Iquique climate
Iquique (Chile) has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). The average temperature over the year is 23 °C73 °F, and about 11 mm0.4 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Iquique climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3086 | 2271 | 2679 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 3187 | 2272 | 2680 | 10.1 |
| Mar | 3086 | 2170 | 2678 | 00.0 |
| Apr | 2882 | 1967 | 2475 | 00.0 |
| May | 2679 | 1864 | 2272 | 00.0 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1661 | 2169 | 10.0 |
| Jul | 2475 | 1560 | 2068 | 20.1 |
| Aug | 2577 | 1660 | 2068 | 10.1 |
| Sep | 2578 | 1661 | 2169 | 10.1 |
| Oct | 2680 | 1762 | 2271 | 00.0 |
| Nov | 2781 | 1865 | 2373 | 10.0 |
| Dec | 2984 | 2068 | 2476 | 00.0 |
| Year | 3187 | 1560 | 2373 | 110.4 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67% | 65% | 7.7 | 13:14 |
| Feb | 68% | 63% | 7.4 | 12:47 |
| Mar | 68% | 62% | 6.6 | 12:15 |
| Apr | 69% | 71% | 5.2 | 11:39 |
| May | 68% | 80% | 3.9 | 11:10 |
| Jun | 68% | 88% | 3.2 | 10:55 |
| Jul | 67% | 88% | 3.2 | 11:01 |
| Aug | 65% | 89% | 4.0 | 11:26 |
| Sep | 65% | 87% | 5.0 | 12:01 |
| Oct | 65% | 84% | 6.2 | 12:36 |
| Nov | 65% | 74% | 7.1 | 13:06 |
| Dec | 66% | 67% | 7.7 | 13:21 |
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 Iquique is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 22 °C72 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 24 °C75 °F and lows 15 °C60 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 6.6 °C11.9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is very dry, with only 11 mm0.4 in of precipitation in an average year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is July (2 mm0.1 in), the driest is April (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 65% in August to 69% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 62%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in June to 11 km/h (7 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 10.9 hours in June to 13.3 hours in December.
Best time to visit Iquique
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–December: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 2 mm0.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is February, which is hot, with average highs of 31 °C87 °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 Iquique
- Wetter months (January and February, June–September) — highs 2475 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 1560 to 22 °C72 °F, about 1 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Drier months (March–May, October–December) — highs 2679 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1762 to 21 °C70 °F, about 0 mm0.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Iquique compares
Compared with Arica, about 194 km to the north, Iquique is on average 3.7 °C6.7 °F cooler and receives 58% less precipitation (11 mm0.4 in vs 26 mm1.0 in). The difference is largest in September (5.1 °C9.1 °F cooler).
Of the 25 places in Chile covered by World Climates, Iquique is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 23rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Chile climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Chincha Alta (Peru, BWh), Santa Anita - Los Ficus (Peru, BWh) and Nouadhibou (Mauritania, BWh).
Nearby places
- Alto Hospicio 8 km · 19 °C66 °F · 8 mm0.3 in
- Arica 194 km · 27 °C80 °F · 26 mm1.0 in
- Tacna 245 km · 26 °C79 °F · 48 mm1.9 in
- Calama 280 km · 16 °C61 °F · 33 mm1.3 in
- Antofagasta 383 km · 17 °C62 °F · 9 mm0.4 in
- Oruro 407 km · 8 °C47 °F · 481 mm19 in
- Arequipa 449 km · 17 °C63 °F · 149 mm5.9 in
- La Paz 464 km · 8 °C47 °F · 647 mm25 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Iquique?
February is the warmest month in Iquique, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (72 °F).
What is the coldest month in Iquique?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 24 °C (75 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (60 °F).
When does it rain the most in Iquique?
July is the wettest month with about 2 mm (0.1 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Iquique?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–December.
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 765 m, while Iquique lies at about 15 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +4.9 °C8.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.