Atacama Desert Temperature by Month
Atacama Desert, Antofagasta Region, Chile has a consistently comfortable climate year-round, with daytime highs averaging 23°C (73°F). Below you'll find a full monthly breakdown and a comparison with cities worldwide.
Atacama Desert Monthly Temperatures
With minimal seasonal shifts, Atacama Desert experiences a constant climate year-round. Maximum daytime temperatures range from a comfortable 25°C (77°F) in February to a pleasant 20°C (68°F) in July. At night, temperatures range from 11°C (52°F) in February to 1°C (34°F) in July.
The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Atacama Desert by month:
Temperatures tend to bottom out between 4 AM and 6 AM, then climb to their daily peak around 3 PM.
The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:
Historical Atacama Desert Temperatures: 2006-2026
Browse day-by-day temperature records for Atacama Desert spanning 21 years. Select any month and year to see actual high and low temperatures recorded on each day.
Temperature: Atacama Desert vs Chile
The map below shows the annual temperature across Chile. You can also select individual months if you want to compare a specific time of year.
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Atacama Desert vs World: Temperature Compared
Atacama Desert's average annual maximum temperature is 23°C (73°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:
Athens, Greece sits at 23°C (73°F) on average, with hot dry summers and mild winters characteristic of the Mediterranean.
Zermatt, Switzerland averages just 4°C (39°F) annually due to its altitude, with very cold winters and cool summers even at its warmest.
Chicago, USA averages 15°C (59°F) annually — known for extreme seasonal swings, from bitterly cold winters to warm summers.
Tokyo, Japan averages 21°C (70°F) a year, with hot summers, cool winters, and a well-defined cherry blossom spring.
Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.
The readings come from a range of sources — land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.
Global average temperatures have risen by around 1.2°C since the pre-industrial era, and the effects are visible across many regions. Winters are milder on average, with fewer frost days and less snow in many parts of the world. Heatwaves are more frequent and more intense, and Europe's summers of 2018, 2019, and 2020 all set records.
Summers are also getting drier in some areas, while winter rainfall has increased in others. This contributies to higher river levels and more flooding. In many countries, spring arrives earlier and autumn lasts longer. It has knock-on effects for wildlife, agriculture, and local ecosystems.
For more on Atacama Desert's weather — including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity — visit our Atacama Desert climate page.
