Santiago - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
It is warm, dry, and sunny from September to November and from March to May. It is hot, very dry, and sunny from December though February/March. On warmer days it gets windy in the afternoon. The winter is June to August. On most days in the winter it is partly sunny to cloudy, and cool, with the occasional warm sunny day, and the occasional cool rainy day. We had snow twice last winter. Once it stuck briefly and promptly melted, and the other time it melted on impact. In general it is very dry here. Expect no rain whatsoever from early October to late March. - Dec 2020
Warm. Sure, there will be cold days, but I just feel that Santiago will become a coffee-growing region in 10 years. - Jun 2019
There weather is good. It can get very warm during the summer which is expected. It doesn't get very cold at night but like in most places when you add in some wind you do need something like a fleece or slightly heavier. You definitely want your heavier winter clothes if you want to go into the mountains or down south where it is much cooler even during the summer than in the city or up north. Also keep in mind the location of Chile is very close to that of Australia which has the whole in the ozone. Always wear your sunscreen. - Feb 2016
Overall climate is great. Never gets below freezing and therefore we've never seen snow in Santiago. The mountains get covered in snow, great skiing opportunities and the Embassy normally takes an annual trip. It can get very warm in January and February when it can get nearly unbearable sitting outside under the sun. Embassy is just recently investing in air conditioning units which makes things much better. But overall the weather here is great. - Nov 2014
The winters are grey and dreary, and the summers are relentlessly sunny, with absolutely no rain for 6 months. - Oct 2014
Mediteranean. Hot but dry in the summer (around 30 degrees C) which lasts from September-April. Cool in the winter (dropping down to 0 or -1 at night) which lasts from April-September. It almost never snows in the city, but you can drive an hour up into the mountains to ski during the winter. I would say that the climate is ideal. - Sep 2011
Santiago is much like Sacramento, California, in climate. Hot and dry during the summer months, and almost freezing temperatures during the peek winter months in the evenings and early mornings. - Jul 2010
The winter here is fairly mild. However, the nights get a lot colder than the days so I make sure to bring a coat if I'm not going to return until after dark. - Jul 2009
It's almost always sunny in Santiago. Rain is a rarity during the summer months. And even in the winter, there are quite a few sunny days. - Apr 2009
There are generally 2 seasons in Santiago:May to about mid November: Hot, Humid w/ a chance of a daily Thunderstorm after 4pm. Highs generally in the Upper 80s to Low 90s. Nights in the 70s. August, Sept and October are especially humid as you are in the height of the tropical storm season. Still the trade wind breezes and Santiago's close proximity to the mountains moderate the heat somewhat. Santiago usually feels the rain and occasional flooding effects of a hurricane and tropical storms; the mountains surrounding the city tend to shield us from the worst of the winds from a hurricane. December to April: Absolutely beautiful. Highs rarely hit 90 during this time. - Sep 2008
Like CA, just opposite seasons. - Jul 2008