Chile Climate
Top 5 Cities: Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, La Serena, and Antofagasta
This month in numbers
Chile experienced an April that was 0.4°C warmer than the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 23rd warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The three-month period from February to April 2026 saw Chile's average temperature at 11.85°C, an anomaly of +0.7°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, making it the 14th warmest such period on record. This trend aligns with a broader warming pattern, as Chile's long-term trend shows a +0.76°C increase against the 1961–1990 baseline. For the latest month, Chile ranked 222nd out of 234 regions globally for its temperature anomaly, indicating it was relatively cooler compared to many other areas experiencing more significant warming. Over the past 12 months, Chile sits as the 232nd coolest region globally, with an anomaly of +0.61°C.
What’s driving change?
The region has been grappling with a prolonged drought since 2010, which has made large areas more susceptible to wildfires. This , combined with high temperatures and strong winds, contributed to devastating wildfires in central and southern Chile in January 2026, which killed at least 18 people and forced thousands to evacuate. These "fire weather" conditions were made up to three times more likely by human-caused climate change. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +0.9°C as of April 29, 2026. However, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, with a 79% chance for June-July-August. Historically, El Niño can bring varying precipitation patterns to Chile. For more information on ENSO, visit ENSO tracker.
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC forecast suggests a dominant shift towards El Niño conditions in the coming months, with a 79% probability for June-July-August, which could influence future weather patterns in the region.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Chile
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Chile changing?
Chile is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Chile come from?
Climate data for Chile comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Chile climate data cover?
The Chile climate profile covers Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, La Serena and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Chile
How often is the Chile climate update refreshed?
The Chile climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.