Arica climate — normals and trends
Arica (Chile) has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 18.5 °C and it receives 198 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is February (22.4 °C on average) and the coldest is July (15.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
Arica averages 0 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 76 rainy days per year.
Arica has warmed by +0.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.08 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 31.0 °C (on 8 February 2024) and the coldest 8.6 °C (on 18 August 1960).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
AricaArica y Parinacota Region
- coords
- -18.48°, -70.30°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
18.5°C
Average daily high
22.5°C
Average daily low
15.8°C
Annual rainfall
198mm
Sunshine / day
11.4h
Mean relative humidity
77%
Average peak wind
13.9km/h
Seasonal range
7.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
76 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
24.0 °C
Average feels-like low
16.1 °C
Average peak gust
30.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
21 d/yr
Solar radiation
22.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.7 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.11 · p = 0.002
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
31.0 °C
8 February 2024
Coldest day
8.6 °C
18 August 1960
Wettest day
52 mm
9 February 1942
Windiest day
21.1 km/h
27 June 1941
Strongest gust
41.0 km/h
21 February 2010
Hottest feels-like
35.4 °C
2 February 1942
Coldest feels-like
6.2 °C
1 July 1966
Sunniest day
13.0 h
24 November 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.9 °C | +0.9 °C | 4 mm | -6 mm |
| Feb | 28.1 °C | +1.6 °C | 9 mm | -0 mm |
| Mar | 27.3 °C | +1.3 °C | 4 mm | -1 mm |
| Apr | 24.2 °C | +0.2 °C | 7 mm | -2 mm |
| May | 21.5 °C | +0.1 °C | 27 mm | -2 mm |
| Jun | 19.6 °C | 0.0 °C | 52 mm | +14 mm |
| Jul | 19.4 °C | +0.6 °C | 39 mm | +4 mm |
| Aug | 19.4 °C | +0.4 °C | 47 mm | +21 mm |
| Sep | 20.2 °C | +0.5 °C | 20 mm | +1 mm |
| Oct | 21.7 °C | +0.7 °C | 12 mm | +3 mm |
| Nov | 23.0 °C | 0.0 °C | 9 mm | +4 mm |
| Dec | 25.2 °C | +0.4 °C | 1 mm | -4 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Arica?
Arica has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 18.5 °C and it receives 198 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Arica?
The hottest day measured in Arica between 1940 and 2025 was 8 February 2024, reaching 31.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Arica?
The coldest day measured in Arica between 1940 and 2025 was 18 August 1960, at 8.6 °C.
Does it snow in Arica?
Almost never: Arica sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Arica warmed?
Yes: Arica warmed by +0.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Arica?
The wettest day measured in Arica between 1940 and 2025 was 9 February 1942, with 52 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Arica?
The windiest day measured in Arica between 1940 and 2025 was 27 June 1941, with winds reaching 21.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Arica?
The warmest month in Arica is February (22.4 °C on average); the coldest is July (15.4 °C).
How much does it rain in Arica?
Arica receives on average 198 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 76 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Arica?
Arica gets on average 11.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,161 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Arica?
Yes: Arica has on average 21 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Arica?
In Arica, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 35.4 °C on 2 February 1942, and the lowest was 6.2 °C on 1 July 1966.
Compare Arica with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Arica