San Pedro de Atacama in Spring

In spring (September, October and November), San Pedro de Atacama sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 2 mm of rain over about 1 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 21°C in early September to 26°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 85% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is San Pedro de Atacama's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see San Pedro de Atacama's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
24°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
8°C
Rainfall
2 mm
1 wet days
Avg wind
8 km/h
Travel score
9.3
best season of the year
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in San Pedro de Atacama in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 21°C in early September to 26°C by late November.

A typical spring day in San Pedro de Atacama reaches about 24°C and drops to 8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.

10°20°30°SepOctNov

How spring really feels in San Pedro de Atacama

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

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

spring 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 the three spring months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 85% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitation

San Pedro de Atacama gets around 2 mm of rain over 1 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%SepOctNov

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Spring

Winds average 8 km/h across spring.

051015SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min in early September to 13 h 18 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 8.3 kWh/m².

0246810SepOctNov
Planning a trip in spring

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

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

9.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

spring 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 Spring

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

In spring, San Pedro de Atacama sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 8°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a warm layer.

sun protectionlight clothesa warm layer

UV index in San Pedro de Atacama in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring 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 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
Spring 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.