Tocopilla weather in January

In January, Tocopilla sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.4 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tocopilla's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tocopilla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
18°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
7:14 AM – 8:27 PM
Cloud cover
43%
11th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
8.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

Tocopilla is city in Chile.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 13.9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,195/km²
people per km²
Founded
1843

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 19°C through the month.

A typical January day in Tocopilla reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11918
21918
31918
41918
51918
61918
71918
81918
91918
101918
111918
121918
131918
141918
151918
161918
171918
181918
191918
201918
211918
221918
232019
242019
252019
262019
272019
282019
292019
302019
312019

Tocopilla weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 18°30.413.27.8
Feb20° / 19°30.712.88.0
Mar19° / 18°30.412.27.9
Apr18° / 17°30.611.57.5
May17° / 16°61.9116.9
Jun16° / 15°92.510.76.2
Jul16° / 14°7210.86.0
Aug15° / 14°40.511.26.0
Sep15° / 14°20.211.96.1
Oct15° / 14°10.112.56.1
Nov16° / 15°20.113.16.6
Dec18° / 17°20.213.37.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37030
46931
56931
66931
76931
86931
96931
106931
116931
127030
137030
147030
157030
167129
177228
187228
197228
207327
217327
227327
237327
247327
257426
267426
277426
287426
297426
307426
317228

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Tocopilla gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.4 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 1% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
212
222
232
242
252
262
272
282
292
302
313

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 87% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14933
23943
32953
42953
51963
61954
71954
81945
91936
101936
111927
122908
132899
1428810
1528711
1628612
1728513
1828414
1918415
2018316
2118217
2218217
2318118
2418019
2517920
2617920
2717821
2807921
2907822
3007822
3107723

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:04 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 8:24 PM to 8:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.37:048:24
213.37:058:24
313.37:058:24
413.37:068:25
513.37:078:25
613.37:078:25
713.37:088:25
813.37:088:26
913.37:098:26
1013.37:108:26
1113.37:108:26
1213.37:118:26
1313.27:128:26
1413.27:128:26
1513.27:138:26
1613.27:148:27
1713.27:148:27
1813.27:158:27
1913.27:168:27
2013.27:168:26
2113.27:178:26
2213.17:188:26
2313.17:188:26
2413.17:198:26
2513.17:208:26
2613.17:208:26
2713.17:218:26
2813.17:228:25
2913.07:228:25
3013.07:238:25
3113.07:248:25

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 8.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.29 kWh/m² to a high of 8.45 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 8.15 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.3Intense
28.3Intense
38.3Intense
48.3Intense
58.3Intense
68.2Intense
78.2Intense
88.2Intense
98.2Intense
108.2Intense
118.2Intense
128.2Intense
138.2Intense
148.2Intense
158.2Intense
168.2Intense
178.2Intense
188.2Intense
198.2Intense
208.1Intense
218.1Intense
228.1Intense
238.1Intense
248.1Intense
258.1Intense
268.1Intense
278.1Intense
288.0Intense
298.0Intense
308.0Intense
318.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Tocopilla?

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

7.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Tocopilla for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Tocopilla in January

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

In January, Tocopilla sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 18°C. Pack sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Tocopilla in January

The nearest coast averages about 22°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 km away) is warmest in February at about 22°C and coldest in August near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 11 to Apr 10 — about 4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan22Refreshing
Feb22Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr20Cool
May19Cool
Jun18Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Tocopilla in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tocopilla peaks around January 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 16Jul 10UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Tocopilla in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Tocopilla is worst in May — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Tocopilla's WHO annual average of 13.9 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 2419 µg/m³Dec 1510 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar10Good
Apr13Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tocopilla?

Tocopilla sits at 22.1°S, 70.2°W, 37 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Calama, 137 km away.

UyuniArica

Topography around Tocopilla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tocopilla has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 908 m around an average of 193 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,970 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,278 m.

The land around Tocopilla is covered by bare terrain (54%) and water (37%) within 3 km, bare terrain (52%) and water (47%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (67%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
908 m
16 km
1,970 m
80 km
2,278 m
artificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Calama 137 km · Antofagasta 175 km · Alto Hospicio 203 km · Pozo Almonte 209 km · Iquique 209 km · San Pedro de Atacama 224 km · Uyuni 394 km · Arica 402 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 Tocopilla (-22.092°, -70.1979°, elevation 37 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. 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).