughly 1.5 day of snow and an estimated 6 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 20 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 1 | 5 |
| Jul | 2 | 6 |
| Aug | 1 | 5 |
| Sep | 0 | 2 |
| Oct | 0 | 1 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Rancagua, 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 30 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around April 23. The clearest month is February, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 93% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around April 24 and lasts for 6.2 months, ending around October 29. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 56% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 93 | 93 | 89 | 72 | 51 | 44 | 49 | 51 | 53 | 62 | 79 | 88 |
| Cloudier (%) | 7 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 49 | 56 | 51 | 49 | 47 | 38 | 21 | 12 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 93 | 7 |
| Feb | 93 | 7 |
| Mar | 89 | 11 |
| Apr | 72 | 28 |
| May | 51 | 49 |
| Jun | 44 | 56 |
| Jul | 49 | 51 |
| Aug | 51 | 49 |
| Sep | 53 | 47 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 |
| Nov | 79 | 21 |
| Dec | 88 | 12 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
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 13, brings about 14 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around June 14, only 9 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 14.0 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 | 10.0 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:51 | 7:19 | 7:45 | 8:09 | 8:32 | 8:51 | 8:51 | 8:26 | 7:44 | 7:02 | 6:34 | 6:31 |
| Sunset (PM) | 8:54 | 8:36 | 8:01 | 7:18 | 6:46 | 6:35 | 6:46 | 7:08 | 7:31 | 7:54 | 8:23 | 8:47 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14.0 | 6:51 | 8:54 |
| Feb | 13.3 | 7:19 | 8:36 |
| Mar | 12.3 | 7:45 | 8:01 |
| Apr | 11.2 | 8:09 | 7:18 |
| May | 10.2 | 8:32 | 6:46 |
| Jun | 9.8 | 8:51 | 6:35 |
| Jul | 10.0 | 8:51 | 6:46 |
| Aug | 10.7 | 8:26 | 7:08 |
| Sep | 11.8 | 7:44 | 7:31 |
| Oct | 12.9 | 7:02 | 7:54 |
| Nov | 13.8 | 6:34 | 8:23 |
| Dec | 14.2 | 6:31 | 8:47 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Rancagua averages about 18 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 10 and 27 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.4 months, from around Nov 5 to Apr 16. The sunniest month is January, with roughly 27 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is June, down near 10 sunny days — about 63% fewer than the January peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 27 | 24 | 25 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 24 |
| Sky | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Brilliant |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Brilliant |
| Feb | 24 | Brilliant |
| Mar | 25 | Brilliant |
| Apr | 18 | Bright |
| May | 12 | Mixed |
| Jun | 10 | Mixed |
| Jul | 12 | Mixed |
| Aug | 12 | Mixed |
| Sep | 12 | Mixed |
| Oct | 14 | Mixed |
| Nov | 20 | Bright |
| Dec | 24 | Brilliant |
Humidity comfort
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 Rancagua, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 2% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 79 | 79 | 92 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 91 |
| Comfortable (%) | 19 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Humid (%) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 79 | 19 | 2 |
| Feb | 79 | 19 | 2 |
| Mar | 92 | 8 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 91 | 9 | 0 |
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 Rancagua is steady company: average speeds sit near 5 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | calm |
| Feb | 5 | calm |
| Mar | 5 | calm |
| Apr | 4 | calm |
| May | 4 | calm |
| Jun | 5 | calm |
| Jul | 5 | calm |
| Aug | 4 | calm |
| Sep | 4 | calm |
| Oct | 5 | calm |
| Nov | 5 | calm |
| Dec | 5 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Rancagua
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Rancagua's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Rancagua
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Rancagua throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid January, Rancagua is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
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 Rancagua for general outdoor tourist activities is from early November to late April, with a peak score in the second week of March.
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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 8.9 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 7.7 | 5.7 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 6.6 | 8.0 | 8.9 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | good | fair | fair | fair | good | good | ideal | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.9 | ideal |
| Feb | 8.9 | ideal |
| Mar | 9.0 | ideal |
| Apr | 7.7 | ideal |
| May | 5.7 | good |
| Jun | 4.0 | fair |
| Jul | 3.9 | fair |
| Aug | 4.7 | fair |
| Sep | 5.5 | good |
| Oct | 6.6 | good |
| Nov | 8.0 | ideal |
| Dec | 8.9 | ideal |
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 Rancagua for hot-weather activities is from early December to late March, with a peak score in the last week of January.
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 Rancagua, by month
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 26°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 13°C), pack a warm layer and rain gear.
In January, Rancagua sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.
UV index (midday) in Rancagua by month
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 Rancagua peaks around January 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near May 24 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 13 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 10 | Very high |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Rancagua
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7 | 6.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 5 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 1 | 0 |
| Aug | 2.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 5.5 | 1 |
| Oct | 7.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 9 | 6.5 |
Air quality in Rancagua by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Rancagua is worst in July — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (December, 17 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Rancagua's WHO annual average of 25.9 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 22 | 19 | 18 | 25 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 31 | 24 | 18 | 17 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | Moderate |
| Feb | 19 | Moderate |
| Mar | 18 | Moderate |
| Apr | 25 | Moderate |
| May | 34 | Moderate |
| Jun | 34 | Moderate |
| Jul | 35 | Poor |
| Aug | 34 | Moderate |
| Sep | 31 | Moderate |
| Oct | 24 | Moderate |
| Nov | 18 | Moderate |
| Dec | 17 | Moderate |
Growing season
Rancagua is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about September 15 to May 14 (242 days); outside that window a hard frost is an occasional risk.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 89 | 73 | 64 | 74 | 91 | 99 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 98 | 0 |
| May | 89 | 17 |
| Jun | 73 | 30 |
| Jul | 64 | 31 |
| Aug | 74 | 31 |
| Sep | 91 | 17 |
| Oct | 99 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
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. Rancagua banks about 1,461 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 317 | 269 | 232 | 108 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 83 | 160 | 252 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 317 |
| Feb | 269 |
| Mar | 232 |
| Apr | 108 |
| May | 21 |
| Jun | 0 |
| Jul | 0 |
| Aug | 0 |
| Sep | 19 |
| Oct | 83 |
| Nov | 160 |
| Dec | 252 |
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.
Rancagua receives about 5.5 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.1 and 9.0 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Sep 30 to Mar 30. The brightest month is January, averaging about 8.8 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 2.2 kWh/m² — roughly 75% less than the January peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 8.8 | 7.8 | 6.4 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 7.9 | 8.8 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.8 | Intense |
| Feb | 7.8 | Intense |
| Mar | 6.4 | Intense |
| Apr | 4.4 | Bright |
| May | 2.9 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2.2 | Moderate |
| Jul | 2.5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4.8 | Bright |
| Oct | 6.4 | Intense |
| Nov | 7.9 | Intense |
| Dec | 8.8 | Intense |
Where is Rancagua?
Rancagua sits at 34.2°S, 70.7°W, 520 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Machalí, 8.0 km away.
Topography around Rancagua
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Rancagua.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Rancagua has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 70 m around an average of 502 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,373 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,124 m.
The land around Rancagua is covered by artificial surfaces (74%) within 3 km, shrubs (28%), cropland (25%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (24%) and trees (20%) 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 Rancagua (-34.1691°, -70.7405°, elevation 520 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. 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).