The climate in Argentina

Argentina is a large country in the Southern Hemisphere, stretching from the Tropic of Capricorn to the southern tip of South America. The climate varies greatly due to its diverse geography, which includes the Andes, the Pampas, and the Patagonian Desert.

Northern Argentina has a tropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Northeastern Mesopotamia experiences heavy rainfall and occasional flooding. The central region, which includes the Pampas, has a temperate climate with mild temperatures year-round. The Pampas is also known for its frequent thunderstorms during the summer months.

Towards the south, the climate becomes increasingly dry and the climate around the Cuyo region becomes desert-like. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cool and dry with little precipitation.

Patagonia is the southernmost region of Argentina and has a cold, dry and windy climate. Summers are short and cold, while winters are long and severe, with heavy snowfall in some areas.

Due to the different climate, Argentina experiences a number of natural disasters such as droughts, floods, tornadoes and forest fires. Climate change has also impacted the country, with rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns affecting agriculture, wildlife, and water resource availability.

Temperature records of the last 74 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to January 2023 was reported by the Catamarca weather station. In October 2009, the record temperature of 47.0 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 102 weather stations in Argentina below 1,180 meters altitude, was recorded in 1971 with an average temperature of 13.1 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 11.4 degrees Celsius.

The coldest day in these 74 years was reported by the Perito Moreno Airport weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -25.7 °C in July 2000. Perito Moreno Airport lies at an altitude of 429 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 1949 with an average temperature of 19.9 °C. In Argentina, it is usual to have about 1.7 degrees more at 21.6 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in June 2007. With 333.3 mm per day, the Pigue Airport weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 74 years. Incidentally, the region with the most rainfall for the whole year is around Iguazu Airport. The driest region is near San Juan Airport.

Long-term development of temperatures from 1993 - 2022

In contrast to single record values, long-term development cannot simply be brought about by all weather stations in the country. Both the number and the locations are constantly changing. An average value would give a distorted result. If several measuring stations in particularly cold mountain or coastal regions are added in one year, the average would decrease as a result of this alone. If a station fails during the summer or winter months, it does not provide any values and distorts the average again. The subsequent long-term development was therefore reduced to only 24 measuring points in order to have comparable data over as long a period as possible.

In the years 1993 to 2022, there were only these 24 weather stations in the whole country, which reported continuous temperature values. From these weather reports, we have created a long-term development that shows the monthly average temperatures. The hottest month in this entire period was January 2022 at 24.8 °C. July 2007 was the coldest month with an average temperature of 7.4 °C.

The average annual temperature was about 16.8 °C in the years after 1993 and about 16.9 °C in the last years before 2022. So it has hardly changed at all in the past 30 years. This trend only applies to the selected 24 weather stations in Argentina. A considerably more comprehensive evaluation of global warming has been provided separately.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 103 stations in Argentina itself. In 14 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.