The climate of Punta Arenas: when to go to Punta Arenas

The city of Punta Arenas has a semi-arid sub-polar oceanic climate which is strongly influenced and made milder by the presence of the nearby ocean. The city is characterized by the wind which is often a constant in the Punta Arenas climate. Generally the wind is frequent and exceeds 100 km / hour. Usually the wind blows more intensely in the summer months. Temperatures, which are mitigated by the presence of the ocean, rarely reach extreme values. In winter, average minimum temperatures reach -1.1 ° C in July, while average maximum temperatures reach 3.7 ° C in the same month. In summer the highest temperatures occur in January with average minimum temperatures reaching 6.8 ° C and average maximum temperatures of 14.3 ° C.

Precipitation is rather low and is around 400 mm per year. The scarce rains are almost evenly distributed throughout the year, but despite this, those between January and May can be identified as the rainiest months. The sky in Punta Arenas is often cloudy and the climate usually changes suddenly. Despite the low rainfall, the city has an average of 153 days of precipitation per year. Rainy days range from a minimum of 10 days per month in October to a maximum of 15 days per month in January and March. In the winter months, between June and September, rainfall is sometimes snowy. Snow days are on average around 26 per year, most of them between June and August.

The sea water temperature in Punta Arenas is cold throughout the year. It slightly exceeds 10 ° C in February and drops to 5.7 ° C in August.

WHEN TO GO TO PUNTA ARENAS

The summer months between November and February are the most suitable for a visit to Punta Arenas. In these months the temperatures are milder and the hours of sunshine reach the annual maximum. The months with the most sunshine are those of November, December and January with around 230 hours of sunshine per month each.

THE CLIMATE OF PUNTA ARENAS: CLIMATE TABLES

PUNTA ARENAS (34 meters)
Month	Average low (°C)	Average high (°C)	Precip. (mm)	Precip. days
January	6,8	14,3	41,7	15
February	6,6	14,0	31,2	14
March	5,2	12,3	38,1	15
April	3,4	9,7	40,2	14
May	1,2	6,5	41,2	13
June	-0,9	4,1	27,0	11
July	-1,1	3,7	29,1	11
August	-0,1	5,2	29,8	12
September	1,2	7,7	26,5	11
October	3,0	10,2	27,2	10
November	4,7	12,2	30,0	13
December	6,0	13,5	33,3	14
YEAR	3,0	9,4	395,3	153

PUNTA ARENAS
Month	Sea water temperature °C
January	9,7
February	10,2
March	9,8
April	8,9
May	7,8
June	6,7
July	5,8
August	5,7
September	5,9
October	6,6
November	7,9
December	8,8