Climate and average weather in San Pedro de Atacama
In San Pedro de Atacama, the summers are warm, dry, and mostly clear and the winters are mild and clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in San Pedro de Atacama typically varies from 3°C to 26°C, and is rarely below -1°C or above 29°C. December is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit San Pedro de Atacama for warm-weather activities is from early January to late December.
- Hottest
- Dec
- 26°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 3°
- Wettest
- Feb
- 28 mm
- Driest
- Oct
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 80 mm
- 15 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.6–13.4 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 0 m
- 22.9°S
- Clearest
- Sep
- 11% cloud
San Pedro de Atacama is town in Chile.
- Density
- 4,745/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1450
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
San Pedro de Atacama 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 December.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in San Pedro de Atacama, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.9 months, from October 20 to March 18, with daily high temperatures above 24°C. The hottest month of the year in San Pedro de Atacama is December, with an average high of 26°C and low of 12°C.
The cool season lasts 2.8 months, from May 17 to August 10, with daily high temperatures below 20°C. The coldest month of the year in San Pedro de Atacama is July, with an average low of 3°C and high of 19°C.
Days typically run about 15°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 17°C) in August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 |
| Avg low (°C) | 13 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 13 |
| Feb | 25 | 12 |
| Mar | 25 | 11 |
| Apr | 23 | 8 |
| May | 20 | 5 |
| Jun | 19 | 3 |
| Jul | 19 | 3 |
| Aug | 20 | 4 |
| Sep | 22 | 6 |
| Oct | 24 | 8 |
| Nov | 26 | 10 |
| Dec | 26 | 12 |
How hot and cold San Pedro de Atacama really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -0°C (around July 15), with roughly 4 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 26 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 |
| Air high (°C) | 26 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 13 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
| Air low (°C) | 13 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 26 | 13 | 13 |
| Feb | 25 | 25 | 12 | 12 |
| Mar | 25 | 25 | 11 | 11 |
| Apr | 23 | 23 | 7 | 8 |
| May | 20 | 20 | 3 | 5 |
| Jun | 19 | 19 | 1 | 3 |
| Jul | 19 | 19 | 0 | 3 |
| Aug | 20 | 20 | 2 | 4 |
| Sep | 22 | 22 | 4 | 6 |
| Oct | 24 | 24 | 7 | 8 |
| Nov | 26 | 26 | 9 | 10 |
| Dec | 26 | 26 | 12 | 12 |
Average hourly temperature in San Pedro de Atacama
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 December afternoons, near 26°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 3°C.
San Pedro de Atacama weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 13° | 22 | 3.8 | 13.2 | 8.0 |
| Feb | 25° / 12° | 28 | 4.6 | 12.8 | 8.0 |
| Mar | 25° / 11° | 14 | 2.5 | 12.2 | 8.8 |
| Apr | 23° / 8° | 3 | 0.6 | 11.5 | 9.2 |
| May | 20° / 5° | 3 | 0.7 | 10.9 | 8.6 |
| Jun | 19° / 3° | 2 | 0.3 | 10.6 | 8.2 |
| Jul | 19° / 3° | 2 | 0.7 | 10.7 | 8.2 |
| Aug | 20° / 4° | 3 | 0.5 | 11.2 | 8.7 |
| Sep | 22° / 6° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.9 | 9.2 |
| Oct | 24° / 8° | 0 | 0.1 | 12.5 | 9.5 |
| Nov | 26° / 10° | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 9.2 |
| Dec | 26° / 12° | 2 | 0.6 | 13.4 | 8.6 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
San Pedro de Atacama gets about 80 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 3.0 months, from around Dec 28 to Mar 27, peaking in February at about 18% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Oct 17.
