San Pedro de Atacama weather in January

In January, San Pedro de Atacama sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 22 mm of rain across 3.8 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of January to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is San Pedro de Atacama's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Pedro de Atacama's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
13°
12th coldest
Rainfall
22 mm
3.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
7:04 AM – 8:20 PM
Cloud cover
43%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
8.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

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.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in San Pedro de Atacama reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12613
22613
32613
42613
52613
62613
72613
82613
92613
102613
112613
122613
132613
142613
152613
162613
172613
182613
192613
202613
212613
222613
232513
242513
252513
262513
272513
282513
292513
302513
312513

How January really feels in San Pedro de Atacama

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

San Pedro de Atacama weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 13°223.813.28.0
Feb25° / 12°284.612.88.0
Mar25° / 11°142.512.28.8
Apr23° / 30.611.59.2
May20° / 30.710.98.6
Jun19° / 20.310.68.2
Jul19° / 20.710.78.2
Aug20° / 30.511.28.7
Sep22° / 20.411.99.2
Oct24° / 00.112.59.5
Nov26° / 10°0013.19.2
Dec26° / 12°20.613.48.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
26931
36931
46931
56931
66931
76832
86733
96733
106733
116634
126634
136634
146535
156535
166535
176535
186535
196634
206634
216634
226634
236733
246733
256634
266634
276634
286634
296535
306535
316436

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

San Pedro de Atacama gets around 22 mm of rain over 3.8 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 12% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
25
36
46
57
67
78
89
910
1010
1111
1212
1312
1413
1514
1614
1715
1815
1916
2016
2116
2216
2316
2415
2515
2615
2715
2815
2916
3016
3116

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of January to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:54 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 8:17 PM to 8:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.46:548:17
213.46:558:18
313.46:568:18
413.46:568:18
513.46:578:19
613.46:588:19
713.36:588:19
813.36:598:19
913.36:598:19
1013.37:008:20
1113.37:018:20
1213.37:018:20
1313.37:028:20
1413.37:038:20
1513.37:038:20
1613.37:048:20
1713.37:058:20
1813.27:068:20
1913.27:068:20
2013.27:078:20
2113.27:088:20
2213.27:088:20
2313.27:098:20
2413.27:108:19
2513.27:108:19
2613.17:118:19
2713.17:128:19
2813.17:128:19
2913.17:138:18
3013.17:148:18
3113.17:148:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 8.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.84 kWh/m² to a high of 9.24 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 8.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.9Intense
28.8Intense
38.8Intense
48.8Intense
58.7Intense
68.7Intense
78.7Intense
88.6Intense
98.6Intense
108.6Intense
118.5Intense
128.5Intense
138.4Intense
148.4Intense
158.4Intense
168.4Intense
178.3Intense
188.3Intense
198.3Intense
208.3Intense
218.3Intense
228.2Intense
238.2Intense
248.2Intense
258.2Intense
268.2Intense
278.2Intense
288.1Intense
298.1Intense
308.1Intense
318.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit San Pedro de Atacama?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit San Pedro de Atacama for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for San Pedro de Atacama in January

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

In January, San Pedro de Atacama sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in San Pedro de Atacama in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 17 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 17Jul 10UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug10Very high
Sep13Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov16Extreme
Dec17Extreme
Location & terrain

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.

VillazónTupizaUyuniSan Salvador de JujuyPozo Almonte

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.

3 km
228 m
16 km
704 m
80 km
3,696 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Calama 90 km · Tocopilla 224 km · Antofagasta 239 km · Villazón 283 km · Tupiza 303 km · Uyuni 307 km · San Salvador de Jujuy 329 km · Pozo Almonte 338 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 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).