, with cold winters, sometimes freezing and snowy, from June to August, and mild and sunny summers (but with strong temperature variations between night and day), from December to February.
The small city is located in western Argentina, in the province of Río Negro, at 42 degrees south latitude, in an Andean valley at 300 meters above sea level.
We are in an area occupied by forests, with the tree line quite low, around 1,500 meters. Above this altitude there are glaciers and snowfields, which in turn feed lakes. At this latitude, the Andes are humid because they receive westerly currents from Chile, whose border is about 20 km to the west. About 25 km to the east, the Patagonian Desert begins.
About 20 km to the north, at almost 1,000 metres above sea level, is the ski resort of
. The nearest international airport is 90 km to the north, in San Carlos de Bariloche.
, the temperature often drops a little below freezing at night, but during the day it almost always exceeds this value. Rainfall is more frequent than snowfall, and even when it snows, the snow tends to melt quite quickly.
Every now and then, there can be cold spells, during which the temperature can drop to around -10 °C (14 °F). The record is -11.5 °C (11.3 °F), set in July 2007.
, in fact, sometimes from December to February the temperature can drop to around 0 °C (32 °F).
In summer there can be hot periods, during which the temperature reaches or exceeds 30 °C (86 °F). The records from December to February are 37/38 °C (99/100 °F). However, even in these cases, the temperature drops significantly at night.
The best time to visit El Bolsón is the summer, from December to February, as it is the mildest and driest of the year. Remember that at night it can get cold even in this period.
For a ski holiday in Cerro Perito Moreno, the season normally runs from July to September. Depending on how much snow has fallen, during some years you can ski until mid-October.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the warmest month of the year, is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
16.8 °C, with a minimum of
7.9 °C and a maximum of
25.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
3 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
34.7 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 64% of the time.
The average humidity is 48%.
The average wind speed is of
5.2 kph.
February is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
16.7 °C, with a minimum of
7.7 °C and a maximum of
25.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33.5 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
30.8 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 66% of the time.
The average humidity is 54%.
The average wind speed is of
6.4 kph.
March is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
14 °C, with a minimum of
5.8 °C and a maximum of
22.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
33.1 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 62% of the time.
The average humidity is 56%.
The average wind speed is of
5.3 kph.
April is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
10.2 °C, with a minimum of
3.5 °C and a maximum of
16.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
73.7 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 54% of the time.
The average humidity is 69%.
The average wind speed is of
4 kph.
May is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7 °C, with a minimum of
1.8 °C and a maximum of
12.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-4.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
109.7 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 42% of the time.
The average humidity is 76%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
4.7 kph.
June is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
4.6 °C, with a minimum of
0.3 °C and a maximum of
9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-6 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
17.5 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
173.1 mm, distributed over 14 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 10 minutes. June 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 32% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
4.6 kph.
July, the coldest month of the year, is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
4.2 °C, with a minimum of
-0.4 °C and a maximum of
8.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-7 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
14.5 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
130.9 mm, distributed over 13 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 35% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
4.8 kph.
August is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.8 °C, with a minimum of
0.5 °C and a maximum of
11 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
135.2 mm, distributed over 13 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 42% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
5.8 kph.
September is generally a quite mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
7.8 °C, with a minimum of
1.2 °C and a maximum of
14.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
55.3 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 64%.
The average wind speed is of
4.2 kph.
October is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
10.5 °C, with a minimum of
3.3 °C and a maximum of
17.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
51.3 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 54% of the time.
The average humidity is 58%.
The average wind speed is of
6.6 kph.
November is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
12.8 °C, with a minimum of
5 °C and a maximum of
20.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
29.5 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
44.4 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 30 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 57% of the time.
The average humidity is 54%.
The average wind speed is of
7.6 kph.
December is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
15.2 °C, with a minimum of
6.8 °C and a maximum of
23.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
0.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31.5 °C.
Precipitation amounts to
33.4 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 10 minutes. So the days are long. December 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 59% of the time.
The average humidity is 52%.
The average wind speed is of
7.4 kph.