February is the wettest month by volume, with 28 mm over about 5 wet days; October is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 12 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Rain days | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | 4 |
| Feb | 15 | 5 |
| Mar | 8 | 3 |
| Apr | 2 | 1 |
| May | 2 | 1 |
| Jun | 1 | 0 |
| Jul | 2 | 1 |
| Aug | 1 | 1 |
| Sep | 2 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 2 | 1 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, San Pedro de Atacama collects about 80 mm of rain across 15 wet days — roughly 7 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. February is the wettest month with 28 mm, while October is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 79% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 22 | 28 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Rain days | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 4 |
| Feb | 28 | 5 |
| Mar | 14 | 3 |
| Apr | 3 | 1 |
| May | 3 | 1 |
| Jun | 2 | 0 |
| Jul | 2 | 1 |
| Aug | 3 | 1 |
| Sep | 2 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 2 | 1 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In San Pedro de Atacama, 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 March 18 and lasts for 8.6 months, ending around December 3. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 93% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around December 4 and lasts for 3.4 months, ending around March 17. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 34% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 66 | 67 | 83 | 87 | 88 | 85 | 88 | 92 | 93 | 90 | 88 | 78 |
| Cloudier (%) | 34 | 33 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 22 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 34 |
| Feb | 67 | 33 |
| Mar | 83 | 17 |
| Apr | 87 | 13 |
| May | 88 | 12 |
| Jun | 85 | 15 |
| Jul | 88 | 12 |
| Aug | 92 | 8 |
| Sep | 93 | 7 |
| Oct | 90 | 10 |
| Nov | 88 | 12 |
| Dec | 78 | 22 |
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 January 1, brings about 13 h 24 min of light; the shortest, around June 7, only 10 h 36 min — a swing of roughly 2 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.2 | 12.8 | 12.2 | 11.5 | 10.9 | 10.6 | 10.7 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.5 | 13.1 | 13.4 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:04 | 7:24 | 7:38 | 7:49 | 8:02 | 8:15 | 8:17 | 8:01 | 7:31 | 7:02 | 6:44 | 6:47 |
| Sunset (PM) | 8:20 | 8:11 | 7:47 | 7:17 | 6:56 | 6:51 | 7:00 | 7:13 | 7:23 | 7:34 | 7:52 | 8:11 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.2 | 7:04 | 8:20 |
| Feb | 12.8 | 7:24 | 8:11 |
| Mar | 12.2 | 7:38 | 7:47 |
| Apr | 11.5 | 7:49 | 7:17 |
| May | 10.9 | 8:02 | 6:56 |
| Jun | 10.6 | 8:15 | 6:51 |
| Jul | 10.7 | 8:17 | 7:00 |
| Aug | 11.2 | 8:01 | 7:13 |
| Sep | 11.9 | 7:31 | 7:23 |
| Oct | 12.5 | 7:02 | 7:34 |
| Nov | 13.1 | 6:44 | 7:52 |
| Dec | 13.4 | 6:47 | 8:11 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
San Pedro de Atacama averages about 23 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 14 and 27 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 8.5 months, from around Mar 20 to Dec 4. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 27 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is February, down near 16 sunny days — about 41% fewer than the September peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 15 | 15 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 20 |
| Sky | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Mixed |
| Feb | 15 | Bright |
| Mar | 23 | Bright |
| Apr | 24 | Brilliant |
| May | 25 | Brilliant |
| Jun | 24 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 25 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 27 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 26 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 26 | Brilliant |
| Nov | 24 | Brilliant |
| Dec | 20 | Bright |
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 San Pedro de Atacama, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% 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 (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Dry (%) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 100 |
| Feb | 100 |
| Mar | 100 |
| Apr | 100 |
| May | 100 |
| Jun | 100 |
| Jul | 100 |
| Aug | 100 |
| Sep | 100 |
| Oct | 100 |
| Nov | 100 |
| Dec | 100 |
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 San Pedro de Atacama is steady company: average speeds sit near 7 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) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | calm |
| Feb | 7 | calm |
| Mar | 6 | calm |
| Apr | 6 | calm |
| May | 7 | calm |
| Jun | 7 | calm |
| Jul | 8 | calm |
| Aug | 8 | calm |
| Sep | 8 | calm |
| Oct | 8 | calm |
| Nov | 8 | calm |
| Dec | 8 | calm |
Best time to visit San Pedro de Atacama
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in San Pedro de Atacama throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid January, San Pedro de Atacama 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, San Pedro de Atacama suits general outdoor tourist activities for most of the year, with a peak score in the second week of October.
