Antofagasta weather in March

Chile forum threads about April consistently single out the Antofagasta/Atacama region as the safer bet for outdoor plans compared to further south, since this stretch of coastal desert barely sees rain any time of year. Daytime temperatures were compared to the high 60s/low 70s F range travelers reported around San Pedro de Atacama, cooling off at night but never approaching cold. It's a good month for hiking and sightseeing precisely because there's essentially nothing to plan around weather-wise - clear skies and dry air are close to a given here.

Forum posters describe October along Chile's northern coast and desert as reliably dry, with measurable rain in the Atacama falling on average only once every twenty years - meaning real rain risk in Antofagasta this time of year is close to negligible. Posters are consistent, though, that the coast itself stays cool year-round thanks to the cold Humboldt Current running just offshore, so a jacket is standard advice regardless of season despite the desert setting inland. Posters describe October as sitting within Chile's spring, with clear, settled conditions typical up and down this stretch of coastline - a real contrast between the bone-dry desert climate just inland and the persistently cool, ocean-moderated air right at the water's edge.