November brings 24°C daytime highs, 8mm of precipitation across about 1 wet days and 13.8 hours of daylight — best for hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest run of the year is October to December. July is the quietest month: quiet and local, and still good for hiking, cycling and low-angle light.
Long-run climate normals for Santiago. Month ratings compare months within Santiago only — they are not a ranking of Santiago against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | November — Hiking, Cycling, Reliable sunshine |
| Best 3-month window | October–December |
| Quietest month | July — Quiet and local |
| Driest month | January — 1mm |
| Wettest month | July — 69mm |
| Warmest / coolest | January 30°C / August 14°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 312mm over roughly 44 rain days |
July gets roughly 763% more precipitation than November — 69mm against 8mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Daytime highs only move 16°C across the whole year (14–30°C), so timing matters far less here than rainfall does.
December gives you 14.2 hours of daylight against just 9.8 in June — a 4-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
January is the driest month at 1mm across roughly 1 wet days, while July peaks at 69mm.
December is almost as good as November, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Santiago changes character completely through the year — November and July are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Santiago, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Santiago beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★★★☆ | 30°C / 14°C | 1mm | 1 | 7h | 14h | Beach days · Swimming |
| February | ★★★★★ | 30°C / 14°C | 1mm | 1 | 11h | 13.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| March | ★★★★★ | 28°C / 12°C | 3mm | 1 | 11h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| April | ★★★★★ | 24°C / 10°C | 10mm | 2 | 10h | 11.1h | Hiking · Cycling · Reliable sunshine |
| May | ★★★☆☆ | 20°C / 7°C | 42mm | 6 | 6h | 10.2h | Hiking · Cycling · Autumn colour |
| June | ★★☆☆☆ | 16°C / 5°C | 66mm | 10 | 3h | 9.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| July | ★★☆☆☆ | 14°C / 3°C | 69mm | 11 | 3h | 10h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| August | ★★☆☆☆ | 14°C / 3°C | 47mm | 7 | 3h | 10.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| September | ★★★☆☆ | 16°C / 5°C | 22mm | 3 | 3h | 11.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| October | ★★★★☆ | 20°C / 7°C | 13mm | 2 | 6h | 12.9h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| November | ★★★★★ | 24°C / 10°C | 8mm | 1 | 10h | 13.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Reliable sunshine |
| December | ★★★★★ | 28°C / 12°C | 5mm | 1 | 11h | 14.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | March | 11h daily sunshine, 28°C highs and only 1 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | November | 24°C highs with 13.8h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | December | 11h of sun and 14.2h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | March | Scores 87/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | September | 16°C highs and 5°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Santiago is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
November is the best all-round month in Santiago: 24°C highs, 8mm of precipitation and 13.8 hours of daylight, which suits hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest three-month window is October to December.
July — 14°C highs, 69mm of precipitation over roughly 11 days and 10 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for hiking, cycling and low-angle light.
January is the driest month at 1mm over about 1 rain days, against 69mm in July. Across the year Santiago records around 312mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. November suits hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine, while July suits hiking, cycling and low-angle light. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 9.8 hours in June to 14.2 hours in December, calculated from the city's latitude.