The Climates of Chile
Chile’s Climate Changes Dramatically from North to South
Is Chile hot or cold? The answer is both—and just about everything in between. Because Chile stretches more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from north to south, it crosses an extraordinary range of climates. You can travel from one of the driest deserts on Earth to Mediterranean farmland, temperate rainforest, glaciers, and the cold, windswept landscapes of Patagonia without ever leaving the country.
Several things create these dramatic differences. Latitude is obviously important, but so are the Andes Mountains, the Coastal Range, elevation, and the Pacific Ocean. The cold Humboldt Current flows northward along Chile’s coast and has a major influence on temperatures and rainfall, particularly in northern and central Chile. The Andes also create significant differences between coastal areas, the Central Valley, and locations farther inland.
Northern Chile and the Atacama Desert
Northern Chile is dominated by the Atacama Desert and some of the driest conditions on Earth. Places along the coast, including Antofagasta and Iquique, receive very little rainfall. However, desert does not necessarily mean extremely hot. The Pacific Ocean and Humboldt Current moderate temperatures along the coast, so coastal northern Chile is generally much milder than many people expect from a desert climate.
Travel inland or climb into the Andes and conditions change considerably. Day-to-night temperature swings become greater, elevations increase rapidly, and high-altitude areas can become very cold. Water availability is one of the most important considerations for anyone thinking about living or buying rural property in northern Chile.
Norte Chico — Chile’s Transition Zone
Moving south through the Norte Chico, around places such as La Serena and the Elqui Valley, the extremely dry Atacama gradually gives way to a semi-arid climate. There is more vegetation and agriculture, but rainfall is still limited and drought can be an important issue.
This is one of Chile’s transition zones, where relatively small changes in elevation and distance from the coast can make a noticeable difference in climate. Anyone looking at rural property here should pay particularly close attention to the property's water source and long-term water availability.
Central Chile — The Mediterranean Climate
Central Chile has the Mediterranean climate for which the Santiago and Central Valley areas are well known. Summers are generally warm to hot and dry, while most of the rainfall occurs during the cooler winter months.
This climate supports much of Chile’s famous wine and agricultural production. Around Santiago the summers tend to be hotter and drier. As you travel south, temperatures generally become cooler and rainfall increases. Coastal locations are also moderated by the Pacific and can be considerably cooler than inland valleys during the summer.
Luca Galuzzi (Lucag), CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons- Miscanti Lagoon near San Pedro de Atacama
From Biobío and Araucanía into the Wetter South
South of Central Chile, the climate gradually becomes cooler and wetter. Biobío and Araucanía form a transition between the Mediterranean climate of Central Chile and the much wetter temperate climate farther south. Summers can still be pleasantly warm and relatively dry, but the rainy season becomes longer and annual rainfall generally increases as you travel south.
Valdivia and the Lakes District
By the time you reach Valdivia and the Lakes District, you are entering the temperate rainforest climate that defines much of southern Chile. This is the Chile we know best after living here for more than 13 years.
Rain is simply part of life. Winters can be very wet, while summers can be absolutely beautiful, with long daylight hours and stretches of warm, sunny weather. The amount of rain varies tremendously depending upon exactly where you live. Mountains, lakes, valleys, and proximity to the coast can create surprisingly different conditions within relatively short distances.
One misconception we frequently hear is that southern Chile must receive enormous amounts of snow because it is so far south. At the lower elevations where most people live, winter precipitation is much more likely to fall as rain. Snow is common in the Andes and at higher elevations, but significant snowfall at lower elevations is much less common.
For anyone considering an off-grid property, the winter cloud cover is also important. We live with solar power, and the short, cloudy winter days are a much greater challenge for our solar system than the temperatures themselves.
Aysén — Where Geography Really Matters
Continue south into Aysén and climate becomes even more dependent upon exactly where you are. Western areas exposed to moist Pacific weather can be extremely wet, while locations east of the Andes can be considerably drier because of the rain-shadow effect.
This is why broad climate maps only tell part of the story in southern Chile. Two properties that do not appear very far apart on a map can have noticeably different rainfall, wind, winter temperatures, and growing conditions.
Magallanes and Far Southern Patagonia
Farther south in Magallanes, conditions become cooler and windier. This is the Patagonia many people picture—open landscapes, cool summers, strong winds, and rapidly changing weather.
Punta Arenas is a particularly interesting example. Although it is far south, it is much drier than the extremely wet western side of Patagonia because it lies east of the Andes in a rain shadow. Wind, rather than heavy rainfall, is one of the defining features of the climate around Punta Arenas.
So, Is Chile Hot or Cold?
It depends entirely on where you live. Northern Chile can be extraordinarily dry without necessarily being extremely hot along the coast. Central Chile has hot, dry summers and cooler, wetter winters. The Lakes District is green and rainy, with beautiful summers and wet winters. Aysén varies dramatically from west to east, while Magallanes becomes cooler, windier, and increasingly subpolar.
That enormous climatic variety is one of the things that makes choosing where to live in Chile so interesting. Before buying property, we recommend looking beyond a regional climate classification. Ask about rainfall at the actual property, winter sun exposure, prevailing winds, elevation, water availability, drainage, road conditions, and the local growing season. The climate you experience on a particular piece of land can matter far more than the color shown on a climate map.
The Chile Relocation Guide — Book One
Planning a Move to Chile?
Climate is just one of the things you need to understand before deciding where to live. Our new Chile Relocation Guide — Book One: Everything You Need to Know Before Moving to Chile covers the regions, climate, cost of living, healthcare, immigration, buying property, transportation, safety, and many of the practical things we have learned after more than 13 years living in Chile.