Vallenar in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Vallenar sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 0 mm of rain over about 0 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 93% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.

Summer is Vallenar's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Vallenar's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
26°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
15°C
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Avg wind
7 km/h
Travel score
9.3
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Vallenar in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.

A typical summer day in Vallenar reaches about 26°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.

10°15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

Vallenar weather by month

How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°0013.69.2
Feb26° / 15°00139.3
Mar25° / 14°40.212.29.5
Apr23° / 12°20.411.39.3
May21° / 8110.68.3
Jun19° / 131.410.27.9
Jul19° / 91.410.48.0
Aug20° / 90.8118.3
Sep21° / 10.411.88.8
Oct23° / 11°10.212.79.2
Nov24° / 13°0013.49.7
Dec25° / 14°0013.89.5

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 93% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Vallenar gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 7 km/h across summer.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min in early December to 12 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 8.8 kWh/m².

0246810DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Is summer a good time to visit Vallenar?

Our two travel scores rate summer 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
8.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

summer is one of the better times to visit Vallenar for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Vallenar in Summer

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

In summer, Vallenar sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Vallenar in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 17°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 60 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May16Cool
Jun15Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Vallenar in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Vallenar peaks around January 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 22UV 15Jun 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr7High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Vallenar?

Vallenar sits at 28.6°S, 70.8°W, 388 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Copiapó, 141 km away.

ChilecitoIllapel

Topography around Vallenar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vallenar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 m around an average of 468 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,150 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,526 m.

The land around Vallenar is covered by bare terrain (55%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, bare terrain (84%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
210 m
16 km
1,150 m
80 km
4,526 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Summer weather nearby: Copiapó 141 km · La Serena 155 km · Vicuña 162 km · Coquimbo 163 km · Caldera 168 km · Ovalle 229 km · Chilecito 324 km · Illapel 342 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 Vallenar (-28.5762°, -70.7594°, elevation 388 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.