Rawson climate
Rawson (Argentina) has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C70 °F, and about 145 mm5.7 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Rawson climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3697 | 2271 | 2984 | 251.0 |
| Feb | 3595 | 2069 | 2882 | 341.3 |
| Mar | 3290 | 1864 | 2577 | 150.6 |
| Apr | 2883 | 1457 | 2170 | 60.2 |
| May | 2475 | 1050 | 1762 | 50.2 |
| Jun | 2271 | 745 | 1458 | 30.1 |
| Jul | 2170 | 643 | 1457 | 30.1 |
| Aug | 2475 | 846 | 1660 | 40.2 |
| Sep | 2680 | 1050 | 1865 | 60.2 |
| Oct | 3187 | 1457 | 2272 | 50.2 |
| Nov | 3493 | 1763 | 2578 | 190.7 |
| Dec | 3696 | 2068 | 2882 | 210.8 |
| Year | 3697 | 643 | 2170 | 1455.7 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40% | 37% | 8.0 | 13:59 |
| Feb | 44% | 37% | 7.1 | 13:15 |
| Mar | 46% | 34% | 6.0 | 12:22 |
| Apr | 46% | 34% | 4.7 | 11:21 |
| May | 44% | 45% | 3.5 | 10:32 |
| Jun | 36% | 37% | 3.2 | 10:06 |
| Jul | 36% | 35% | 3.5 | 10:16 |
| Aug | 32% | 30% | 4.5 | 10:59 |
| Sep | 34% | 32% | 5.8 | 11:57 |
| Oct | 33% | 34% | 7.1 | 12:56 |
| Nov | 33% | 30% | 8.1 | 13:47 |
| Dec | 36% | 30% | 8.5 | 14:12 |
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 Rawson is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 36 °C97 °F and a low of 22 °C71 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 21 °C70 °F and lows 6 °C43 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 15.2 °C27.3 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is very dry, with only 145 mm5.7 in of precipitation in an average year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 55% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: March–November. The wettest month is February (34 mm1.3 in), the driest is June (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 32% in August to 46% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 30%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (5 mph) in May to 11 km/h (7 mph) in November. Daylight lasts from about 10.1 hours in June to 14.2 hours in December.
Best time to visit Rawson
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 6 mm0.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is hot, with average highs of 36 °C97 °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 Rawson
- Summer (December–February) — highs 3595 to 36 °C97 °F, lows 2068 to 22 °C71 °F, about 27 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (March–May) — highs 2475 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1050 to 18 °C64 °F, about 9 mm0.3 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 2170 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 643 to 8 °C46 °F, about 3 mm0.1 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 2680 to 34 °C93 °F, lows 1050 to 17 °C63 °F, about 10 mm0.4 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 Rawson compares
Compared with Colina, about 270 km to the southwest, Rawson is on average 1.6 °C2.8 °F warmer and receives 43% less precipitation (145 mm5.7 in vs 256 mm10 in). The difference is largest in November (3.1 °C5.5 °F warmer).
Of the 31 places in Argentina covered by World Climates, Rawson is the 8th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 31st 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Torreón (Mexico, BWh), Gómez Palacio (Mexico, BWh) and Ciudad Delicias (Mexico, BWh).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains San Juan (pop. 109,123). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Rawson, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Mendoza 148 km · 17 °C63 °F · 290 mm11 in
- Colina 270 km · 20 °C68 °F · 256 mm10 in
- San Luis 282 km · 17 °C62 °F · 694 mm27 in
- Santiago 287 km · 19 °C67 °F · 274 mm11 in
- La Rioja 290 km · 22 °C71 °F · 436 mm17 in
- Coquimbo 323 km · 20 °C67 °F · 92 mm3.6 in
- Viña del Mar 325 km · 18 °C65 °F · 287 mm11 in
- Valparaíso 332 km · 14 °C58 °F · 238 mm9.4 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Rawson?
January is the warmest month in Rawson, with an average high of 36 °C (97 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (71 °F).
What is the coldest month in Rawson?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 21 °C (70 °F) and an average low of 6 °C (43 °F).
When does it rain the most in Rawson?
February is the wettest month with about 34 mm (1.3 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Rawson?
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 1,342 m, while Rawson lies at about 660 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +4.4 °C8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.