The town of Antofagasta has a desert climate with abundant cloudiness.
The marked aridity and water scarcity are regulated by the Humboldt Current, addition to the high humidity and morning fog known as camanchaca. Furthermore, the Pacific anticyclone generates winds from the south and southwest. All this means mild and stable temperatures for most of the year.
The average annual temperature is 17 �C (63 �F). The average daily low temperature in the warmest month, February, is 17 �C (63 �F) while the average daily high temperature is 23 �C (73 �F). The coldest month, July, sees an average low temperature of 12 �C (54 �F) and an average high temperature of 16 �C (61 �F). The highest temperature recorded is 31 �C (88 �F) and the lowest recorded is 5 �C (41 �F).
The Atacama Desert coast is subjected to a climate of extreme aridity, therefore generates a low average annual rainfall of 4 mm (1904�1998). However, the sporadic occurrence of heavy rainfall, together with the geomorphologic situation of the city, making it susceptible to be affected by mud flows and landslides. Between 1916 and 1999, the city was affected by floods or landslides on seven occasions: 1925, 1930, twice in 1940, 1982, 1987 and 1991, of which the most important episodes in 1940 and 1991
