23rd August 2010

WEATHER
Some people on my wallwisher site wanted to know these questions about the weather:
WEATHER
1. How hot is it over there?
2. What is the highest temperature Chile can reach in the summer?
3. Is it more hot than cold?
I hope that this answers your questions 
The climate of Chile is made up of a wide range of weather conditions across a large geographic scale, extending across 38 degrees in latitude, making generalisations difficult. Chile within its borders hosts at least seven major climatic subtypes, ranging from desert in the north, to alpine tundra and glaciers in the east and southeast, humid subtropical in Easter Island, Oceanic in the south and mediterranean climate in central Chile. There are four seasons in most of the country: summer (December to February), autumn (March to May), winter (June to August), and spring (September to November).
Mediterranean
The climate of Central Chile is of temperate Mediterranean type, with the amount of rainfall increasing considerably and progressively from north to south. In the Santiago area, the average monthly temperatures are about 19.5 °C in the summer months of January and February and 7.5 °C in the winter months of June and July. The average monthly rainfall is no more than a trace in January and February and 69.7 millimeters in June and July. By contrast, in Concepción the average monthly temperatures are somewhat lower in the summer at 17.6 °C but higher in the winter at 9.3 °C, and the amount of rain is much greater. In the summer, Concepción receives an average of twenty millimeters of rain per month; in June and July, the city is pounded by an average of 253 millimeters per month. The numerous rivers greatly increase their flow as a result of the winter rains and the spring melting of the Andean snows, and they contract considerably in the summer. The combination of abundant snow in the Andes and relatively moderate winter temperatures creates excellent conditions for Alpine skiing. Areas around of Bío-Bío River, historically called La Frontera corresponds to southern limit of the mediterranean climate, with typical mediterranean fruits such as avocado, citrus, olives and grapes being cultivated north of it and oat, wheat, apples and potatoes to the south.
Temperate oceanic
The maritime influence of some southern Andean valleys makes them prone to snow falls in winter such as in Curarrehue in the picture.
In Zona Sur and the northern part of Zona Austral the climate is Temperate oceanic. Here the Andean Cordillera intercepts moist westerly winds along the Pacific coast during winter and summer months; these winds cool as they ascend the mountains, creating heavy rainfall on the mountains' west-facing slopes. The northward-flowing oceanic Humboldt Current creates humid and foggy conditions near the coast. The tree line is at about 2,400 m in the northern part of the ecoregion (35° S), and descends to 1,000 m in the south of the Valdivian region. In the summer average temperature can climb to 16.5°C (62°F), while during winter the temperature can drop below 7°C (45°F).[6]
Subpolar oceanic
The seasonal temperature in Zona Austral is greatly moderated by its proximity to the ocean and is known for stable constant temperatures, only small variability with season. The heaviest rainfalls goes between April and May and snow season goes all through Chilean winter (June till September), although the average temperature does not descend below the 1°C in coastal areas[7].
Pan de Azúcar National Park in Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert is the driest non-Arctic place on Earth, and is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and by the Chilean Coast Range. The average rainfall in the Chilean region of Antofagasta is just 1 mm per year. Some weather stations in the Atacama have never received rain. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971.[4] It is so arid that mountains that reach as high as 6,885 metres (22,590 feet) are completely free of glaciers. Studies by a group of British scientists have suggested that some river beds have been dry for 120,000 years.
Some locations in the Atacama do receive a marine fog known locally as the Camanchaca, providing sufficient moisture for hypolithic algae, lichens and even some cacti. But in the region that is in the "fog shadow" of the high coastal crest-line, which averages 3,000 m height for about 100 km south of Antofagasta, the soil has been compared to that of Mars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Chile
In Valparaiso where I live, It hardly rains. I have been here for three weeks now and it has only rained once or twice at most. In the mornings when I wake it is foggy sometimes but this clears by mid morning and it can turn out to be a very beautiful day. Sometimes the nights are cold enough to turn on the heater ‘estufa’
Valparaiso, Chile
Elevation: 40 meters Latitude: 33 01S Longitude: 071 39W
Average Temperature Years on Record: 30

YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 14 17 17 16 15 13 11 11 12 12 14 15 16
Average High Temperature Years on Record: 30

YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 18 22 22 21 19 17 15 15 16 16 18 20 21
Average Low Temperature Years on Record: 30

YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 10 13 13 12 11 10 8 8 8 8 10 11 12
Highest Recorded Temperature Years on Record: 31

YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 34 32 34 31 30 27 24 27 27 28 32 32 32
Lowest Recorded Temperature Years on Record: 27

YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C --- 7 6 7 3 3 --- 2 3 2 2 6 7
Average Rainfall (Precipitation) Years on Record: 41

YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
cm 50 --- --- --- 1 10 14 9 7 3 1 --- ---
Average Number of Rainy Days Years on Record: 41

YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Days 38 --- --- 1 1 6 10 6 5 2 1 --- 1

http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=85558&refer=&units=metric