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) | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 9.2 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 9.2 | 9.5 | 9.2 | 8.6 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.0 | ideal |
| Feb | 8.0 | ideal |
| Mar | 8.8 | ideal |
| Apr | 9.2 | ideal |
| May | 8.6 | ideal |
| Jun | 8.2 | ideal |
| Jul | 8.2 | ideal |
| Aug | 8.7 | ideal |
| Sep | 9.2 | ideal |
| Oct | 9.5 | ideal |
| Nov | 9.2 | ideal |
| Dec | 8.6 | 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 San Pedro de Atacama for hot-weather activities is from late September to late April, with a peak score in the last week of November.
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 San Pedro de Atacama, 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 December (highs near 26°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 19°C), pack a warm layer and sun protection.
In December, San Pedro de Atacama sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.
UV index (midday) in San Pedro de Atacama 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 San Pedro de Atacama peaks around January 13 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 7 (high).
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) | 17 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Extreme |
| Feb | 17 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 7 | High |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 15 | Extreme |
| Nov | 16 | Extreme |
| Dec | 17 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in San Pedro de Atacama
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 9.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7.5 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) | 9.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 7 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 6 | 7 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.5 | 7.5 |
| Feb | 9 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 7.5 | 5 |
| May | 6.5 | 4 |
| Jun | 6 | 3 |
| Jul | 5.5 | 2.5 |
| Aug | 7 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 8.5 | 7 |
| Nov | 9 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 9.5 | 7.5 |
Growing season
San Pedro de Atacama is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about July 31 to June 27 (332 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 | 100 | 99 | 94 | 87 | 96 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 99 | 0 |
| Jun | 94 | 4 |
| Jul | 87 | 31 |
| Aug | 96 | 0 |
| Sep | 99 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 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. San Pedro de Atacama banks about 1,936 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) | 284 | 241 | 238 | 167 | 80 | 28 | 18 | 64 | 121 | 188 | 230 | 278 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 284 |
| Feb | 241 |
| Mar | 238 |
| Apr | 167 |
| May | 80 |
| Jun | 28 |
| Jul | 18 |
| Aug | 64 |
| Sep | 121 |
| Oct | 188 |
| Nov | 230 |
| Dec | 278 |
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.
San Pedro de Atacama receives about 7.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.8 and 9.3 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Sep 12 to Mar 27. The brightest month is December, averaging about 9.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 4.9 kWh/m² — roughly 47% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 8.4 | 7.9 | 7.4 | 6.5 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 7.3 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 9.2 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.4 | Intense |
| Feb | 7.9 | Intense |
| Mar | 7.4 | Intense |
| Apr | 6.5 | Intense |
| May | 5.4 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.8 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.1 | Bright |
| Aug | 6.1 | Intense |
| Sep | 7.3 | Intense |
| Oct | 8.5 | Intense |
| Nov | 9.2 | Intense |
| Dec | 9.2 | Intense |
Where is San Pedro de Atacama?
San Pedro de Atacama sits at 22.9°S, 68.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Calama, 90 km away.
Topography around San Pedro de Atacama
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of San Pedro de Atacama.
Within 3 km, the terrain around San Pedro de Atacama has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 228 m around an average of 2,445 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 704 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,696 m.
The land around San Pedro de Atacama is covered by bare terrain (81%) within 3 km, bare terrain (98%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (96%) 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 San Pedro de Atacama (-22.9111°, -68.2011°, elevation 0 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).