Climate and average weather in Valparaiso
In Valparaiso, the weather is mild, fairly dry, and clear and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near mild levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around June.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Valparaiso typically varies from 11°C to 17°C, and is rarely below 10°C or above 18°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while August is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Valparaiso for warm-weather activities are from early January to mid April and late November to late December.
- Hottest
- Feb
- 17°
- Coldest
- Aug
- 11°
- Wettest
- Jun
- 121 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 371 mm
- 29 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.8–14.2 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 15 m
- 33.0°S
- Clearest
- Feb
- 25% cloud
Valparaiso is city in Chile.
- Air quality
- Moderate
- PM2.5 13.7 µg/m³ · 2019
- Density
- 5,887/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1536
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Valparaiso weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to mid April.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Valparaiso, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Valparaiso stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is February, with an average high of 17°C and low of 16°C; the coolest is August, with an average low of 11°C and high of 13°C.
Days typically run about 1°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | 16 |
| Feb | 17 | 16 |
| Mar | 17 | 15 |
| Apr | 15 | 14 |
| May | 14 | 13 |
| Jun | 14 | 12 |
| Jul | 13 | 11 |
| Aug | 13 | 11 |
| Sep | 13 | 12 |
| Oct | 13 | 12 |
| Nov | 14 | 13 |
| Dec | 16 | 15 |
Average hourly temperature in Valparaiso
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on February afternoons, near 17°C, and coldest before dawn in August, near 11°C.
Valparaiso weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17° / 16° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.9 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 17° / 16° | 1 | 0.2 | 13.2 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 17° / 15° | 2 | 0.6 | 12.3 | 6.9 |
| Apr | 15° / 14° | 16 | 1.8 | 11.2 | 5.9 |
| May | 14° / 13° | 61 | 4.4 | 10.3 | 4.9 |
| Jun | 14° / 12° | 121 | 6.8 | 9.9 | 4.2 |
| Jul | 13° / 11° | 67 | 5.5 | 10 | 4.1 |
| Aug | 13° / 11° | 57 | 4.6 | 10.8 | 4.1 |
| Sep | 13° / 12° | 27 | 3 | 11.8 | 4.4 |
| Oct | 13° / 12° | 13 | 1.7 | 12.8 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 14° / 13° | 3 | 0.4 | 13.7 | 5.6 |
| Dec | 16° / 15° | 3 | 0.3 | 14.1 | 6.4 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Valparaiso gets about 371 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.1 months, from around Apr 26 to Sep 26, peaking in June at about 25% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 7.
June is the wettest month by volume, with 121 mm over about 7 wet days; January is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 23 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 1 | 0 |
| Mar | 2 | 1 |
| Apr | 6 | 2 |
| May | 14 | 4 |
| Jun | 23 | 7 |
| Jul | 18 | 6 |
| Aug | 15 | 5 |
| Sep | 10 | 3 |
| Oct | 5 | 2 |
| Nov | 2 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 0 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Valparaiso collects about 371 mm of rain across 29 wet days — roughly 31 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 121 mm, while January is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 67% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 61 | 121 | 67 | 57 | 27 | 13 | 3 | 3 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 1 | 0 |
| Mar | 2 | 1 |
| Apr | 16 | 2 |
| May | 61 | 4 |
| Jun | 121 | 7 |
| Jul | 67 | 6 |
| Aug | 57 | 5 |
| Sep | 27 | 3 |
| Oct | 13 | 2 |
| Nov | 3 | 0 |
| Dec | 3 | 0 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Valparaiso, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around October 19 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around April 16. The clearest month is February, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 85% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around April 17 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around October 18. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 53% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 84 | 85 | 82 | 69 | 50 | 47 | 54 | 59 | 63 | 68 | 79 | 83 |
| Cloudier (%) | 16 | 15 | 18 | 31 | 50 | 53 | 46 | 41 | 37 | 32 | 21 | 17 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84 | 16 |
| Feb | 85 | 15 |
| Mar | 82 | 18 |
| Apr | 69 | 31 |
| May | 50 | 50 |
| Jun | 47 | 53 |
| Jul | 54 | 46 |
| Aug | 59 | 41 |
| Sep | 63 | 37 |
| Oct | 68 | 32 |
| Nov | 79 | 21 |
| Dec | 83 | 17 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around December 13, brings about 14 h 12 min of light; the shortest, around June 13, only 9 h 48 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.9 | 10.0 | 10.8 | 11.8 | 12.8 | 13.7 | 14.1 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:57 | 7:25 | 7:49 | 8:11 | 8:34 | 8:52 | 8:52 | 8:28 | 7:47 | 7:07 | 6:40 | 6:38 |
| Sunset (PM) | 8:55 | 8:38 | 8:04 | 7:22 | 6:52 | 6:42 | 6:53 | 7:14 | 7:35 | 7:57 | 8:24 | 8:48 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.9 | 6:57 | 8:55 |
| Feb | 13.2 | 7:25 | 8:38 |
| Mar | 12.3 | 7:49 | 8:04 |
| Apr | 11.2 | 8:11 | 7:22 |
| May | 10.3 | 8:34 | 6:52 |
| Jun | 9.9 | 8:52 | 6:42 |
| Jul | 10.0 | 8:52 | 6:53 |
| Aug | 10.8 | 8:28 | 7:14 |
| Sep | 11.8 | 7:47 | 7:35 |
| Oct | 12.8 | 7:07 | 7:57 |
| Nov | 13.7 | 6:40 | 8:24 |
| Dec | 14.1 | 6:38 | 8:48 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Valparaiso averages about 17 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 10 and 23 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.8 months, from around Oct 22 to Apr 15. The sunniest month is February, with roughly 22 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is June, down near 10 sunny days — about 55% fewer than the February peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 22 | 21 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 22 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | Bright |
| Feb | 21 | Bright |
| Mar | 22 | Bright |
| Apr | 17 | Bright |
| May | 11 | Mixed |
| Jun | 10 | Mixed |
| Jul | 13 | Mixed |
| Aug | 13 | Mixed |
| Sep | 15 | Mixed |
| Oct | 17 | Bright |
| Nov | 20 | Bright |
| Dec | 22 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Valparaiso, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in February, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 10% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 10 | 7 | 17 | 56 | 81 | 95 | 100 | 99 | 99 | 98 | 87 | 47 |
