page_title: Cuyo (Argentina)
section_title: Climate
hierarchical_section_title: Cuyo (Argentina) / Climate
caption_attribution_description: Español: Tormenta de nieve en Cacheuta-Departamento de Lujan de Cuyo-Provincia de Mendoza
context_page_description: Cuyo is the name given to the wine-producing, mountainous area of central-west Argentina. Historically it comprised the provinces of San Juan, San Luis and Mendoza. The modern term New Cuyo indicates both Cuyo proper and the province of La Rioja. New Cuyo is a political and economic macroregion, but culturally La Rioja is part of the North-West rather than of Cuyo.
  Cuyo has some of the most popular tourist attractions in Argentina and the highest mountain massifs in the Andes, including Aconcagua itself, the highest peak outside Asia, and the Ischigualasto Provincial Park.
  The soil is arid and reddish, crossed by few rivers. Most of the rivers are fed by the thawing of snow on the peaks, and their volume of water increases considerably in spring. The Desaguadero River is the main collector, receiving waters from the Bermejo, Vinchina and Salado before reaching the Colorado River.
  Viticulture is one of the main activities of the area. The wine production of the region represents almost 80% of national production, and the wines are highly considered in the world.
context_section_description: The region of Cuyo has an arid climate or a semi-arid climate with an average annual precipitation of about 100 to 500 millimetres (4 to 20 in) that is generally unreliable from year to year. The region, which encompasses a wide range of latitudes combined with altitudes ranging from 500 m to nearly 7,000 m means that it has a diverse range of different climates. In general, most of the region has a temperate climate with higher altitude valleys having a more milder climate. At the highest altitudes (over 4,000 m), icy conditions persist year round.  The diurnal range is very large with very hot temperatures during the day followed by cold nights. Amongst all locations in Argentina, the region has the largest diurnal range in the country with areas in San Juan Province having a diurnal range exceeding 19.1 °C (34.38 °F). The Andes prevent rain–bearing clouds from the Pacific Ocean from coming in, while its latitude puts it in a band of the sub-tropical high pressure belt keeping this region dry. With very low humidity, abundant sunshine throughout the year, and a temperate climate, the region is suitable for wine production. Droughts are often frequent and prolonged. The Cuyo region is influenced by the subtropical, semi–permanent South Atlantic anticyclone to the east in the Atlantic, the semi-permanent South Pacific anticyclone to the west of the Andes, the development of a low pressure system ("Chaco low") over northern Argentina and westerlies in the southern parts of the region. Most of the precipitation falls during the summer, when hot temperatures and high insolation lead to the development of a low pressure system ("Chaco low") situated over northern Argentina that interacts with the South Atlantic anticyclone to generate a pressure gradient that brings moist easterly winds to the region, favouring precipitation, which mostly occurs in the form of convective thunderstorms. More than 85% of the annual rainfall occurs from October to March, which represents the warm season. In contrast, the winter months are dry due to these systems weakening, and the lower insolation that weakens the Chaco low over northern Argentina. Eastern and southeastern areas of the region receive more precipitation than the western areas since they receive more summer rainfall. As such, most of Mendoza province and San Juan province receive the lowest annual precipitation with mean summer precipitation averaging less than 100 mm (3.9 in) and in rare cases, no summer rainfall. Further eastwards in San Luis province, mean summer rainfall averages around 500 mm (20 in) and can exceed 700 mm (28 in) in some areas. Higher altitude locations receive precipitation in the form of snow during the winter months. In the Cuyo region, annual precipitation is highly variable from year to year and appears to follow a cycle between dry and wet years in periods of about 2, 4–5, 6–8, and 16–22 years. In wet years, easterly winds caused by the subtropical South Atlantic anticyclone are stronger, which causes more moisture towards this region while during the dry years, these winds are weaker.
  Summers in the region are hot and generally very sunny, averaging as much as 10 hours per day. In contrast, winters are dry and cold and average around 7–8 hours of sunshine per day. Since this region has a wide range of altitudes, ranging from 500 m to nearly 7,000 m, temperatures can vary widely with altitude. In the lowlands of Mendoza province, which lie at an altitude of around 440 m to 530 m, mean annual temperatures range from 18.2 to 18.7 °C (64.8 to 65.7 °F) in the northern parts to 15 °C (59 °F) in the south. At higher altitude locations and in the western parts of Mendoza province, the mean annual temperatures range from −1.7 °C (28.9 °F) in Cristo Redentor to 13.6 °C (56.5 °F) with a larger difference in temperatures between winter and summer months. In San Juan Province, the mean annual temperature ranges from 17.3 °C (63.1 °F) in the provincial capital to −0.2 °C (31.6 °F). In San Luis province, mean annual temperatures range from 15.8 °C (60.4 °F) in Vill
caption: Colder weather predominates at higher altitudes which can receive snow during the winter
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