Catamarca climate
Catamarca (Argentina) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C70 °F, and about 473 mm19 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Catamarca climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3493 | 2169 | 2781 | 893.5 |
| Feb | 3290 | 2068 | 2679 | 823.2 |
| Mar | 3086 | 1864 | 2475 | 612.4 |
| Apr | 2781 | 1558 | 2169 | 381.5 |
| May | 2373 | 1051 | 1762 | 130.5 |
| Jun | 2170 | 745 | 1457 | 80.3 |
| Jul | 2169 | 643 | 1456 | 50.2 |
| Aug | 2475 | 847 | 1661 | 30.1 |
| Sep | 2780 | 1152 | 1966 | 150.6 |
| Oct | 3187 | 1560 | 2374 | 311.2 |
| Nov | 3391 | 1864 | 2578 | 471.9 |
| Dec | 3493 | 2068 | 2780 | 803.2 |
| Year | 3493 | 643 | 2170 | 47319 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59% | 55% | 6.8 | 13:46 |
| Feb | 64% | 57% | 6.0 | 13:07 |
| Mar | 68% | 56% | 5.1 | 12:20 |
| Apr | 70% | 56% | 4.1 | 11:26 |
| May | 68% | 54% | 3.3 | 10:43 |
| Jun | 63% | 48% | 3.2 | 10:20 |
| Jul | 56% | 41% | 3.6 | 10:30 |
| Aug | 48% | 34% | 4.6 | 11:07 |
| Sep | 45% | 38% | 5.6 | 11:58 |
| Oct | 48% | 48% | 6.2 | 12:50 |
| Nov | 50% | 47% | 6.8 | 13:35 |
| Dec | 56% | 52% | 6.9 | 13:57 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Catamarca is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 34 °C93 °F and a low of 21 °C69 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 21 °C69 °F and lows 6 °C43 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 13.6 °C24.6 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 473 mm19 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 53% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is January (89 mm3.5 in), the driest is August (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 45% in September to 70% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 34%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in June to 10 km/h (6 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.3 hours in June to 13.9 hours in December.
Best time to visit Catamarca
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 21 °C69 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 38 mm1.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is hot, with average highs of 34 °C93 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Catamarca
- Summer (December–February) — highs 3290 to 34 °C93 °F, lows 2068 to 21 °C69 °F, about 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (March–May) — highs 2373 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1051 to 18 °C64 °F, about 37 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Winter (June–August) — highs 2169 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 643 to 8 °C47 °F, about 5 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (September–November) — highs 2780 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 1152 to 18 °C64 °F, about 31 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Catamarca compares
Compared with La Rioja, about 148 km to the southwest, Catamarca is on average 0.5 °C1 °F cooler and receives 8% more precipitation (473 mm19 in vs 436 mm17 in). The difference is largest in January (1.7 °C3 °F cooler).
Of the 31 places in Argentina covered by World Climates, Catamarca is the 10th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 25th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Argentina climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Gaborone (Botswana, BSh), Mokopane (South Africa, BSh) and Rustenburg (South Africa, BSh).
Nearby places
- La Rioja 148 km · 22 °C71 °F · 436 mm17 in
- Santiago del Estero 167 km · 22 °C71 °F · 682 mm27 in
- San Miguel de Tucumán 192 km · 21 °C71 °F · 923 mm36 in
- Córdoba 361 km · 19 °C66 °F · 799 mm31 in
- Salta 409 km · 21 °C70 °F · 783 mm31 in
- Rawson 436 km · 21 °C70 °F · 145 mm5.7 in
- Copiapó 463 km · 17 °C62 °F · 38 mm1.5 in
- San Salvador de Jujuy 478 km · 19 °C66 °F · 790 mm31 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Catamarca?
January is the warmest month in Catamarca, with an average high of 34 °C (93 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (69 °F).
What is the coldest month in Catamarca?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 21 °C (69 °F) and an average low of 6 °C (43 °F).
When does it rain the most in Catamarca?
January is the wettest month with about 89 mm (3.5 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Catamarca?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 934 m, while Catamarca lies at about 545 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.5 °C4.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.