Tocopilla weather in May

In May, Tocopilla sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 6 mm of rain across 1.9 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Tocopilla's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tocopilla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
6th warmest
Overnight low
16°
7th coldest
Rainfall
6 mm
1.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
8:09 AM – 7:05 PM
Cloud cover
40%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month.

A typical May day in Tocopilla reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°13°15°18°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11716
21716
31716
41716
51716
61716
71716
81716
91716
101716
111716
121716
131716
141716
151716
161716
171716
181716
191716
201716
211716
221716
231716
241716
251715
261715
271715
281715
291715
301715
311715

Tocopilla weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37228
47228
57228
67228
77228
87129
97129
107129
117129
127129
137228
147129
157129
167129
177129
187129
197228
207228
217129
227129
237030
247129
257030
266931
276931
286832
296733
306634
316535

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tocopilla gets around 6 mm of rain over 1.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 6% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
24
34
44
54
64
75
85
95
105
115
125
135
145
156
166
176
186
197
207
217
228
238
248
258
268
278
288
299
309
319

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 72% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
105149
205347
305545
405644
505842
606040
706139
806337
906535
1006634
1106832
1206931
1307129
1407228
1507426
1607525
1707624
1817623
1917722
2017821
2117920
2217920
2318019
2418118
2518217
2618316
2718316
2818415
2918514
3018514
3118613

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:02 AM to 8:15 AM, and sunset from 7:14 PM to 7:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.28:027:14
211.28:037:13
311.28:037:13
411.18:037:12
511.18:047:11
611.18:047:11
711.18:057:10
811.18:057:09
911.18:067:09
1011.08:067:08
1111.08:067:08
1211.08:077:07
1311.08:077:07
1411.08:087:06
1511.08:087:06
1610.98:097:05
1710.98:097:05
1810.98:107:05
1910.98:107:04
2010.98:107:04
2110.98:117:03
2210.98:117:03
2310.88:127:03
2410.88:127:03
2510.88:137:02
2610.88:137:02
2710.88:147:02
2810.88:147:02
2910.88:157:01
3010.88:157:01
3110.88:157:01

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.86 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 — May's 4.86 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Tocopilla?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Tocopilla for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tocopilla in May

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

In May, Tocopilla sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Tocopilla in May

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).