| Comfortable (%) | 84 | 83 | 77 | 43 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 53 |
| Humid (%) | 7 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | 84 | 7 |
| Feb | 7 | 83 | 10 |
| Mar | 17 | 77 | 7 |
| Apr | 56 | 43 | 1 |
| May | 81 | 19 | 0 |
| Jun | 95 | 5 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 98 | 2 | 0 |
| Nov | 87 | 13 | 0 |
| Dec | 47 | 53 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Valparaiso is typically breezy, near 20 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.8 months, from around Jul 13 to Jan 4. The windiest month is November, averaging about 23 km/h (breezy).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Jan 5 to Jul 12, with February the calmest month at about 19 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 21 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | light breeze |
| Feb | 19 | light breeze |
| Mar | 19 | light breeze |
| Apr | 19 | light breeze |
| May | 19 | light breeze |
| Jun | 20 | breezy |
| Jul | 20 | breezy |
| Aug | 21 | breezy |
| Sep | 22 | breezy |
| Oct | 22 | breezy |
| Nov | 23 | breezy |
| Dec | 21 | breezy |
Best time to visit Valparaiso
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Valparaiso throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early April, Valparaiso is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Valparaiso for general outdoor tourist activities is from late November to mid April, with a peak score in the first week of February.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 7.2 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 6.4 |
| Rating | good | good | good | good | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | good | good |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.2 | good |
| Feb | 7.3 | good |
| Mar | 6.9 | good |
| Apr | 5.9 | good |
| May | 4.9 | fair |
| Jun | 4.2 | fair |
| Jul | 4.1 | fair |
| Aug | 4.1 | fair |
| Sep | 4.4 | fair |
| Oct | 4.8 | fair |
| Nov | 5.6 | good |
| Dec | 6.4 | good |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Valparaiso for hot-weather activities is from mid January to mid March, with a peak score in the first week of February.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Valparaiso, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Valparaiso packs about the same all year — highs hold near 17°C. Across the year the things worth having are sun protection, a warm layer and a windbreaker.
In February, Valparaiso sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection.
Sea temperature near Valparaiso
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in August near 13°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 17 | Cool |
| Apr | 15 | Cool |
| May | 14 | Bracing |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 13 | Bracing |
| Aug | 13 | Bracing |
| Sep | 13 | Bracing |
| Oct | 13 | Bracing |
| Nov | 14 | Bracing |
| Dec | 16 | Cool |
UV index (midday) in Valparaiso by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Valparaiso peaks around January 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 14 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 10 | Extreme |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Valparaiso
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 1.5 | 4 | 6 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7 | 6.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 5 | 0 |
| May | 2.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 1.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 4 | 0 |
| Sep | 6 | 1.5 |
| Oct | 7.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 9 | 7 |
Air quality in Valparaiso by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Valparaiso is worst in January — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (March, 10 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Valparaiso's WHO annual average of 13.7 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 22 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | Moderate |
| Feb | 16 | Moderate |
| Mar | 10 | Good |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 12 | Moderate |
| Jun | 13 | Moderate |
| Jul | 12 | Moderate |
| Aug | 14 | Moderate |
| Sep | 14 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 14 | Moderate |
| Dec | 14 | Moderate |
Growing season
Valparaiso is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Valparaiso banks about 1,450 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 192 | 180 | 184 | 141 | 113 | 87 | 65 | 61 | 69 | 89 | 115 | 155 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 192 |
| Feb | 180 |
| Mar | 184 |
| Apr | 141 |
| May | 113 |
| Jun | 87 |
| Jul | 65 |
| Aug | 61 |
| Sep | 69 |
| Oct | 89 |
| Nov | 115 |
| Dec | 155 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Valparaiso receives about 5.8 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.6 and 8.9 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Sep 24 to Mar 25. The brightest month is December, averaging about 8.8 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 2.6 kWh/m² — roughly 70% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 8.6 | 7.7 | 6.3 | 4.6 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 6.9 | 8.2 | 8.8 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.6 | Intense |
| Feb | 7.7 | Intense |
| Mar | 6.3 | Intense |
| Apr | 4.6 | Bright |
| May | 3.2 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2.6 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3.0 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3.9 | Moderate |
| Sep | 5.3 | Bright |
| Oct | 6.9 | Intense |
| Nov | 8.2 | Intense |
| Dec | 8.8 | Intense |
Where is Valparaiso?
Valparaiso sits at 33.0°S, 71.6°W, 15 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Vina del Mar, 7.0 km away.
What Valparaiso looks like
Topography around Valparaiso
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Valparaiso.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Valparaiso has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 429 m around an average of 84 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 585 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,320 m.
The land around Valparaiso is covered by water (44%) and artificial surfaces (43%) within 3 km, water (53%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and water (37%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 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
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 Valparaiso (-33.036°, -71.6296°, elevation 15 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).