The driest places in South America year-round
Antofagasta tops the list at 1.4 mm averaged across the year. Ranked from 1991–2020 climate normals across 50 destinations.
| # | Destination | Country | Rainfall | Avg high | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antofagasta | Chile | 1.4 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 2 | Tabuk | Saudi Arabia | 1.5 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 3 | Calama | Chile | 3.2 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 4 | Najrān | Saudi Arabia | 3.3 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 5 | Madinah | Saudi Arabia | 3.4 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 6 | Yanbu | Saudi Arabia | 3.7 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 7 | Chimbote | Peru | 4.1 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 8 | Chincha Alta | Peru | 4.6 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 9 | Al Kharj | Saudi Arabia | 4.6 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 10 | Iquique | Chile | 5.1 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 11 | Riyadh | Saudi Arabia | 5.6 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 12 | Al Hufūf | Saudi Arabia | 5.8 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 13 | Ha'il | Saudi Arabia | 6.4 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 14 | Ica | Peru | 6.5 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 15 | Tacna | Peru | 6.8 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 16 | Lima | Peru | 7.1 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 17 | Callao | Peru | 7.1 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 18 | Santa Anita - Los Ficus | Peru | 7.1 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 19 | Jeddah | Saudi Arabia | 7.1 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 20 | Dammam | Saudi Arabia | 7.3 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 21 | Buraydah | Saudi Arabia | 7.7 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 22 | Unaizah | Saudi Arabia | 8.1 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 23 | Al Jubayl | Saudi Arabia | 8.4 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 24 | Coquimbo | Chile | 8.5 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 25 | La Serena | Chile | 8.7 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 26 | Hafar Al-Batin | Saudi Arabia | 9.2 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 27 | Makkah | Saudi Arabia | 11 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 28 | Arica | Chile | 12 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 29 | Ta’if | Saudi Arabia | 15 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 30 | Trujillo | Peru | 16 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 31 | Chiclayo | Peru | 16 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 32 | Şabyā | Saudi Arabia | 18 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 33 | Neuquén | Argentina | 19 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 34 | Piura | Peru | 25 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 35 | Sullana | Peru | 27 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 36 | Valparaíso | Chile | 29 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 37 | Viña del Mar | Chile | 29 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 38 | Petrolina | Brazil | 33 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 39 | Khamis Mushait | Saudi Arabia | 34 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 40 | Coro | Venezuela | 38 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 41 | Porlamar | Venezuela | 39 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 42 | Campina Grande | Brazil | 39 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 43 | Caruaru | Brazil | 39 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 44 | Santiago | Chile | 41 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 45 | Barquisimeto | Venezuela | 41 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 46 | Maipú | Chile | 41 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 47 | Manta | Ecuador | 46 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 48 | Arapiraca | Brazil | 46 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 49 | Mossoró | Brazil | 46 mm | – °C | – mm |
| 50 | La Rioja | Argentina | 50 mm | – °C | – mm |
Averaged across all twelve months, and only for destinations with a full twelve-month series and a published climate page. The ranking is ours; the underlying values are reproduced from the source.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: ranking order, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.